FEEL THE As working from home has become common practice for most of us, we ta
Star Wars is arguably one of the most successful film franchises of all time with fans obsessively collecting memorabilia since the first instalment in the 1970s. Homages range from the small and subtle to the outrageous. However, for one homeowner in Sacramento, California, a private display of respect to his favourite series in a themed home office is just what the Jedi ordered.
Rob Equi is no ordinary Star Wars fan. On 25 May 1977, the stars aligned and he turned six on the same day as the first Star Wars film was released, a perfect family outing for a birthday celebration. From that day forward, the series became an integral part of the young boy’s life, both an obsession and a comfort.
Fast forward to present day. The films continue to be an influence. Rob is a retinal specialist, having been drawn to a career which would allow him to use lasers. With their home renovation almost completed, the Equi family had one area left to address: Rob’s lounge and home office.
He explains: “I wanted to have a Star Wars-themed room. I had a bunch of high-end memorabilia that I wanted to be able to display in a cool, fun and impressive way and I wanted a place I could go to at the end of the day and disappear into my childhood.”
THE DESIGNER STRIKES BACK Having worked with Miche Victoria, Senior Designer at Benning Design Construction, on the previous three phases of their refurbishment, Rob trusted her implicitly with his unique request.
16 | MAKEOVER OF THE MONTH
He said: “I gave her rough guidelines. It needed to be liveable office space, so I didn’t want it to look like a movie set, but at the same time, I wanted some design elements which would be reminiscent of that universe. For example, lighting is a very important motif in the films.”
After researching iconic scenes in the original trilogy, Miche found all the inspiration she needed to design a tasteful, distinctive space.
RETURN OF NEOLITH For Miche, flooring is often the first step in a design because it’s the foundation for everything else. This home office was no exception. Recognisable from a scene on the Millennium Falcon in the first film, the flooring in Rob’s circular study now boasts a round checked motif. To the untrained eye, it is a striking, modern pattern. To fans of the film, it is identical to the board on which Chewbacca and C-3PO play a tense game of holographic chess.
Finding a material which would integrate with the other design choices and could be cut into the desired shapes was crucial. Having used Neolith in previous projects for a wide range of applications, Miche knew it was the material she was looking for. To capture the aesthetic of the spaceship, she avoided the clean contrast of a traditional black and white chess board, instead choosing to gently juxtapose Basalt Black Satin and industrial Cement Satin.
Miche said: “I didn’t consider any other materials. For a custom design like this, Neolith was a no-brainer. You can do
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