Inside JPMorgan Chase’s Historic D.C. Offices by Studios Architecture

The nation’s largest bank, JPMorgan Chase & Co., is also one of the oldest, tracing its origins to the late 1700’s. “Respecting history and supporting art and culture have been a part of our DNA since inception,” explains Farzad Boroumand, the bank’s executive director and global real estate head of design. It was only fitting, then, that when choosing a home base for its new mid-Atlantic headquarters, the financial institution would purchase a venerable property: the 1922 Bowen Building in the heart of D.C.’s Historic Fifteenth Street Financial District.

Much like JPMorgan Chase itself, which is a synthesis of many institutions that have merged or been acquired over the years, including First Republic Bank last month, the Bowen is a hybrid of several early 20th-century structures that had been combined and expanded in phases. Although the 12-story limestone edifice is not landmarked, its listed status and contribution to a historic district stipulated a sensitive renovation—and an equally conscientious design partner. After inviting proposals from several firms, the client selected Studios Architecture. “Studios stood out by suggesting innovative interior solutions that were appropriate to the classical exterior,” Boroumand recalls.

For JPMorgan Chase, Studios Architecture Designs a LEED-Certified HQ

The firm’s work at the LEED Silver–certified headquarters, totaling 231,000 square feet, encompassed a subterranean mechanicals level, the lobby and an adjacent ground-floor community center, four levels of employee and executive workspace, and a client center with a terrace. The primary challenge was to deliver the perfect marriage of old and new. “The client sought a modern scheme that spoke to who JPMorgan Chase is and would carry the organization, with its rich history, into the future,” says Studios board chair and principal Marnique Heath, who teamed with the client to lead the project with the support of Studios associate Ethan Levine, both architects from the firm’s D.C. office.

Many of the gestures, Levine notes, “were centered on thresholds, creating opportunities for visitors to pass into the bank and make them feel a sense of belonging.” That starts at the main entry sequence leading from Fifteenth Street. The client requested that it convey welcome and a sense of transparency, which Studios answered by introducing a glazed portal with revolving doors and, above, a glass canopy.

The Office Design Features Restored Details

Studios Architecture Creates a Flexible Workplace for JPMorgan Chase

The client center, up on the building’s 11th floor, houses various conference rooms and meeting areas as well as a generous terrace. Continuing the transparency theme, Studios carved out a double-height volume along the terrace-side perimeter, which serves as an airy waiting area. The firm also made substantial facade alterations here, expanding the glazing to create more openness and invite broader views of the Washington Monument and the White House. A new feature stair, its balustrade incorporating the same metalwork used on the ground floor, leads to the executive level on 12.

An elevator bay with tinted, mirrored panels and a series of LED mobile-esque chandeliers provides access to the three renovated floors of flexible work areas accommodating some 500 employees. Architect and client collaborated to uncover future-oriented strategies for the office proper. “We investigated entirely different models of working, incorporating features such as virtual meeting spaces and more homelike and lounge-y environments,” Heath recalls. A diversity of furniture types and finishes, along with 2,500 square feet of open lounges on each work floor, encourages staff members to access different settings as they shift activities throughout their day.

Ultimately, the Bowen Building stands as an example of how legacy institutions like JPMorgan Chase can build a framework for serving their communities on multiple fronts—one that acknowledges the past while making much-needed modern interventions to cocreate a better future for all.

Behind the Design of JPMorgan Chase’s D.C. Office

Studios Architecture: ashton allan; monica castro; kristian passanita; tammy chan; ruben smudde; jennifer hicks; jesse wetzel; katherine luxner; june zhu; maria percoco; gabriel boyajian

gordon: landscape architect

interior plantscapes: interior plantings

mcla: lighting designer

tce & associates: structural engineer

GHT: mep

columbia woodworking; jefferson millwork & design: millwork

boatman & magnani: stonework

gilbane building company: general contractor

bright chair: sofa, chairs (library)

modernfold: sliding door

B&B Italia: shelving

bernhardt design: tables, credenza (library), sofa (community center), coffee table, white lounge chairs (conference area)

spinneybeck: desk leather (lobby)

shickel corporation: custom screens

flos: custom pendant fixtures (lobby, client center)

bendheim: custom paneling (elevator lobby)

tech lighting: chandeliers

whitegoods: cove lighting

Stellar Works: armchairs (waiting area)

cassina: table

emerald ironworks: custom stair

planter­worx: custom planters (waiting area, terrace)

pilkington: glazing (exterior)

boon edam: revolving door

alpolic: canopy

skyfold: retractable walls (community center)

Lambert&Fils: globe pendants

vibia: pendant fix­tures

datesweiser: worktables

arper: chairs

martin brattrud: banquettes

9wood: ceiling panels (com­munity center, office entry)

londonart: wall­covering (conference area)

walter knoll: blue lounge chairs

axis lighting: linear pen­dants (conference area, lounge)

BuzziSpace: dome pendant (lounge)

spacestor: cus­tom shelving

stylex: coffee table

Scandinavian Spaces: lounge chairs

muuto: sofa, ottomans

astek: wall­covering

naughtone: two-tone sofa

milliken: carpet tile (lounge, workspace)

Andreu World: tables (ter­race)

Janus et Cie: stools, chairs, sofa

Tuuci: umbrella

stepstone: pavers

andrew neyer: pendant fixtures (office entry)

adler display: environmental graphics

Greenmood: petrified moss

viccarbe: benches

herman miller: task chairs (workspace)

knoll: workstations

armstrong: ceiling tile

applied image: privacy graphics

evensonbest: furniture supplier

transwall: glass partitions

guardian glass: exterior glazing, fins

kawneer: curtain wall, storefront system

ege: carpet tile, rugs, broadloom

Sherwin-Williams: paint

HOK Designs Boston Consulting Group’s Canadian Headquarters

Long before the pandemic, Boston Consulting Group had embraced hybrid work, giving employees the freedom to come to the office—which total more than 100 across the globe—meet with clients at their workplaces, or complete certain tasks from home. Whichever made the most sense for the business at hand. That said, collaboration is at the heart of how the management consultancy, often referred to as BCG, operates: Staffers form teams to tackle knotty problems clients are facing and puzzle through the issues to arrive at solutions. And this sort of teamwork, BCG felt, is best carried out face-to-face.

