Discover the Story Behind the Design
Vision
“I wanted the space to feel like a fresh start. I wanted to have a new look.”
15 years after launching her private practice from a workspace off Sunset Boulevard, Tracy Emick was in the process of relocation. Even more: she needed the new space to feel transformative enough to signal an exciting new chapter in her business yet familiar enough to bridge the first era of Committed Wellness to the next.
Upon securing the new space near the end of 2022, Tracy then found the team to oversee the redesign of the interior: design and construction consultant, Amy Martin, and artisan craftsman and general contractor, Ky Kuennemann. The next phase of Committed Wellness was underway; all that was left was to figure out what, exactly, to do with the new space, and how, exactly, to do it.
Using a holistic, clientele-first perspective as the guiding principle throughout, a creative vision for the new location emerged: soft and natural motifs conveyed through layered textures such as wood, hand-woven fabrics, and leather; influences of serene zen spas and boho chic; and clean, calming geometric patterns guiding clients to and from their sessions.
Consider the redesign of the new location to be an extension of the Committed Wellness ethos: fully customized to make the most of every guest experience.
Team
Amy Martin
Design & Construction Consultant
Amy’s interest in design and construction stems from a love of working with her hands, furniture and fabric restoration, estate and thrift hunting, and transforming spaces to the delight of her clientele.
Operating as a self-taught freelance designer, Amy often gravitates toward projects that require complex problem-solving and taking creative risks.
“I’m fortunate enough to be able to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to projects based on the level of enjoyment I anticipate them providing. I don’t mind hard work; my mother taught me to have a strong work ethic. But I want the projects I take on to be meaningful to both me and the client and I want to learn as much as I can from each experience.”
Ky Kuenemann
Artisan Craftsman & General Contractor
From growing up around job sites to teaching construction science to high schoolers to eventually launching a nonprofit job placement program, Ky’s love for craftsmanship has been evident since the early days of childhood.
Known for his malleability and fabrication expertise, Ky’s general contracting business provides an array of services to his clients, including: carpentry, industrial fabrication, electrical work, furniture making, and painting.
“Getting to wear several hats and being able to incorporate different lines of work into a single project is part of why I fell in love with construction in the first place. The variance in my work also allows me to stay open to new and unexpected pathways in both my career and my life.”
Highlights
Room Divider
One of the biggest obstacles to maintaining the established aesthetic throughout the new location was the presence of the kitchen. While the kitchen needed to remain easily accessible for practitioners, it also needed to be hidden from view in order to preserve the intended guest experience. After spending countless hours working through one concept after another, Amy and Ky found their answer: four hanging rectangular pieces of plywood, layered with wallpaper, with modified golden cabinetry latches attaching each piece to the ceiling. An airy and open room divider completely customized for the space –– down to the very millimeters between each piece.
“The opportunity for me and Amy to build something from scratch and modify existing hardware to get the desired effect was incredibly rewarding. I loved how the hanging room divider turned out.” –– Ky
Ashiatsu Ceiling Mount
Among the most popular Committed Wellness services is ashiatsu massage: using bare feet, practitioners glide deep compression strokes across large muscle groups to benefit the guest’s entire body.
To accommodate ashiatsu services in a new space with higher ceilings, Ky built a custom rectangular ceiling mount box from which double bars hang –– thus providing practitioners with the necessary balance and mobility to perform ashiatsu in the front massage room. Constructed out of plywood, 3x4 lumber, as well as three-inch and four-inch crown moldings, the custom ceiling mount was then accented with wallpaper that ties into the rest of the room. The box also includes a Lifx light strip hidden within an inverted crown –– thus providing an even greater range of session customization in order to best meet guest needs.
“Ky’s ceiling mount box was brilliant. The aesthetics and functionality of it are exactly what was needed in the front massage room.” –– Amy
Fireplace Covering
To reiterate to guests what the new space is –– a boutique massage therapy studio –– rather than what it used to be –– a residential property –– Amy focused on re-purposing the entry room’s fireplace accordingly. Using two pieces of geometric wall art, stained plywood, cedar board, and strips of suede, velcro, and wallpaper, she built a custom covering that maintained the cozy warmth of a fireplace while bringing a peaceful movement to the space.
“I wanted to try something different –– something that was unique, something that was visually interesting –– without taking guests out of the Committed Wellness experience.”
Sliding Mirrored Wall
Originally, the back massage room and adjacent movement room were joined together by a doorless arched walkway –– a charming feature for a residential property. But when put into the context of a massage studio, the arched doorway undermined the purpose of each room: uninterrupted privacy. To up the level of difficulty, maintaining the continuous mirrored walls throughout the movement room was essential to the aesthetics and function of the space.
Using a sliding barn door as the framework, Amy and Ky developed an elegant solution: a touch-activated door that slides in and out of the existing wall.
Complemented by accent bamboo pulled from the previous space on one side and full-length mirrors on the other, the movement room and back massage room doorway is one of the buildout’s great moments of collaboration, craftsmanship, and ingenuity.
“The sliding mirrored wall was an exercise in true collaboration. That particular concept brought out the best in both of us.” –– Ky