Wow - I really need to make myself a profile image...
Anyway..
UPDATE TIME!
So I've been busy with some redesign of this hallway. I took a lot of the suggestions some of you have been dropping, along with a lot of talking and brainstorming with my wife, and I think I hit on a hallway design I really like. Keep in mind: this hallway is nowhere near finished - it is perhaps only 50% of the way complete, so if it looks odd - changes are it is unfinished.
Themes:
I've been trying to keep the Star Trek brand or theme running through this hallway, but also wanted to take a decent amount
of artistic liberties. So I've got some classic TNG architecture mixed with some slightly contemporary designs. It gives it a fresh feel without breaking from the era.
The wood is a big part of the theme. Especially in this area. Wood & Water - in scifi .. in star trek especially. I anticipate using a decent amount of accent wood throughout the whole design. But I also want to keep it subtle, as this is more of a work area and less a leisure area. Striking a balance between the two is important. Probert has some designs which show some lounging and coffee tables, which feels very TNG, but I'm thinking of a little more tech feel in this specific lab. Though I won't be discounting the chance to throw in that TNG era 'classiness'.
Change log: (since last update)
1. I removed the expanded center area of the hallway and opted for a straight aquarium style walkway. This change really helps draw the eye down the length of the hallway and brings in that nostalgic sectioned TNG hallway feel. I imagine if this were a set it would give characters opportunities to stand and walk & talk.
2. I darkened the red panel stickers; they were almost fire engine red in my previous update. This matches them to the dark red/brown of the sets.
3. Slightly lengthened the hallway. The hallway in the blueprints is pretty long, and I needed to extend out this length. This change is practically unnoticeable though.
4. Updated the texture for the wood railing. Aaaaaaand I most likely won't keep it either.
5. Added a custom designed (it took two days, way longer than I thought it would) Cetacean Ops Logo, as well as double glass sliding doors. I debated waiting until the very end of the project to make the logo.. but I couldn't help myself. And seeing this logo in the render just makes me super excited for what is to come in this project.
Renders:
So I've only been dropping one photo updates for a few days now. I've gotten enough of the hallway into cetacean ops done that I feel I can reveal a bit more of it. Also - at the very end - is something I am very proud of. With that, some renders...
- Facing the hallway entrance to the Cetacean Ops facility.
- I am very pleased with how this turned out. Like
@Michael said - I really want to just stand there and stare out those windows...
- The large sliding doors leading to the main ship hallway outside. These panels will eventually have LCARS of some sort on them. Nothing important, mainly general access LCARS.
- Facing towards the anti-chamber entrance to Cetacean Ops.\
- A little closer now.
Before we get completely to the last image - I just want to say - I redesigned this logo I don't know how many times, but I think I hit on a design that really fits the elegance of class that TNG always tried to portray. I wanted something that felt similar to Lower Decks, and one design incorporated their logo into this one - but it just didn't look right. It was, obviously, a little too "cartoony". This however ... feels right.
To explain the design a little:
It is done in classic TNG minimal style. I tried to convey the idea of sea life, starfleet, and navigation all within the starfleet 'swoosh'. The stars above the tail are the Orion belt. I choose this for two reasons - It is a very personal constellation to me, orion has consoled my troubled mind many many times. It is also very recognizable - and immediatly conveys space.
The stars around the border, between the text, represent 3d space, or X,Y,Z coordinates.
I also wanted to convey the water in a simple elegant way, similar to how Lower Decks did theirs. It's hard to see, but each wave is a slightly different roughness of frosted glass.
The rest is pretty self explanatory, so, on with it I suppose...
- Double glass doors into the anti-chamber for Cetacean Ops 2.
Things to come in the near future:
1. Props and set decorations for the tanks outside the windows.
2. The beginnings of the anti-chamber entrance to the facility.
3. The main ship corridors and hallways leading to this hallway.
4. More set details and "tech" pieces for walls, ceiling, doors, etc.
And with that...
I am very excited to show everyone these - and I look forward to all ideas, comments, suggestions. Have a great day everyone!
I gotta say, you hashing this out with your wife sounds brilliant. I think you got this. 