Back in 2017, when the company tapped HOK for its new Canadian headquarters on three floors—46, 47, and 48—of a tower rising in Toronto’s financial district, BCG sought an office that would be dazzling enough to draw employees to the workplace, that would provide a variety of bespoke settings so that teams could be as productive as possible while on-site. All of which is to say that when the pandemic hit in 2020—sending companies around the world scrambling to, first, figure out how to work remotely during lockdowns and, then, how to lure employees back to the office after they’d become accustomed to doing their jobs from home—BCG was way ahead of the game. Sure, there were tweaks to HOK’s concept for the 100,000- square-foot BCG project because of the pandemic—designers had to make sure work- stations were 6 feet apart, for example, and they loaded up meeting rooms with video- conferencing and audiovisual equipment for staffers participating remotely—but the changes amounted to fine-tuning a good plan that was already in place. And the result is this spectacular, ultra-sophisticated space that serves as a showplace for the company and a magnet for a workforce now numbering more than 400. “On the busiest days, we’re approaching pre-pandemic attendance levels,” Nina Abdelmessih, BCG’s chief of operations and external relations in Canada, says. “Everybody is coming in.”

HOK Designs a Hybrid Office for Boston Consulting Group

The plan’s success started with carving out an atrium near the window wall on the two lower floors—one advantage of coming to the project while the building was under construction was that this could be done before the floor plates were in place. Working with the developer, HOK specified an opening measuring a generous 20 by 80 feet, envisioning it as the “heart of the organization,” Caitlin Turner, HOK director of interiors in Canada and the project lead, notes. The atrium fills with light and opens up views of the city and Lake Ontario. Rooms situated off it are sided in glass so everyone shares in the sunshine.

A beckoning staircase steps up through the atrium to the top floor. It encourages employees to walk up and down—healthier for them than taking the elevators—and results in serendipitous encounters that add to the general esprit de corps. “There’s this buzz,” Turner enthuses. As for the seating areas in the base of the atrium, in the café, she adds: “At lunchtime, it’s like a high-school cafeteria.”

But serendipity also played a part: Turner tracked down a black-stained oak credenza she spotted on Instagram for use in a touch- down room, where it joins an oversize pendant fixture by Marcel Wanders and sinuous Italian armchairs. It’s just a sampling of the international, contemporary aesthetic permeating this buzzing workplace—one that is clearly not cookie-cutter but has helped become something of a model for other BCG offices in the throes of relocation and renovation.

Behind the Design of Boston Consulting Group’s Canadian Headquarters

HOK: PAUL GOGAN; BRITTANY TOD; KRISTINA KAMENAR; CALEB SOLOMONS; SALLY SHI; FARIBA SAJADI; ROWENA AUYEUNG; BETHANY FOSS; DANIEL MEEKER

RJC ENGINEERS: STRUCTURAL ENGINEER

MITCHELL PARTNERSHIP: MECHANICAL ENGINEER

MULVEY & BANANI LIGHTING: LIGHTING DESIGNER

MCM: CUSTOM FURNITURE WORKSHOP

Opus Art Projects: Art Consultant

VISO: CUSTOM SCONCES (ATRIUM), CUSTOM CEILING FIXTURES (BOARDROOM)

geiger: WOOD CHAIRS (CAFÉ)

PENGELLY IRON WORKS: CUSTOM SCREENS

KEIL­HAUER: BENCH

EUREKA LIGHTING: RING PENDANT FIX­TURES

STEELACASE: BOOTHS

gervasoni: BRASS PEN­DANT FIXTURES

BILLIANI: GRAY CHAIRS

TRIBU: BROWN/WHITE CHAIRS

CEMENT TILE SHOP: FLOOR TILE

muuto: PENDANT FIXTURES (OFFICE AREA)

STUDIO OTHER: WORK­ STATIONS

knoll: CHAIRS (OFFICE AREA, LIBRARY)

SHAW INDUSTRIES GROUP: CARPET TILE (OFFICE AREA, NOOK)

herman miller: CHAIRS (DIGITAL ROOM)

HALCON FUR­NITURE: TABLES

flos: CEILING FIXTURES

Interface: CARPET TILE

nienkamper: TABLES (TOUCH­DOWN, COFFEE BAR)

GALLOTTI&RADICE: CHAIRS (TOUCH­DOWN)

POIAT: CREDENZA

AREA ENVIRONMENTS: WALLCOVERING

flos: PENDANT FIXTURE

CASALA: CHAIR (NOOK)

cappellini: CHAIRS (BOARDROOM)

PRISMATIQUE: CUSTOM TABLE

CREATIVE MATTERS: CUSTOM RUG

Davis Furniture: BENCH

filzfelt: PANELING (MEETING ROOM)

Haworth: DEMOUNTABLE WALLS

Allied Maker: PENDANT FIXTURES (COFFEE BAR)

ARRMET: CHAIRS

MOSAÏQUE SURFACE: WALL TILE

STONETILE: VINYL FLOOR TILE

BENJAMIN MOORE & CO.; SHERWIN­ WILLIAMS: PAINT

Meyer Davis Designs a Sprawling Manhattan Penthouse

2023 Best of Year Honoree for Large Apartment

A chance encounter started the ball rolling on the redesign of a full-floor penthouse atop one of New York’s most avant-garde structures. The glittering 56 Leonard in TriBeCa, completed in 2017 by Herzog & de Meuron, is often affectionately likened to a stack of Jenga blocks. The cantilevered upper floors make the 57-story building a standout on the downtown skyline and give its lucky residents uninterrupted 360-degree views.

“One weeknight, I was out having drinks with friends when a potential client happened to pop in,” recalls Will Meyer, principal of Meyer Davis. The men were acquainted but had not seen each other in years. “It was midnight, but he said, ‘I just bought this new apartment. Let’s go look at it.’” Up they went several dozen stories, emerging into a 5,500-square-foot aerie surrounded by 14-foot-tall windows. “Imagine coming out of the elevator and seeing these outrageous views. It was a white box with nothing going on but also the most amazing blank slate possible.”

Soon after, Meyer and fellow principal Gray Davis—jointly inducted last year into the Interior Design Hall of Fame—met with the homeowner to share their thoughts on making the vast residence more human-scale and inviting. “The client appreciates good design,” Davis says, “and loves music and hosting parties. But the apartment also had to feel comfortable when he’s there alone or with his kids.”

