Post by Laura McGarity, KYCID, IIDA

Pleased to share the results of the first project I designed at DKN beginning in 2024. Confidential Client: Corporate Louisville interior stairwell transformation Before: We started with a space stuck between eras. While we honored the massive, late-1800s heavy timber bones, the 1990s intervention with its high-contrast magenta elevator accents and industrial wire-mesh spiral railing was ready for its next chapter. After: For the redesign, every single detail has a story. We reimagined the central stairwell volume, keeping the structural bones but replacing the guardrails with custom-fabricated panels drawing inspiration from the exterior building architectural details. Wrapping the curved walls of the stairwell is a 50’ wide panoramic mural sourced from a nearly 100-year-old photograph found deep in the University of Louisville archives to open up this windowless space and reference local heritage. We anchored the space with polished terrazzo flooring, a sleek walnut laminate coffee bar and a moody emerald green elevator lobby wrapped in vertical wood laminate detailing. This is how you honor the past while designing for the future. What’s your favorite detail of this transformation? 👇 #DKNARCHITECTS #Interiordesigner #CommercialInteriorDesign #LouisvilleArchitecture #Parasoleil #lookwallcoverings #tilebar #arborite #laminart #corian #Fraschacoustics #DesignTransformation #AdaptiveReuse #HistoricPreservation #UofLArchives #CorporateDesign #StaircaseDesign #BeforeAndAfter #BiophilicDesign #InteriorArchitecture #LouisvilleDesign #CustomMetalwork #Louisvillekentucky #renovation #neuroaesthetics #designingforthefuture

Video Content