Behind-the-Scenes of the Architectural Digest Greenroom

What A Difference A Day (or Two) Makes!

Mark Boone — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 19:26:28 +0000

I have a whole new respect for the phrase “The show must go on!” After nearly six months of drawings, meetings, phone conferences and visits to all sorts of fabricators, our Greenroom is finally installed! As I watched this week, I was dazzled by the transformation of a huge, empty, black stage into a camera-ready venue for the stars. Our own Greenroom required carpenters, electricians, lighting specialists, draftsmen, glass fabricators, custom upholsterers, furniture craftsmen, wood-flooring installers, A/V specialists, framers and florists—not to mention the fabricators and jewel setters involved in creating our Hearts On Fire diamond chandelier. All of this was but one element in the beehive of activity happening at The Nokia Theatre in preparation for the upcoming Primetime Emmys telecast on Sunday, September 21st, at 8 pm EST on ABC.

Very much like a giant pop-up book from one’s childhood, the room’s walls and floors arrived on huge, flatbed trucks and were assembled according to a puzzle-worthy set of instructions. Birger Juell’s fabulous inlaid, interlocking floor gave us the first glimpse of the room coming together. I’ll admit there were a couple of nail-biting moments. As one of the workdays was ending, one of the assemblers remarked, “OK Mark, I think it’s looking great. We’re just about finished.” I responded, “Finished?! Where’s my ceiling?!” This “small” detail had been overlooked and subsequently, horrifyingly, not fabricated. After a few panicked conference calls, they assured us that an entire, custom truss system and ceiling would be made overnight and delivered to the site by the next morning. They must have Santa’s elves working somewhere in Hollywood—the very next day, a beautifully made, custom-welded and fit structure was delivered and installed. Peace (and sanity) was restored. It seems to be the norm on this set.

Toward the end of our last day, we were greeted by members of the LAPD and several tall, intimidating gentlemen in dark suits. Our diamond chandelier had finally arrived for a brief test run! Having been installed and wired only minutes before, the chandelier’s skeleton was ready for its final touch: more than 3,300 individually set diamonds weighing in at over 1,000 carats. Each strand was carefully attached while we all watched the transformation from structure to shimmering sculpture. It can be yours for $10 million.

Of course the purpose of room is to cradle, comfort and simultaneously dazzle its occupants. The stars—honorees and presenters themselves—add the finishing layer of color, energy and life to the space. I’m honored to have been a part of its creation. I’m eager to hear what they think.

Wood’s Starring Roles

Mark Boone — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 21:17:08 +0000

We’re all getting very excited as we gain momentum and progress on this year’s Architectural Digest Greenroom at the Primetime Emmys®. As with any design process, it’s especially rewarding to see normally disparate elements begin to take shape as a more cohesive whole. An intriguing feature of this year’s greenroom design is the creative use of environmentally responsible wood.

This year’s amazing greenroom floor is provided by wood flooring specialists, Birger Juell, Ltd. Leaders in the industry for their sophisticated patterns and techniques and innovators for their use of reclaimed and recycled woods, Birger Juell offered us an amazing variety of pieces salvaged from former barn timbers and siding. Over the past few weeks, I’ve enjoyed collaborating on an exciting, complex inlaid design for our greenroom. The room’s intricate shape created an especially tricky challenge. Many sketches and conference calls later, a final design was reached—a wonderfully interlocking, plank and incised pattern reminiscent of light refracting within a diamond, yet subtle in its soft finish, scale and overall restraint.

A plan showing the wood floor detail (click to enlarge the image):

Another important wood element: Mimi London, Inc.’s sculptural cocktail tables are being fashioned from reclaimed walnut. One of our design clients was clearing an old walnut orchard in order to make room for new crops and a vineyard. My partner, Mimi, and I purchased the walnut and began playing with the idea of turning this amazing, raw material into innovative, functional furniture. Like diamonds, we unearthed the pieces and started experimenting with different “cuts” and shapes to make the pieces really “sing.” The result is a design that I’m featuring in this year’s greenroom: solid, burled walnut faceted into jewel-like tables. These pieces are then carefully bleached and finished into a silvery, driftwood tone matching the greenroom’s overall color scheme.

Cocktail tables by Mimi London. (Click to enlarge the image).