Meyer Davis Creates a Warm and Approachable Penthouse Design

“The client had a clear idea of how it should feel: warm and approachable,” says Meyer Davis associate Shannon Senyk, senior design lead on the project and at the firm. “The views were there, but the space itself was quite cold and austere. We needed to add layers through architectural finishes and soft, lush textures.” Conjuring welcome is a practiced skill for the firm, which places not only 60th on our 100 Giants list but also 24th among the Hospitality Giants.

Meyer Davis Transforms a Loftlike Layout into Functional Zones

The team devised a number of strategies to tame the open, loftlike layout, which is augmented by two terraces and a balcony totaling 1,600 square feet of outdoor real estate. “A super-large space should be zoned in subtle ways, making rooms without making walls,” Meyer observes. The designers arranged the furniture informally, with three separate seating groups in the main living area “so you can hop around and sit in different places,” as Davis puts it. Chief among the architectural upgrades—and there were many, including four-and-a-half renovated baths and an oak-and-marble kitchen beneath an existing statement stove hood—was a zoning gesture Meyer reports “made all the difference in the world”: a raised oak platform that spans about a quarter of the living area.

Furnishings Reflect a Relaxed Luxury Aesthetic 

The furnishings—predominantly new or custom pieces with a couple of vintage items thrown into the mix—all contribute to Meyer Davis’s trademark relaxed luxury, providing deep comfort while hold­ing their own against the grandeur of the architecture and the glory of the setting. Modern classics like Pierre Paulin lounge chairs and Ingo Mauer pendant fixtures join such contemporary pieces as a BassamFellows daybed and a Kelly Wearstler desk, the ensemble arranged so as not to disturb the pervasive feeling of cloud-borne calm. At the same time, the designers were mindful of placing the furniture in a way that, Meyer notes, “enhances your ability to take it all in.” The overall palette is neutral but far from colorless, comprising mostly blues, grays, and browns. The rust color of the velvet upholstery on a sofa in the den is the boldest hue in the apartment. “We brought in colors from the city and the sky,” Meyer concludes, “so as not to compete with the main event.”

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Inside the Manhattan Penthouse With Expansive Views

meyer davis: anastasia bersetova; lindsay leonard

daniel demarco & associates; premium millwork: woodwork

silverlining: general contractor

jg switzer: beanbags (platform)

contardi: floor lamp

mellah: rug

William Gray: stools (kit­chen)

troscan design: table

gärsnäs: armchairs

erickson æsthetics: lounge chairs (living area)

tibetano: rug

BassamFellows: day­bed

rh: sectionals (living area, terrace)

andrianna shamaris: black side table (living area), console (entry)

jenni kayne: vase (entry)

flos: pen­dant fixture

sacco: rugs (entry, main bedroom)

rw guild: pendant fixtures (hall)

apparatus: sconces (hall, powder room), pendant fixtures (dining area, closet)

armada new york: custom table (dining area)

massproductions: chairs

Allied Maker: pendant fixture (bathroom)

seed design: table lamps (bedroom)

studio dunn: pendant fixture

castel; pollack: daybed fabric, pillow fabrics (den)

Montauk: sectional

ruemmler: pendant fixture

brooklyn workroom: custom daybed (den), custom headboard, custom sofa (main bedroom)

mokum: sectional fab­ric (Den), curtain fabric

menu design shop: mirrors (closet, powder room)

phillip jeffries: wallcovering (closet, powder room)

Gubi: chairs (main bedroom)

blackcreek mercantile & trading co.: coffee table

Ingo Maurer: pendant fixture

perennials fabrics: wallcovering

c&m shade: curtains

benjamin moore & co.: paint

Kingston Lafferty Design Transforms a Historic Schoolhouse into a Chic Abode in Galway, Ireland

The first time Róisín Lafferty met the owners of a landmarked Georgian-style schoolhouse-turned-cool-house in coastal Galway, Ireland, they’d set out tea and fresh-baked treats in their cozy, little kitchen for the occasion. “There was a homey feel from the minute you stepped inside,” the Kingston Lafferty Design founder and creative director recalls. “They were a lovely, dynamic family of seven, quite young at heart and also a bit nostalgic.” The charming historic abode suited the residents’ personality, but it had issues, including outdated electrical wiring, no central air, and a single shower for all of them to share. A mishmash of rear-facing exten­sions and small service buildings that had been added over time also blocked garden views and the influx of natural light into the deep floor plate. “It felt very dark, and the configuration didn’t make great use of the space,” Lafferty says. “The clients loved the character of the house, but it just wasn’t working for them.”

A nearly five-year restoration, renovation, and redecoration effort ensued to expand the terrace house into a five-bedroom, four-bath residence. KLD collaborated with local firm Helena McElmeel Architects, which helped navigate the municipality’s strict conservation board and took the lead on structural work. The most forceful spatial modifications were made in the back of the property, where the updated kitchen now leads to a window-wrapped, skylight-capped modern addition housing an orangerie-style dining room (where a damp lean-to once stood) and a family lounge. An existing conservatory was also upgraded with new glazing to form a breakfast room, accessed via portals punched through the kitchen’s super-thick stone walls, their depths clad with green marble tile to annunciate the transition from old to new.

The Design Team Transforms Old into New, Spotlighting the Home’s Historic Details  

The décor follows a similar ethos of repurposing. A kitchen table was recycled, raised, and topped with a stone slab to form the cooking island, now illuminated by a cluster of pendant fixtures transplanted from corridors throughout the house. Antique cabinets left behind by a previous owner were carefully integrated into millwork, such as the main bathroom’s armoire, augmented by a marble countertop and antiqued brass legs to create a vanity. Mismatched Michael Thonet chairs handed down from various relatives were grouped around the custom dark-stained oak dining table, imparting a collected-over-time feel. Also repurposed: an original pass-through hatch between the kitchen and the moody reading room, now framed with bronze-tinted mirrored panels that lend the latter space a subtly ominous aura. (“That room is 100 percent inspired by The Handmaid’s Tale,” Lafferty acknowledges.) Not worth salvaging, alas, was a beautifully hued but far-too-frayed stair runner, but its palette lives on in the home’s prevailing tones of sky blue, burgundy, terra-cotta, and mustard.

KLD also layered in more current vintage pieces, such as the front lounge’s mid-century Sputnik chandelier and angular travertine cocktail tables. Lending oh-so-’70’s verve is the rear lounge’s conversation pit, recessed into the concrete floor to preserve sight lines to the garden. “The builder kept asking why we were putting a swimming pool in there!” Lafferty jokes. Further channeling that era is the room’s Mah Jong sofa, dressed in moss-green velvet. “I’d only ever seen the sofa in flashy patterned fabric, but looking at images from when the design first came out, in 1971, I realized it was usually upholstered in something plain, which I preferred,” Lafferty says.

