Jaw.........dropping, I have no more words.
Blade Runner Inspired Office Build: Deckard's Apartment
- Thread starter Trooper_trent
- Start date
Combat Gerbil
Well-Known Member
That is some dedication right there, it's frelling awesome!!
Kylo1
Sr Member
A-MAZ-ING!
GingerBeardMan
New Member
I was wondering where you sourced your Ennis tiles or how you made them. I have been looking and haven't found any option that wouldn't cost a ton.I've been working on a special project for a while now and I'm excited to finally share it with you all. For the past few months, I've been planning and renovating my home office to look and feel like Deckard's apartment from the original Blade Runner movie. Blade Runner is my all-time favorite film and I've always dreamed of having a space that feels like it. I envision dim lighting, a glass of whiskey, concrete tiles and soffits, electronics and computers placed around, and that iconic whirring sound you hear throughout the movie. Something about the art deco, film noir aesthetic feels cozy to me, so I wanted to capture that as authentically as possible in the small space I have.
As some of you may know, I recently sold off my entire Star Wars collection. This was for several reasons, including a job change where I am on camera a lot (lightsabers and helmets in the background has shown to be pretty distracting), some burnout from all the new movies and TV shows being released, and my wife's recent diagnosis with Multiple Sclerosis. We've been focusing on de-cluttering and simplifying things at home to make our environment more Zen and spending more time together. My office was filled to the brim with Star Wars props and helmets. And while I loved collecting those items, I have also been extremely happy to see them passed on to others who will enjoy them as much as I have.
First, here’s what my office looked like before.
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I still wanted to have a nerdy office but rather than just put everything in display cases, on shelves, and on the wall, I wanted each prop and piece to have their own place to live in a more natural environment. This is a rather ambitious project for me so I have been taking my time and doing lots of planning. I finally started construction on it 2 weeks ago so I’ll update the thread as I make more progress on it.
Here are a few screencaps from the movie that show different elements that I wanted to incorporate into my build.
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Most people here probably already know this set was based on designs from the Ennis house in LA designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It’s been featured in many movies and tv shows such as The Rocketeer, Karate Kid III, Game of Thrones, The Thirteenth Floor, and a ton more.
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Here are some 3d mockups I did to get an idea of what I wanted to do, estimate supplies and building materials, and plan it out before committing to anything. I wanted to include as many different features of the set as possible without it feeling too cluttered. I knew I wanted to have a column since they’re seen all over the apartment so I included one in the back corner where I knew I would have the space. And I especially wanted to feature a piano with the various lamps, photos, and unique items laid out since I've played piano my whole life. Unfortunately I can't fit a grand piano like Deckard has so I'll need to make due with a small studio or console piano.
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I even imported the model into VR so I could virtually walk around in the room to be sure it’s what I wanted before beginning construction.
Here's the 3d mockup if you want to take a look
Construction:
I’ll use this thread to dive into details of the room build as well as the many props and pieces that will be integrated into the office. I’ll likely do individual posts on certain pieces as I finish them and introduce them into the office.
To begin, I cleared everything out of my office and said goodbye to years of collecting Star Wars props. It was bittersweet to say the least but exciting to be beginning a new project.
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First thing to do was the framing. 1x3s were used and then the whole thing was skinned with birch to make the soffit and the column.
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I went ahead an hung the upside down 70's Panasonic TR-535 tv/radio so I could get it in position before hanging tiles. Special thanks and shout out to Halliwax for making me some amazing custom brackets to mount it to the soffit securely. Thanks brother, you're so freakin' talented.
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Next came the iconic downlighting. I chose a smart dimmer connected to my Alexa, so I can have them fade up and down with voice. The idea is that the whole office will be automated and "come alive" by voice command. The lights will eventually be covered by Ennis tiles with an L shape cut out of them as seen in the movie. I've got frosted acrylic on the way to install into the tiles that should diffuse the light nicely.
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To go with the lighting, I installed two black glass touchpad light switches. One for the main light that I'll be replacing with a faux skylight and the dimmer for the downlights. The thought here is to create something like the panel seen in the elevator to his apartment. So I’m in the middle of designing a similar looking panel.
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After the lighting was installed, it’s finally time to start hanging tiles! I thought long and hard about this part, and this is the step that has me the most nervous. I tested multiple methods of hanging them from over-engineered 3D printed French cleats, to snaps, to magnets. Finally I just settled on wood squares glued to the corners and a nail gun with small brads.