Diamonds-A-Plenty in Boston

Mark Boone — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:50:13 +0000

A telephone conference was arranged with the diamond jeweler, Hearts On Fire, to discuss our focal idea for the greenroom. We wanted something dramatic, tasteful—something with a major “wow” factor. Kind of kidding, I suggested that we create a chandelier made from real diamonds?! To my surprise, Hearts On Fire loved the idea. I immediately started sketching out ideas that I hoped would work. Later during the conference call, the representative from Hearts On Fire suggested that we come for a sit-down with their design team, to see their collection firsthand and explore possibilities for our chandelier at their headquarters in Boston. A few days later, I was flying east, joining my colleagues from Architectural Digest’s New York and Boston offices at Hearts On Fire. Their stylish headquarters, featuring Fort Knox-like security, was buzzing with activity. After a tour of the office, we met the team in their conference room to view both their collection and my concepts.

What an inspiration to actual see the diamonds and discuss possibilities. They also presented an upcoming “architectural series” collection that was amazingly beautiful and thoughtfully rendered. We played back and forth with ideas—and diamonds—finally settling on a sleek, contemporary, multi-tiered piece that we all found very exciting. I flew back to Los Angeles, thrilled with what I had seen and excited about all the potential. Now it was time to finish designing the rest of the room.

A hand-drawn sketch of my intial ideas for the Hearts On Fire diamond chandelier:

(Click to enlarge)

And a digital rendering of the chandelier. (Click to enlarge)

Visiting the Nokia Theatre

Mark Boone — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:52:26 +0000

This year’s Primetime Emmy® Awards will be hosted at the Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live for the first time. The incredible new downtown Los Angeles complex sits adjacent to the Staples Center. Sleek and modern, the Nokia features state-of-the-art technology that I imagine could only add to the overall quality and performance of the first Emmys production at the new locale.

As I’d never been to the Nokia and certainly never backstage, we called for an on-site meeting to familiarize ourselves with the location and present my initial concepts to Emmy officials, production staff and our colleagues from Architectural Digest. I was led through a rear entrance and into the backstage door. What a rush to experience the expansive volume of space! The stage was virtually empty, save for heavy, giant black curtains lifted on all sides of the stage. I explained my design concept to the team with all of the plans, materials, finish samples and thumbnail sketches spread out directly on the stage floor. It was great to get spontaneous reactions from the team and then entertain more thoughtful dialogue regarding the realities of space and theatrical requirements.

We developed an overall size and height for the greenroom and discussed challenges of using certain materials—in this case my strong desire to mirror the walls in entirety from floor to ceiling. I thought it would enhance the “walking into a diamond” experience, add to the faceted architecture and create glamour and sparkle. However, the concerns were valid: how does a cameraman interview a celebrity without accidentally interviewing himself via reflection in the process?! My challenge was to somehow manipulate the material in such a way as to take away the negative properties while retaining the positive. It was time for some research. More importantly, we scheduled a meeting in Boston with Hearts On Fire to discuss the room’s centerpiece: a truly one-of-a-kind diamond chandelier!

Here’s the team working at the Nokia Theatre: (Click to enlarge image.)

Getting the Call / Diamond Inspiration

Mark Boone — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:41:23 +0000

When I was asked by Paige Rense, Architectural Digest‘s Editor-in-Chief, to design this year’s Architectural Digest Greenroom at the Primetime Emmys®, I was both flattered and thrilled—and I must admit, a little intimidated. It raised an intriguing dilemma: how do you create an interesting, glamorous, comfortable space that pays proper tribute to Emmys’ 60th anniversary? After doing a little research, I remembered that the “traditional” 60th anniversary gift is diamonds. Now, I finally had my general concept!

This was perfect, I decided to design a space that will embody the characteristics of diamonds—depth, sparkle, crispness, faceting, intensity, glamour. The color palette will range from platinum sheepskin banquettes, “destroyed” mercury glass mirrors and cocktail tables of my company‘s own design with the sheen of a sun-silvered driftwood. As you can see from the rendering, the architecture of the room itself will be clipped into mineral-like mirrored facets.

Here are photos of samples displaying the “destroyed” mirror glass treatment created by the specialists at Campbell Glass.

Here’s a look at the first rendering of our AD Greenroom. (Click to enlarge the image.)

While discussing my initial ideas with my liaison at Architectural Digest, she patiently listened while I went on and on about “diamonds,” and how it would be fantastic to somehow include a major, focal gesture—in real diamonds. Finally, she broke her silence and advised that Hearts On Fire, the diamond jeweler that dresses many celebrities, had the same exact notion.