The Home Restoration Offers a Family Room to Grow

Upstairs, the sleeping quarters intermix traditional and modern elements, spiked with a dose of whimsy. The hotel-like main suite, which overtakes most of the second story, encompasses a bedroom, a walk-in dressing room, and a bathroom complete with a fire­place, soaking tub, and glassed-in wet zone. Much effort went into making the large bed­room feel more intimate. “Before, it was just a lonely little bed in a very big room that swallowed up furniture,” Lafferty notes. Now, minimalist but period-appropriate paneling brings a sense of scale to the space, and artfully integrates a curvilinear velvet headboard and bedside sconces. The bathroom is not tech­nically part of the bedroom but instead opens off a landing one half-flight down, where it can be annexed for overflow from the neighboring powder room if needed during brush-teeth or bath time.

While the goal in the parents’ sanctum was to make a large space feel cozier, KLD’s ap­proach to the kids’ zone on floor three was the opposite: making smallish space live larger. The youngest of the three daughters, for instance, got the tiniest bedroom, so the hanging chair on the adjacent stair landing serves as her de facto lounge area. The two boys share a room, and there Lafferty took advantage of the high ceilings with peculiarly tall loft beds that offer plenty of floor space below for hangout and work areas. “The beds remind me of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events,” Lafferty says. “I like the creepiness of them!” Reference to narrative is, indeed, something of a through line for the entire project: “There’s a sense of emotion and atmosphere when you walk into the house; it just kind of washes over you,” she observes. “It feels like you’re part of a story.” One with a very happy ending.

helena mcelmeel architects: architect

o’gorman joinery: millwork

Roche Bobois: sofa (rear lounge)

davide groppi: pendant fixture

flos: wall light

baked earth: terra-cotta floor tile (dining room)

rocca stone: floor tile

knoll: sofa (front lounge)

through 1st dibs: cocktail tables

tile style: hearth tiles

soho home: rug (front lounge), side table (main bedroom)

martin & brockett: console (entry)

Gubi: chair (study)

square in circle: pendant fixture (study), sconces (bathroom)

HK Living: hanging chair (landing)

irugs: rug (main bedroom)

lizzo: curtain, headboard, pillow fabric

ray shannon upholstery: custom headboard, custom pillow fabrication

mix & match: custom curtain fabrication

socialite family: sconces

ZARA HOME: bench (main bedroom), beanbag (boys’ bedroom)

kutikai: dresser (boys’ bedroom)

finnish design shop: rug

through nest: pendant fixture

eicholtz: pendant fixture (bath­room)

mosaic assemblers: floor tile

versatile bathrooms: sinks

leinster stone: countertop

farrow & ball: paint

vintage hub: vintage vases, styling objects

Ingenhoven Associates Fashions a Luxurious Yet Restrained Retreat Off the Coast of Germany

Lanserhof Sylt is not a typical spa. Situated on the windswept German island of Sylt, in the Wadden Sea, the resort promises to improve health through fasting, massage therapy, and medical treatments such as Cellgym infusions. Guests pay $8,000 a week to eat next to nothing—think wheatgrass shots and tiny portions of vegetable soup—and cleanse their bodies of harmful toxins. The Sylt retreat, which opened last summer, is Lanserhof’s fifth location. Founded in 1984, with properties in Lans, Austria, and Tegernsee, Germany, the brand has built a devoted A-list following, Christoph Ingenhoven, founder and chairman of Ingenhoven Associates, among those who have submitted to the strict regime.

Based in Düsseldorf, Ingenhoven started his sustainability-minded practice in 1985, and has completed such projects as the mixed-use towers Marina One in Singapore and Lufthansa’s headquarters in Frankfurt. He began visiting the original Lanserhof in Lans in the early aughts and took on the brand as a client a decade later, when it started expanding. Ingenhoven has since designed the properties in Tegernsee, London, and Sylt (as well as an extension in Lans), unifying them with a modern, pared-down aesthetic. “Christoph is a master of omission,” observes Nils Behrens, Lanserhof’s chief marketing officer. “His work complements our concept and leaves plenty of room for free thought, rest, and relaxation.”

Knowing first-hand what the week-long experience is like, Ingenhoven’s stays in Lans helped him empathize with future guests. He says that the first few days, when you experience withdrawal, are especially challenging. “They take away everything,” he begins. “You get hangry, feel nervous, and have serious headaches, and are also cold, since you have no energy. You can get every service, but you won’t get anything to eat.” As an architect, Ingenhoven could offer guests warm, generous, soothing spaces in which to recover, with minimal noise and distraction.

Behind the Design of a Luxury Medical Spa

At the Lanserhof properties in Tegernsee and Sylt, there’s no art or bright color, but a beige-and-white palette, wood floors, large windows, and a balcony in each of the generous guest rooms. They are tailored to their location. “Our approach is always to provide contemporary architecture with no compromise, but with a relationship to the vernacular,” Ingenhoven says. Tegernsee, in the Bavarian Alps, evokes local monasteries with a square structure and courtyard. Lanserhof Sylt, in turn, reflects its setting in the Frisian archipelago.

The long, narrow landmass is the northernmost point in Germany, near Denmark. Like many Germans, Ingenhoven has visited Sylt since childhood—he compares Kampen, a popular beach destination on the island, to the Hamptons in New York. Under constant threat of erosion, Sylt has strict building codes that would normally prohibit the creation of a large new hotel atop the dunes. But the six-structure Lanserhof was effectively grandfathered in, because it occupies a former military complex dating to the 1930’s, and the German government allowed construction on the existing footprints. The architect and the client worked closely with preservation and conservation officials throughout the process. “We could remove the hardscape but could barely touch the dune. It was a fight to get a square meter more to build on,” Ingenhoven says. The volumes had to be compact, efficient, and sensitive to the surrounding nature reserve.

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A Supersized Version of a Traditional German Structure 

The six thatched-roof buildings are spread across 12 acres. The main building, the largest at 175,000 square feet, is five levels with 55 guest rooms; then there’s the diagnostic building with 13 guest rooms, three seaside villas, plus a listed former officers’ club under renovation. For now, all the action is in the main building, which replaced an officers’ accommodation block. In addition to guest rooms, it offers lounges, treatment rooms and medical offices, indoor and outdoor pools, a climbing wall, a sauna, and a steam room.

