This year marks the 40th anniversary of Star Wars Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. Homages range from the small and subtle, but for Rob Equi, a homeowner in Sacramento, California, a private display of respect to his favourite series is displayed in a themed home office.
“I wanted to have a Star Wars-themed room. I had a bunch of high-end memorabilia that I wanted to be able to display in a cool, fun and impressive way and I wanted a place I could go to at the end of the day and disappear into my childhood,” said Equi.
Having worked with Miche Victoria, Senior Designer at Benning Design Construction, on the previous three phases of their refurbishment, Rob trusted her implicitly with his unique request.
He shared his vision with her: “I gave her rough guidelines. It needed to be livable office space, so I didn’t want it to look like a movie set, but at the same time, I wanted some design elements which would be reminiscent of that universe. For example, lighting is a very important motif in the films.”
Recognizable from a scene on the Millennium Falcon in the first film, the flooring in Equi’s circular study now boasts a round checked motif. To the untrained eye, it is a striking, modern pattern. To fans of the film, it is identical to the board on which Chewbacca and C-3PO play a tense game of holographic chess.
Beyond the flooring, lighting played an important role in bringing the space together. Behind Rob’s desk, two large wall panels recall the fight scene between Obi Wan and Darth Vader in Episode 4 A New Hope, while the rest of the office panels draw inspiration from the iconic ‘I am your father’ scene. In the adjacent room, a life-size replica of Han Solo arrested in carbonite is backlit by a panel, referencing the moment in which he’s frozen by the ruthless Vader.
While the office is for working and studying, the lounge is for relaxation. This is where Equi surrounds himself with his memorabilia, from high-end costumes to smaller pieces, like an X-wing pilot helmet and replica blaster, signed by one of the actors. The lounge also features one of his other design requests. Victoria explains, “He asked for one James Bond element, like a secret passageway. So, we hid his TV behind the metal-clad fireplace, which he can reveal with a remote control when he wants to watch something.”
While Equi acknowledges he is more into Star Wars than his wife or children will ever be, it’s become a family interest, with all of them going together to every newly released film on opening day. Equi’s even provided space in the lounge in which the rest of the family can work – surrounded by Boba Fett, Han Solo and the family pet, a labradoodle nicknamed ‘Chewy’.
