In December 1941, only days after Pearl Harbor was attacked, Army Colonel John F. Ohmer was tasked with the most ambitious camouflage plan of the century. His job was to disguise the Lockheed plant in Burbank, California with its 53,000 employees so that it looked like an ordinary suburb. The task to hide one of the most strategic military facilities in the United States was given to the Army Corps of Engineers who, in cooperation with local artists, set designers and painters from movie studios including Disney, Paramount and 20th Century Fox, achieved the nearly impossible. Parking lots and airfields were painted green and lined with plants to create ‘fields’. A canopy of chicken wire, netting and painted canvas cleverly disguised the main factory.
Herculean efforts like this serve to remind me that my job is easy!
Is there a space you want to camouflage? Simple changes can be effected without taking out a loan or inviting Disney personnel to assist. The problem might be too many windows as the result of an old add-on, or maybe too few windows. Do multiple interior doorways create traffic flow issues? Consider these examples of camouflage for a window/door ‘problem’.
• The Frick Art & Historical Center in Pittsburgh, PA was gifted with a wood paneled room from an old Scottish castle. The museum had space to install the paneled room within a larger windowless room. Problem: The paneled room had windows which would have been blocked by the outside walls. Solution: Lighted murals of the Scottish countryside and artificial plants were placed just outside the windows so to create the effect of an outdoor view without cutting through the exterior walls.
• The owner of a circa 1920 Beaux Arts mansion had spacious room with a single large window but wanted a more impressive design. The solution was to install stained glass panels with back-lighting to create the effect of more windows. Covered radiators serve as bases for the stained glass adding elegance without impairing function.
• An 1850’s home resembled a maze with 6 doors opening from the hallway. The solution: Soften a wall with beautiful drapery.
All enhancements require some expense. These ideas offer relatively inexpensive ‘fixes’:
• Turn unused doorways or windows into bookcases or cabinets.
• Fill a superfluous interior doorway with stained glass panels to create a light-filled wall.
• If the doorway/access is useful for staff but not for the general public, consider installing a secret door with a faux front.
• When outside windows become incorporated to the inside, perhaps due to a building expansion, remove the glass but leave the wall intact for a spacious feeling. Treat the space as a ‘pass through’ or highlight it as interesting architectural feature with the addition of beautiful molding.
• A shallow closet can be re-purposed as a gently-recessed coffee station.
• Depending on window placement and size, custom-made mirrors can be used to hide interior windows (when there have been older building additions).
• Conversely, position mirrors to ‘create’ a window-like feel when more light is desired. Mullions/molding can be added for extra detail. Drapery can be added to enhance a window effect.
• Sliding wood or fabric panels hung above door height on a large wall can allow or deny access to an open doorway. Murals painted on the panels create the feel of an art gallery while assisting with traffic flow.
• Install bench seating when doorway depth is 16” or more. An open two-sided seating space effectively blocks traffic but allows a more airy feel to both rooms. This works best for narrow doorways that are deep due to thick walls.
Look for design inspiration wherever you go. It’s ok to glean decorating ideas from a friend’s house, a competitor’s facility, a church, a hotel or even the outdoors - which is decorated by the Master.
If there’s a problem window or door, don’t ignore it. Solve the problem! The solution for now may simply be to camouflage it. And this might buy time until the next big renovation.
As with all else you do – continue to make it beautiful and it will be memorable.