The design is a supersize version of the traditional Frisian house, found in coastal Germany and the Netherlands, which has a low vertical facade and a large overhanging thatched roof to protect against wind and rain. Ingenhoven subbed in triple-pane glass for the usual brick facade, gave the building an E shape to maximize views and sun exposure, and tucked upper floors within an enormous reed roof—at nearly 65,000 square feet, it’s the largest thatched roof in Europe. The fine strands of reed let him and his team create soft, rounded forms that integrate into the landscape and mimic the shape and color of the dunes.

The Medical Spa Treats Guests to Sweeping Views of Nature

Inside, the building centers on a 50-foot-high circular staircase that winds from the basement parking garage to the fourth floor, helping visitors orient themselves. The white-painted steel and oak structure, framed by slatted oak paneling and exposed Nordic spruce ceiling beams, adds drama to the otherwise subdued interiors. On the ground floor, it leads to a lounge furnished with an expansive curved sofa, a generous firepit, Eames armchairs, chessboards, and bookshelves. Behrens notes that the concept conveys a sense of security and connection with the outdoors, which is important to the treatment. Upstairs, each guest room has a unique plan, due to the curved roof, and opens onto an enclosed balcony. “Traditionally, you would build a dormer window,” Ingenhoven notes. “We turned it 180 degrees and cut out a balcony instead.” There, guests can isolate themselves, soak up the restorative power of nature, and try to ignore their hunger.

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ingenhoven associates: moritz krogmann; anette büsing; andreas crynen; karmin shim; juan pereg; mina rostamiyanmoghadam; ian chow; martin trawinski; philipp neumann; florian jung; kiara helk

mwh meble: custom furniture workshop

tropp lighting design: lighting consultant

werner sobek: structural engineer

gebr. schütt kg; winkels interior design exhibition: woodwork

tks group: general contractor

kettal: outdoor furniture (outdoor pool)

vitra: chairs, ottomans (lounge)

manutti: side tables

flos: floor lamps (lounge), bedside lamp (guest room)

Paola Lenti: chairs (rec room)

boley: custom fireplace

SICIS: tile (steam room)

art rock: boulder wall (gym)

technogym: fitness equipment

bette: tub (bathroom)

tekhek ecological roofing: roof

klafs: saunas

jab anstoetz: curtains

The Founder of Claude Cartier Studio Dreams Up Her Own French Apartment

For centuries, Lyon, France’s third-largest city, has been famous for the sumptuous silk textiles it produces. Located in the center of the town, near where legions of artisanal looms once hummed, designer Claude Cartier’s apartment evokes the spirit of those fabled fabrics—their luscious colors, bold patterns, and rich textures—but in breezily modern form. Cartier founded her business in 1981, opening a home decorating store that soon led to extensive residential-design commissions and the establishment of her eponymous studio in 2010. Although now a qualified interior designer, Cartier still prefers to define herself as a “decorator,” and the ebullient theatricality of her apartment shows why.

Cartier Showcases Her Sense of Style Throughout the French Apartment

“Inevitably, each piece of furniture was chosen because I had an absolute crush on it,” Cartier begins, “though often it was customized.” A case in point is Jonas Wagell’s Julep sofa, its curving minimalist form dominating one corner of the living room but transformed into some sort of exotic vegetation by Métaphores’s upholstery of abstracted-floral jacquard. The botanical theme is echoed in the opposite corner, which is entirely draped with pale-green velvet curtains that conceal wall shelving and a TV. The fabric’s delicate color is picked up in the dress of the woman in an Erwin Olaf photograph, one of the many striking artworks curated by Sibille; it hangs above Gianfranco Frattini’s iconic Sesann sofa, its voluptuous contours clad in bottle-green velvet.

The living room exemplifies the audacious color palette Cartier uses throughout the apartment: “Dark hues that are a bit dramatic, like the entrance,” she says, referring to the latter’s burnt-saffron and inky-blue ceiling and walls, which set off black-and-white checkerboard tile flooring, “then mint-green pastels with watery shades, earth tones, pearly whites, finished with strong colors underlined with games of stripes.”

Bold Patterns Meld With Subtle Hues

Stripes, a recurring motif, are used with maximum impact in the main bedroom and bathroom. In the latter, they run up the walls in the form of yellow and white tiles, joining with a colorful patchwork curtain and striped-cotton toilet skirt to create a space that’s “like a beach cabin,” Cartier suggests. In the bedroom, a sunburst of broad bands of yellow and white paint explodes across the ceiling, an homage to the dazzling effect Gio Ponti created in the Villa Planchart in Caracas, Venezuela. Both rooms have the vivid immediacy associated with interiors in Provence, Andalusia, or the Mezzogiorno, a reference that’s entirely intentional. “I love the South,” she enthuses. “It was important for me to have Mediterranean accents and influences.”

Not all the furnishings are from Tacchini, of course. A multi-leg white-lacquered cabinet by Jaime Hayón is a glossy presence in the bedroom, while a black marble console from Angelo Mangiarotti’s 1971 Eros interlocking system of tables serves as a glamorous key-drop in the entry. In the second bedroom, which doubles as a study, a showstopping inlaid-oak cabinet by the Swedish studio Front is backed by a dado made of Cristina Celestino’s earth-tone Gonzaga clay tiles, another evocation of the South that Cartier so adores.

In the same room, a desk by Pietro Russo sits on a narrow rug that runs up the wall all the way to the ceiling, its bold colors—terra-cotta, rose, cream, black, white—arranged in an equally bold geometric pattern. The runner is but one in a series of eye-popping rugs that populate the residence, all of them Cartier’s design. The hand-knotted-wool collection’s irrepressible brio encapsulates the apartment’s aesthetic perfectly, as does its name: So Much Fun.