First row of Ennis tiles done! Pre-measuring the entire room, marking for even spacing, and coming up with easy, reliable mounting methods was a LOT of work. Thankfully the mockups I did in 3D helped a ton for making sure everything would line up correctly.
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Then I added tiles all the way down the column to set my horizontal spacing.
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And here’s where I am today! The back wall is fully tiled and tomorrow I’m starting on the East wall. So far so good!
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That's it for today! I'll be back soon with more updates! Let me know if you have any questions, ideas, or feedback!
Trent went through all of that in this thread somewhere... it was a bit of a challenge but he pulled it off!! You'll have to do your homework
GingerBeardMan
New Member
I've read through this entire thread. I've even used the advanced search to find any time he's mentioned tiles or Ennis. If it was here, it's not anymoreTrent went through all of that in this thread somewhere... it was a bit of a challenge but he pulled it off!! You'll have to do your homework
joberg
Legendary Member
I believe he bought them at Kropserkel
Post #54
Blade Runner Inspired Office Build: Deckard's Apartment
Quick post. For the window, I removed the wood shutters that I had in my office, as I wanted something more futuristic that fit the aesthetic, and I also wanted them motorized and connected to Alexa so I could automate them. In my head I was going for the feeling of the "It's too bright in here"...
www.therpf.com
GingerBeardMan
New Member
That part isnt there in the actual post anymore!!! It still has it in the quoted post but if you're reading through the actual thread its not there anymore, it's been removed. Thank you for somehow finding it tho!Post #54
Blade Runner Inspired Office Build: Deckard's Apartment
Quick post. For the window, I removed the wood shutters that I had in my office, as I wanted something more futuristic that fit the aesthetic, and I also wanted them motorized and connected to Alexa so I could automate them. In my head I was going for the feeling of the "It's too bright in here"...
Wow, there was a several post discussion with Trent searching on the internet for tiles, showing what he found, the problems and cost, and finally his solution and how he matched the color, installed the tiles. I remember seeing him post photos of tiles partially installed, etc. Maybe I am hallucinating??
Please tell me this isn’t a case of the Mandela Effect because I am distinctly remembering that as well.
Please tell me this isn’t a case of the Mandela Effect because I am distinctly remembering that as well.
Whachoo talkin' 'bout Willis? LOL
Yeah there's lots of posts of the tiles being partially mounted. I documented the progress. What specifically isn't there? maybe I accidentally removed something while changing the order/size of the photos?
GingerBeardMan
New Member
So in the original post that can still be seen in the quote of kropserkels reply, you wrote:
"After the lighting was installed, it’s finally time to start hanging tiles! I thought long and hard about this part, and this is the step that has me the most nervous. I wanted to cover the entire office with Ennis tiles and the blank concrete squares but I can’t possibly pour hundreds of those out of real cement. Way to heavy and just not feasible. I thought about making them out of EVA foam or maybe having them milled out of MDF but decided against it because I wanted it to look and feel more authentic. Then stumbled across Kropserkel’s website where he sells vacuum-formed full sized replica Ennis tiles!View attachment 1653344"
That attachment is no longer working, and now if you read that post in the regular thread, everything in red is gone, and it reads as:
"After the lighting was installed, it’s finally time to start hanging tiles! I thought long and hard about this part, and this is the step that has me the most nervous. I tested multiple methods of hanging them from over-engineered 3D printed French cleats, to snaps, to magnets. Finally I just settled on wood squares glued to the corners and a nail gun with small brads."
I assume it has something to do with the fact that those tiles from him are no longer available, at least from what I can tell.
Oh I see.
I most likely went to edit that post to clarify how I planned to attach the tiles and inadvertently removed part of the text when cleaning up the photos.
As far as I know, he still offers them. Minimum QTY is 4 for $140. so they're about $35 each.
I most likely went to edit that post to clarify how I planned to attach the tiles and inadvertently removed part of the text when cleaning up the photos.
As far as I know, he still offers them. Minimum QTY is 4 for $140. so they're about $35 each.
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It’s been a cool overcast day with lots of gentle rain and thunder all afternoon. Can't think of a better time to sip a Johnnie Walker Black Label out of my Cibi glass and mellow in the Blade Runner office. The only thing lacking is the smoky atmosphere. I lit some incense but it’s not quite enough. I’m still looking at options and am considering the mini fog machine asavage reviewed on his channel.
