Patcraft Customer Story: Because Flooring Matters

C A S E S T U DY

Outside The Box

At Outside the Box, an Indianapolis center serving adults with developmental disabilities, providing an inspiring, inviting environment is essential. The organization offers day services, employment training and placement, and enriching classes in art, cooking, and gardening to more than 250 adults.

Donations and grants have driven both their expanded services and a new headquarters for all their activities. The building was a former nursing home that Outside the Box acquired and needed to renovate to reflect their image and suit their uplifting programs.

This facility is our forever home now. We wanted it to be beautiful,” says Katy Bird, Executive Director of Outside the Box.

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In 2014, designer Barb Fleming entered Outside the Box in a national charity makeover contest. Fleming’s intention was to make the space brighter, more inviting and more functional. Working with Interior Designer Marj Sparks at Blakley’s Flooring, Patcraft carpet tile and vinyl plank was selected to accomplish this goal.

At Outside the Box, classes and programs take place in individual group rooms, and participants move from activity to activity via busy corridors. Blakley’s Flooring installed Patcraft’s Click Refresh LVT flooring in two group rooms, and placed two Patcraft modular carpet tile patterns, 5K and Linea, in hallways and one of the group activity rooms. These versatile carpet tiles brightened hallways and provided way-finding functionality and sound control.

“We thought vinyl plank would be right for our group rooms, where we needed something versatile. We may serve lunches in these areas, and sometimes, we have spills. We do crafty stuff too, like art classes where we use paint, glitter, and glue,” says Bird. “We wanted to be able to replace planks easily and not have to pull up the whole thing if we had a mess.”

FROM DINGY TO DAZZLINGFounded in 2008, the growing organization acquired the abandoned 1960’s nursing home last year to house their many programs. Renovation was a daunting task.

“Everything was mismatched. It was rough and ugly in here,” says Bird. “The old carpet was disgusting. Most of our staff had to use old bureaus to hold all of our curriculum papers. We thought, ‘This space isn’t reflective of what we do and what we are about.’”

Allen Gindt, Retail Manager at Blakley’s Flooring, a major dealer of carpet and flooring based in Indianapolis, stepped in to help Outside the Box achieve their dream of a beautiful, functional space. Blakley’s is a member of the International Design Guild, an organization of high-end flooring showrooms that holds an annual design competition called Design for a Difference. The contest awards $25,000 in goods and services to help non-profits

renovate their facilities. Outside the Box was selected and the work began by assembling a design team to transform ideas into reality.

MEETING NEEDS“There had been limited money for facilities. The original state of the building was horrible. It had been sitting empty for a long time. The storage and lighting were bad. I thought, ‘How can we do the whole thing?’ It needs it so badly,” says Sparks. Working with the help of Patcraft, designer Fleming, and the team at Blakley’s, the new carpet tile and LVT revitalized the space. “It was a perfect storm. Patcraft flooring set the stage for what we were able to do here. Truly, it is the epitome of design.”

Blakley’s team worked with Outside the Box to come up with a comprehensive plan and a design standard. The new Patcraft products also inspired a furniture dealer, cabinet maker, electrician, plumber and other professionals to donate services to renovate these spaces.

“We looked at the specific needs of each group. We interviewed the leaders in each of the rooms, and asked, ‘What is needed here?’” says Sparks. “Everybody needed new flooring.” Each group of participants at Outside the Box had unique flooring needs. One needed carpet tile for a soft, quiet environment, and another needed easy-to-clean vinyl flooring to hold up to daily arts and crafts projects.

“We wrote up what we felt like we would like to do with our space and to reflect who we are,” says Bird. “Outside the Box started out as a little, Mom-and-Pop organization. We are moving toward becoming a really professional organization in everything we do. We wanted an environment that was conducive to the individual needs of our participants.”

The new space opened in November 2014. The facility’s décor incorporates their navy and orange logo colors, as well as more neutral carpet and flooring colors that pull everything together. The flooring concepts also create boundaries to help direct participants to their next activity, Bird says.

C A S E S T U DY Outside the Box

C A S E S T U DY Outside the Box

Outside the BoxKATY BIRDEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Blakley’s Flooring, IndianapolisMARJ SPARKS DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

ALLEN GINDT RETAIL MANAGER BLAKLEY’S FLOORING

Together, the design team and Outside the Box created a standard, a vision or design concept that can be used in further renovations so the final look will be cohesive and inspiring, Sparks added. Patcraft carpet tile and vinyl flooring are key components.

“Color is important. The carpet is a medium tone that hides soil well. Gray is a very productive color, but soothing,” says Sparks. “We used orange as well, because orange is a color that economizes. It is widely accepted by a lot of people.”

EXCITING NEW SPACESEveryone who works and learns at Outside the Box is thrilled by the new space, says Bird.

“It is so exciting. Everyone loves that the hallways are brighter now. The participants notice it and they feel valued. They really appreciate it, and that is probably the most important thing,” she says. “They are so impressed with the new group rooms. They say, ‘Our room looks beautiful.’ It makes the energy better.” Patcraft carpet and LVT is very stain-resistant and easy to clean as well, she says.

Stakeholders are so impressed with the beauty of the new spaces that they are donating more money to renovate more group rooms and add programs, says Bird. “I think people are inspired to give by what they see.”

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