Inside Cartier’s Eclectic Abode 

claude cartier studio: fabien louvier

manifesta: art consultant

serge mouille: pendant fixture (living room)

bisson bruneel: lamp shade

Gubi: white armchair (living room), bench (dining room)

india mahdavi: vases, ashtrays (living room, bedroom)

Mutina: floor tile (entry, kitchen)

collection particulière: vases (dining room)

bulthaup: cabinetry (kitchen)

ceramica bardelli: wall tile

moroso: ball pillow (living room), chair (study)

fornace brioni: dado tile (study)

flos: lamp

petite friture: mirror (study), sconces (corridor), pendant fixture (entry)

bernard: wall tile (bathroom)

moustache: mirror

les crafties: curtain

olivades: toilet skirt fabric

MADE IN GOLD: CUSTOM WALL COVERING (ENTRY)

agapecasa: console

bd barcelona design: cabinet (bedroom)

Studiopepe: custom headboard

tacchini: furniture

métaphores: upholstery fabric, drapery fabric

cc-tapis: rugs

Ressource: paint

Roar Breaks the Mold With the Design of This Government Office in Abu Dhabi

2022 Best of Year Winner for Government/Institutional

A huge custom ottoman in the shape of a teddy bear stretched out on its back is not the sort of thing often found in the office of a government agency. Nor is a fluffy armchair the color of a pink flamingo standard bureaucratic furniture. But when the innovative Dubai-based interiors and architecture studio Roar was commissioned for the Abu Dhabi office of the Supreme Council for Motherhood & Childhood—an agency that sets policy in matters concerning the welfare of women and children in the U.A.E.—there was no question that the firm would put its own spin on the workplace. After all, founder and creative director Pallavi Dean and her team’s portfolio spans a pop-up bakery, a state-of-the-art rental deposit-box facility, hotels, and spas. This project takes cues from residential design and is undeniably stylish, colorful, comfortable, and, above all, fun. “In many ways it’s a community space for moms,” Dean says, herself the mother of two. “It’s kind of like our home.”

In the training room, they’re printed on fabric wallcovering in dusty shades of pink, blue, and beige. For the ex­ecutive suite, they’re in the form of a brushed brass partition system, and throughout the workplace they’re incorporated in the built-in cabinetry.

Roar Prioritizes Comfort With Soft Colors and Furnishings 

That curviness extends to the freestanding furniture, which Dean describes as “feminine,” in tune with the Supreme Council of Motherhood & Childhood’s focus on women. But feminine doesn’t mean dainty here. “The furniture has a lot of rounded, rotund forms. That’s intentional,” she says. “A lot of it feels like a hug, like it’s cocooning you.” The aforementioned flamingo-reminiscent armchair, called Hortensia, by Andrés Reisinger and Júlia Esqué, is a prime example.

The material palette furthers that sense of comfort. Greek white marble in reception is softly striated. Carpets and rugs in rhythmic patterns are plush underfoot. Natural oak, ash, and maple are used extensively—on floors as well as in the custom furniture and pieces by the likes of Alp Nuhogˇlu. “When you think of luxury interiors, you think of wenge and dark wood. We were steering clear of that,” Dean explains.

The Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Motherhood & Childhood, Her Excellency Rym Abdulla Al Falasy, was
involved in shaping the color scheme and other aspects. And not just for her own domain, which is slightly more formal in feeling, as befits a place where she might greet high-level officials from her own country as well as delegates from other nations. Here, for instance, one finds paneled walls and an alcove with a raised platform.

An Inclusive Space in Abu Dhabi for Parents and Children Alike

But the design pays just as much attention to those who are too young to express their aesthetic preferences. In the children’s restroom, which has a marine-life theme, walls are enlivened with blue-and-white mosaic tile, metal-mesh sea creatures hang from the ceiling, and pendant globes are encased in the same jute netting that fishermen use. In the children’s library, under concentric ceiling circles, a climbable circular enclosure corrals beanbags and a bench resembling one of those balloon dachshunds brought home from kids’ birthday parties. Then there’s that big teddy bear. It rests on an oak base, under a ceiling with a traditional sadu composition of woven palm leaves. Its paws are upholstered in traditional Emirati weaving done by Bedouin women in rural parts of the country.

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Roar: tamara taamneh; anna de florian; ana carreras; nadeem asharaf

summertown interiors: woodwork

b&t design: wood-frame chair, loveseat, round coffee table (reception), tan chairs (training room), loveseats (waiting area), bench (nap room)

karman: pendant fixtures (reception)

bestuhl: task chair

arper: stools, high tables (hall)

inclass spain: round table, pink chairs (training room), task chairs (library)

la chance: stool (training room)

estiluz: pendant fixture

pedrali: tables (training room, office), lounge chairs (library)

Lee Broom: hanging chair (reception)

Moooi: furry armchair

moroso: sofa (lounge)

viccarbe: chairs (lounge, office), tables (mezzanine)

softline: green chairs (lounge), chairs (mezzanine), tan chairs (office)

carpet crafts: custom carpet (mezzanine)

Roll & Hill: pendant fixture (office)

kendo mobiliario: tables (waiting area, office)

flos: pendant fixture (nursery)

Carnegie Fabrics: bear fabric

fatboy: bench, beanbag (library)

sensi: tile (restroom)

zero: pendant fixtures

ege: custom carpet, custom rugs

Meyer Davis Envisions a Hotel That Offers a Cinematic Nod to Rome

2022 Best of Year Winner for International Hotel Restoration

The W Rome is like nothing we’ve ever seen. Nor is the hotel like anything in the vast and far-reaching hospitality portfolio of Meyer Davis co-principals Will Meyer and Gray Davis, soon-to-be inductees into Interior Design’s Hall of Fame. “We’re known as masters of editing,” Meyer begins. “But this project turns the speakers up to 11.” He, Davis, and Zoe Pinfold, senior associate and co-director of the firm’s Los Angeles studio, nixed any trace of minimalism in favor of exuberance and flat-out cinematic glamour.

“By peeling back layers we discovered the reason Rome is so special, it’s where civilizations and cultures were layered on top of each other,” Meyer continues. “That amazing collage drove our narrative.” Jumping in, Davis adds, “We used the phrase: We got lost in the city.” Yet when guests stroll the Ludovisi district and branch off from Via Veneto, its main corridor, to find their way to Via Liguria high above the Spanish Steps, they are indeed promised la dolce vita upon passing through the W’s portals. While the hotel boasts three points of entry, the main one’s glazed cube is not only the showpiece but also Meyer Davis’s ingenious introduction to a tricky site, composed of two buildings dating to 1889. The property was first a hotel, with shops on the ground floor and a restaurant added in 1914. During the ’40’s, the story takes an unsavory turn, the buildings reportedly commandeered by Nazi troops. From the ’60’s to 2002 they were offices, and then empty when purchased by Omnam Group and King Street Capital Management.

