900 N Michigan Lobby

Opportunity: In a large mixed-use building, just off the Magnificent Mile, current owners engaged Booth Hansen to convert the 21st to the 28th floors of office space into residential condominiums while preserving other functions of the building. The new first floor lobby was to be carved out of existing office lobby space but needed to read “residential.”

Solution: To mark the new entrances for both business and residences and to greet visitors at a human scale, a large stone sculpture, eight feet in height, was set between the two entries. The new exterior storefront and the dividing wall between office and residential lobbies are linear fritted glass panels. This is in keeping with the building’s overall modernist sensibility and yet distinguishes the entry from nearby clear glass retail storefronts. To maintain continuity with the adjacent, now smaller, office lobby, the richly veined gray and white marble was retained for the residential lobby floor and walls. To add warmth to the residential side, highly textured red-brown anigre wood was chosen for doors, for all wall panels in the elevator lobby, and for the reception desk. A seating group and a rug in warm grey, brown and green tones continue the warming accent.

Value: The completed interiors provide a welcoming distinctively modern lobby and warm, unique hallways. Art selections create interest in the corridors and enhance the residential experience.