And it’s this vast experience that pours into that office. Every item on the shelves has a story. Let’s make the rounds and call some out: the flickering neon “Lounge” sign? “…a favorite prop from a Coors campaign I directed in the mid-90s,” Chel says. “It was adding on to a preexisting sign that read ‘Royal Hotel.’ I like the sign itself but I also really like the green-yellow light it creates in the room when it’s on.”
The miniature Hamm’s beer diorama? Gotta be a story behind that one! “I found that in a vintage shop on Hawthorne Boulevard here in Portland,” sites Chel. And true, Bent is dangerously close to the Hawthorne strip and it’s magnificent vintage scene. “It doesn’t happen very often but it was one of those things that as soon as I saw it I told myself I had to have it. It set me back $300. There’s so much I love about it. Part of it is the vintage 1960’s era forest and lake image, part of it is the funny ‘Western Prices,’ which I think was a euphemism for cheap beer, and part of it is the fact that it animates with a flickering night sky that turns into a constellation of pilsner glasses, then back to flickering stars.” Later, Chel admitted, “the thing that gives me the most pleasure, the thing that puts a smile on my face, is the animated Hamm’s sign.”
VFX/PDX: The deer antler mirror? (second photo from top)
Chel: “That antler mirror is just something I found that seemed to fit the mood of the space, and it seemed appropriate to have it attached to a tree. In general I like to have a mirror somewhere in a room. It’s like a window into another world.”
VFX/PDX: Deer are a recurring theme throughout the office, and I have to ask about the deer “puppets” (for lack of a better word) at the base of your desk? (photo above)
Chel: “The deer masks were made here at Bent. My obsession with deer goes back to when I was a kid and I collected beer cans. My favorite can was a brand called Schell’s and it had a head of a stag on it. I also remember the Coleman sleeping bags we had when I was a kid. The linings were hunting scenes with lots of deer. I guess a lot of what I’m attracted to comes from images I remember being inspired by as a child.”
VFX/PDX: Ha – “Schell’s Beer!” That’s hilarious – your friends must have had fun with that one! And I’m sure your parents even had to chuckle, too (if they ever saw your can collection). This is fun – I didn’t expect this to turn into an impromptu interview, yet here we are! Let’s keep it going! I should ask about your recent film, Bucksville, since the poster is right there. Any artifacts from the film around the office?
Chel: “At this point the only direct references to my film are the poster and some wooden letters scattered here and there that were used for the opening title. The film is about a secret militia in a small, wooded town. There’s an eerie darkness in the fact that they use the woods as their sanctuary for the ethically-motivated assassinations they carry out. There is a nice juxtaposition with the woods being both beautiful and sinister. Good stuff for movies but for my office I opted more for tranquility.”
VFX/PDX: Yes, I can imagine all beautiful forests can also have a dark side, can’t they? Anything that can fully enclose you in it’s grasp has that capability.
The wallpaper really sets the stage for this larger than life scene in the office. I know it’s getting easier to print wall size murals these days with the digital revolution – but this wallpaper looks like the real deal that predated all of that. Is the mural an Oregon forest?
Chel: “Well, in my mind it’s not any forest in particular but it certainly has a Pacific Northwest vibe to it. A little back story; my connection to the woods goes back as far as I can remember in my childhood. Up until I was 8 years old my parents moved a lot. I felt uprooted at times. One thing that helped was that in each place we lived, whether it was Stockholm, Sweden or a small town in Michigan called Hell, there was always a certain proximity to a wooded area. My parents were teachers and they instilled in me a deep respect and fascination for the woods. So I’ve always had a certain comfort factor being in a forest. There is an unmistakeable tranquility and beauty, but there is also mystery. I believe the wallpaper itself is made in Germany, so the images may even be the Black Forest.”
And now, back to the article, my eyes (and camera) are darting around the forest again. As with many directors, Chel has a dusty bookshelf jammed with inspiring tomes, chock full of imagery he can pick up and flip through when he’s riffing on an idea. And he clearly has – books are stacked the way they are when they’re used heavily and not just for show. I’ll snap a photo and leave you to check out the titles if you’re curious (click to enlarge). They range the full spectrum, abstract to concrete.
All in all, Chel’s office is a testament to great design and defines what this Office Space series is supposed to reveal – a space that someone has built to reflect their personality, and inspire+motivate. Push for the best work they can squeeze out of this thing we call an office. Chel’s serves as another example, if not the best locally, of that feeling that comes with having it truly dialed in.
I know I, for one, am going to take a serious look at my office here at home this year and see what I can do to capture this same idea… this same feeling… the same “vibe.” So worth it.
On that note, Chel offers some sage advice for those starting down the path to office enlightenment: “Above all, don’t be afraid to let your personality come out. Start with the walls and build from there. Color and texture are huge. Unless you plan to change it a lot, pick something you realize you can live with for a while. One thing I like about my office is I feel it’s a space where I can get a lot of work done or simply hang out, relax and do nothing.”
Big thanks to Chel for the introspective look around the room.
One more time! Press “play” to view pano full size:
[pano file=”panoramas/QTVR_chelwhite.mov” panobox=”on”]
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