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Transforming a historic property into the W Rome hotel

The cube or “gasket,” as the team calls it, solves the immediate problem of tying together the buildings, one six stories high and the other four, for a total of 150,000 square feet. Then, organization assures a unified experience. Guest quarters, 162 keys including 13 suites, populate both—as do amenities. Establishing see-and-be-seen scenes, they include a knockout reception and lobby, a jazzy bar-lounge, Giano restaurant, Zucchero café, and a pool and bar on the rooftop. A fitness center and meeting rooms figure into the mix, as does a clandestine sculpture garden located at the rear of the property. “There are no dead ends,” Davis notes. “Visitors can wander all over and never get stuck.”

Meyer Davis created the entry experience as a procession of see-through spaces, starting with reception. It’s a fantastical Roman garden, simultaneously classical and irreverent, composed of a verdant mural by Constanza Alvarez de Castro surrounding a trio of shiny stainless-steel check-in kiosks. Next comes the lobby, its carved stone walls surrounding a sweep of black-and-white marble flooring, the stonework nodding to that of nearby churches. The standout here, however, is what really ties site to city: an oval enclave, a lounge within a lounge, with luxe rosewood paneling and a gilt ceiling, that’s an undisputed homage to the Pantheon. It all anchors a lively mishmash of furnishings, most of which are custom, as are many elements throughout. “We designed more than 200 pieces made by Italian companies,” Pinfold says.

Meyer Davis elevates hotel dining through design

Lively is an understatement for the hotel bar-lounge, a generous space Meyer Davis utterly transformed from bland to bellissimo with arches, moldings, and three heavily veined types of Italian marble for the floor, creating a setting evocative of ancient Rome. Large rectangular light fixtures with a Colosseum-like vibe cast an attractive glow on guests enjoying apertivo on ample curvaceous seating, upholstered in sunset orange, periwinkle blue, or an op art–esque peach/brown. It’s all amplified by surrounding mirrors, including Florence photographer Massimo Listri’s image of a classical statue-filled gallery mounted on mirror, a kind of Italian trompe l’oeil.

Come 8:00 p.m., all thoughts in Rome turn to dinner. At W, that’s at Giano, helmed by acclaimed chef Ciccio Sultano, who helped create yet another series of rooms. In addition to private dining, three rooms are arrayed in an enfilade with dining spaces on each side of a main axis. It’s a dense environment, buzzy with disco music reverberating off stone and brass surfaces as the evening progresses. Meanwhile, copious walnut millwork has niches inset with layers of backlit acrylic and glass behind blackened steel for a prismatic effect. Arguably most striking is the supreme approach to color. Chairs and banquettes are upholstered in deep green, cobalt, and terra-cotta mohair, settees in calming blush. “’Collage it up’ was our approach,” Davis notes.

Guest rooms reference Italy’s legends

Collage reaches its pinnacle in the guest quarters, which range from 215 square feet to 850 in the presidential suite. Each room feels unique. “We tried to do something that hasn’t been seen before,” Pinfold explains, “starting with the background color, a light gray leaning to blue.” References to Italy’s legends abound. Channeled leather headboards, for example, “are inspired by Carlo Scarpa,” she adds. Tables reference Memphis. Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni’s iconic Arco lamp illuminates the presidential suite. Seating on the terraces is covered in a pattern derived from an archival Hermès textile. The design was hand-painted, then printed on outdoor fabric—by a decades-old Roman fabricator, of course.

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meyer davis: stephanie schreiber

lombardini22: architect of record

lighting design collective: lighting consultant

extra ordinario; mobil project: custom furniture workshops

cc tapis: custom rugs (bar)

artemest: stool

cassina: armchairs (lobby), cocktail table (presidential suite)

giovannozzi: wall covering (lobby stair)

flos: lamp (presidential suite)

Tuuci: umbrellas (pool)

silhouette outdoor: custom chairs, custom tables (pool), custom sectional (terrace)

arte 2000: custom fountain (courtyard)

contardi: sconces (suite bathroom), lanterns (terrace)

laufen: tubs (suites)

pictalab: custom mural (café)

Bert Frank: floor lamp (junior suite)

dooq: dining chairs (duplex)

grupo arca: custom vanity, custom floor tile (restroom)

italpoltrone: custom bench

ven global: custom lighting

loloey: custom rugs, custom carpet

class design: custom pillows, custom cushions, custom drapery

For the Ace Hotel Sydney, Flack Studio Creates an Authentic Australian Experience

Founded in 1999, the Ace Hotel Group has claimed an enviable slice of the hospitality pie with a chain of high-profile luxury boutique properties aimed at a creative clientele. Since opening its first location—a renovated former Salvation Army halfway house in Seattle—the brand has specialized in transforming rescued buildings of some urban significance into state-of-the-art facilities. The group currently comprises nine hotels, including the latest, which opened in May in Sydney.

The interior of the new property was designed by Flack Studio, a small firm based in Melbourne, best known for residential and retail spaces. Surprisingly, the studio had never worked on a hotel before. “The scale of the job was more than we were used to,” founder and principal David Flack acknowledges. “But I was confident that we could do it. There aren’t many hotel companies that I would want to work for, but Ace is clearly one of them.”

Flack joined the renovation project early on. Bates Smart, one of Australia’s oldest architectural firms, was responsible for gutting the Tyne Building, a 10-story brick structure dating to the early 20th century in the city’s Surry Hills suburb. The architects incorporated the exterior masonry walls into an 18-story, glass-and-steel tower that now houses 257 guest rooms and suites, but “there really wasn’t anything much to salvage of the interior,” Flack observes.

Although the Tyne was not officially landmarked, the designer wanted to pay homage not only to the building but also the fascinating history of the neighborhood where, in 1788, the recently arrived British discovered a deposit of pottery clay and built Australia’s first kiln. Within 40 years, Jonathan Leak, a transported convict, established his own pottery works there and was soon cranking out bricks, tiles, bottles, and domestic earthenware. In 1916, Leak’s factory was razed to be replaced by the Tyne Building—originally a pharmaceutical warehouse, later a garment workshop, and then a school for underprivileged kids. Over the years, Surry Hills was home to Chinese immigrants in the gold rush era, dangerous razor gangs in the 1920’s, bootleggers in the ’30’s, boho artists in the ’60’s, and a burgeoning LGBTQ population in the ’70’s, who established the renowned annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Flack wanted to reference all of it.

