Private Investment Firm Office

space

When we think about financial firms some of us think back to the traditional image of heavy wood panelling, boardrooms on windows with the best views, heavy looking leather chairs that swallowed you whole and generally a conservative approach to design. In the case of this Financial Vancouver based firm that was far from their reality.

What was so unique in the early days of design was that our client was pulling images from googles head offices, Hootsuite and the likes of the major tech firms. On the other hand they were also inspired by images of open residential kitchen’s where you can pull up a stool and cook, eat and play together with your family.

With so many points of inspiration the task became editing all these ideas down into the root of what they wanted the space to represent. What we discovered was that this financial firm was less concerned with what their clients though of the space and more concerned with how their staff felt in their space. It was all about creating an atmosphere that promoted family style eating and socialization.This is demonstrated by utilizing one of the best views in the office as the family style kitchen. We designed two massive islands within the spaced. At any point through the day you will always see staff leaning, perching and enjoying a moment or two together.

Just off the kitchen you can access the most comfortable meeting room imaginable equipped with sofa’s loungers and of course white boards and T.V’s should you decide to get some work done. Down the hall you will find a softly lit massage room that shares a backlit glass wall with the elevator lobby. You would never know what lies beyond the elevator lobby unless you were a staff member. A glass wall featuring a classic drum collection from one of the partners private collections is the backdrop for a tucked away lounge.

The headquarters spans two levels with an interconnected wood stair linking the spaces. We used engineered wood floors in order to warm up the space and give the appearance of a custom built home rather than a corporate office. Upon entering you are bound to find one of the firm members lounging in the open library straddling the reception and boardroom area. One of the signature spaces that is seen from most areas in the office is the traders floor which seems to float over the most Northern point of the office. The sit-stand desks are oriented towards the North shore mountains. Another central element to creating a home like office was indirect lighting. The client was adamant about not living with the direct glare of LED Lighting or fluorescent lighting. We accomplished this by using soft indirect lighting and coves throughout the office. The warm lighting combined with the soft wood makes this a space you don’t want to leave

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