The Mill is a leading video special effects firm headquartered in London. In 2015, the company relocated its Chicago office to the newly renovated 1K Fulton facility, a vintage cold storage tower turned tech hub in the heart of the West Loop.
In 2018, The Mill retained Field Guide for the development of new Edit Suites. These suites provide spaces for the Mill’s video artists and creative team to engage with clients from the advertising and film worlds, allowing for immersive and often confidential development of video projects.
Due to these programmatic requirements, the Edit Suites must do double duty, accommodating high tech work surfaces for multiple video artists while also providing a comfortable and stylish environment where the rest of the team can camp out for hours or even days while a project is in development.
The brief requested three new suites and a shared lounge area, all with an identity that was related to but distinct from the phase 1 spaces. Functionally identical to each other, the Edit Suites differentiate themselves through the use of color and soft surfaces.
Linear acoustic fins are mounted near the ceiling to soften the space and conceal services and infrastructure.
A different color is used in each suite, creating a strong, clear identity for each room.
Midway through construction, Field Guide was asked to provide all furniture and furnishings for the spaces.
Working in collaboration with Melissa Riddle of Honest Living, distinctive furniture schemes were developed for each suite and the common spaces.
The identity of each suite starts with the acoustic fin color. From there, a bold rug and eclectic seating and tables round out the furnishings.
In the shared spaces, a row of tables suited for individual or small group work are complemented by individual seating groups.
Most pieces were in stock and ready-to-ship to meet the schedule. However, each room gains personality from vintage items that were sourced and in some cases restored by the Honest Living team in order to meet the tight time frame.
In the blue suite, for example, the mid-century sofa was sourced and restored in less than a month, and is complemented by vintage lacquer side tables.
All photographs by Ross Floyd unless noted otherwise.
