Off Canvas Canvas
A Home That Thrives on Fun and Flexes With Life
Project overview: Homes are, at their best, as changeable and alive as their inhabitants: able to expand - for weekend guests, or for an entire season of life that is full of happy chaos - or contract - for quiet moments, downtime, empty nesting. We designed Off Campus Canvas to feel grounded in the present and also to be able to change over time. In the short term, it will house students at nearby Indiana University (and also comfortably accommodate visiting family). In the long term, it will become a Midwestern landing pad for a pair of West Coast-based empty nesters.
Client description: Our design at Off Campus Canvas has a distinct focus on play, dictated not just by our short term student residents but by their parents, the the long term homeowners who asked for a color scheme uniting their favorite teams: IU, UCLA, and the Washington Commanders. Prioritizing gathering and hosting, game days and California style indoor-outdoor living, these clients came to us with a mandate not just for flexibility, but for fun.
Design solutions: Our formula for a home centered around play: a high-energy, high-contrast aesthetic with a mix of vintage and new, higher and lower end finishes and furnishings. There's nothing precious underfoot; the fabrics are all very cleanable; and our specifications are modular, so they work in an overall scheme - to be grouped or moved, regrouped and moved again. We are hopeful most of the furniture withstands the short term (eschewing the "college kid" stereotype - not all young adults ruin things!) and can also be anchors in the next iteration of life in this off campus getaway.
Outcomes & testimonials: Done by Fall Semester move in, Off Campus Canvas was quickly turned into Student Central, with pullup bars in the doorways, arcade and video game consoles added, and all the snacks and beverages well-stocked. We call that success! A deck and screened porch are next up, and Phase 2 of Design - with more architectural changes to prepare to turn the place over to Mom and Dad.
