Hasta La Ideas

Of all of the advertising industry’s contrivances, perhaps the most brilliant is the before-and-after photograph set. Seeing Fat Hal right next to Skinny Hal first triggers the “Does Not Compute” signal in our brain, which then gives way to a “Wait That Does Compute, And It’s a Miracle!” conclusion.

Sadly, most before-and-after photos we see have to do with the overweight and those with terrible skin; rarely do we see design-based ones. So we were excited to come across Atlanta-based architecture firm CMMI’s before-and-afters of their InterContinental Tampa Hotel re-boot. Even though the photos are clearly stilted–the “befores” are all shot in grainy black-and-white, like some crime scene re-enactment–it is interesting to see what different fabrics, materials, and lighting can do for a space.

Waiting for the auto-run slideshow on CMMI’s website is a pain in the neck, which is why we took the time to cut-and-paste all the shots for you. Hit the jump to check ’em out.

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