Early on, he decided that he would stick to straightforward industrial materials used in both traditional and innovative ways. These include the existing brick, along with board-formed concrete, terrazzo and oak flooring, solid woods and veneers, and a variety of metals. There is also stone, such as honed Rosso Francia marble from Italy for the main staircase. Acoustic ceiling panels are used to line guest-room walls—not so much for soundproofing purposes (even though rooms are equipped with turntables, a selection of vinyl records, and, yes, guitars) as for aesthetic reasons: “It’s a rudimentary material, not fancy,” Flack explains, “but it has a beautiful depth and texture to it.”

As for the color palette, Flack chose a singular combination of earthy tans and ochres, burnt oranges, a variety of greens, and, most surprisingly, purple. The inspiration came from the landscape paintings of Albert Namatjira, one of the country’s best-known 20th-century artists of indigenous ancestry. Both Flack and Mark Robinson, his partner in work and life, collect modern art, which plays a large part in the design. Commissioned pieces in many forms by a diverse group of living Australian artists populate the property. The front desk, for example, comprises a multihued patchwork of variously sized ceramic bricks—a gobsmacking installation by James Lemon. “I’m not afraid of using color,” Flack happily concedes.

The furnishings are a mix of vintage pieces—both anonymous and pedigreed—and custom designs. The lobby lounge features Paul Frankl–style mid-century rattan swivel chairs surrounded by bespoke banquettes upholstered in heavily ruched leather. “I do that with leather a lot,” the designer notes. “I think it makes the seating look more inviting.” The lobby restaurant booths, upholstered in similar fashion, are joined by Mart Stam’s classic 1931 tubular-steel chairs, now manufactured by Thonet, their cantilever frames painted fire-engine red. Guest rooms and suites are equally eclectic, with Mario Bellini’s iconic 1977 leather Cab chairs pulling up to Charles and Ray Eames’s round oak-top tables in some of them. Most of the hotel’s striking light fixtures, which include columnlike sconces of aged-finish perforated brass, are custom Flack designs.

Staying “on brand” was a top concern for Flack. “Ace had rules,” he reports. “But they also allowed that rules were made to be broken.” He eventually determined that the chain’s trademark was not so much a look as a feeling. “An Ace hotel wants to engage people on an aesthetic and social level, to encourage them to congregate and interact with others, both guests and locals,” he concludes. “I wanted this hotel to be an authentic Australian experience without losing the slightly renegade history of the neighborhood. In my view, Australia’s greatest strength is our diversity.”

Flack Studio: Mark Robinson

bates smart: architect of record

plant charmer: landscaping consultants

studio ongarato: custom graphics

electrolight: lighting consultant

marques interiors: custom furniture workshop

signorino: stonework

corsi & nicolai: flooring (reception)

akari: lamp (reception), pendant fixtures (lounge, restaurant)

alustain: stair railings (reception, pre-event)

rms traders: wallcovering (reception, library)

dcw editions: sconce (lounge)

flos: ceiling fixtures

nsw leather co.: banquette upholstery

through casser maison: armchairs (pre-event)

ramler: table (meeting room)

westbury textiles: curtain fabric (meeting room, restaurant)

living edge: side chairs (meeting room, conference room)

thonet: chairs (restaurant)

woodstock resources: flooring (restaurant, library)

house of bamboo: wallcovering (library)

warwick textiles: curtain fabric (guest rooms)

stansborough: custom blankets

parisi: tubs, tub fittings (bathrooms)

reece: sinks

mark tuckey: custom stools

artedomus: terra-cotta floor tile (bathroom)

electrolight: custom lighting

halcyon lake: carpeting

terrazzo australian marble: floor tile

classic ceramics; tiento: bathroom wall tile

knauf: acoustic paneling

bishop master finishes: cement render

Kvadrat Maharam: upholstery fabric

instyle: upholstery leather

dulux: paint

CannonDesign Transforms the Interiors of a Former Newspaper Building into Modern Tech Offices

Back in 1878, when the West was still wild and the U.S. had only 38 states, Joseph Pulitzer, a self-made Hungarian immigrant, acquired two struggling Missouri newspapers and merged them into the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which has been publishing ever since. In 1959, the paper moved its newsroom and printing plant into a 1930 art deco-style building by prominent local architects Mauran, Russell and Crowell for another, now-defunct news daily. The Post-Dispatch sold the building in 2018 and now occupies smaller facilities nearby.

Today, after a $70 million overall makeover, the building houses 850 employees of Square and Cash App, two divisions of Block, Inc., the high-tech financial services and digital payments company. The staff had previously been working in three different locations, and the corporation’s primary objective was to centralize this workforce in one user-friendly space.

Now based in San Francisco, Block was founded in St. Louis in 2009 by two natives of the Gateway City: Jack Dorsey (also a co-founder of Twitter) and Jim McKelvey, a tech-head, entrepreneur, and glass artist. To create its new Missouri digs, the company hired CannonDesign, one of the nation’s largest architectural firms.

Block was clear about its remit for the 225,000-square-foot building, which comprises six stories and two basement levels: “The client was looking to create a home for its employees,” reports project director Ken Crabiel, vice president and commercial and civic market leader at Cannon’s St. Louis office. “A place where they could be connected with one another in a variety of ways.” Like a home, the plan called for a series of connected spaces, both large and small, public and private, to accommodate multiple activities.

The large spaces include three multilevel atria that connect to the more intimate areas by a series of interior staircases. Employees can choose to work at a traditional desk or on a sofa or lounge chair, and meetings can range from intimate tête-à-têtes to company-wide confabs in the vast all-hands area. The building can accommodate up to 1,200 workers, so Block has room to grow in place. (Currently, most employees are free to work from home or in the office, as they choose.)

In a project-defining move, the original newspaper printing press has been left in place—a steampunkish behemoth that stretches roughly 80 feet along the ground floor. Project designer and Cannon associate Olivia Gebben is especially enamored of the small basement-level lounge spaces tucked among the massive steel columns and beams that support the machinery above. “In these lounges, you can look up and literally touch the buttons and wheels that made the presses tick,” she enthuses.

“It’s hard to overestimate the role that press has in the collective memory of St. Louis,” Crabiel observes, noting that the machinery was clearly visible behind large street-level windows. “People used to come to watch the presses cranking out the paper. Nowadays the use of the building may be different, but you can still see activity in and around the press through those same windows, especially at night.”

The renovation also preserved a spiral staircase, much of Pulitzer’s office, and areas of decorative terrazzo flooring. Otherwise, floors throughout are the original concrete, with all their evolved patina showing. “We just refinished them with a low-grit polish,” Gebben notes. Adaptive reuse is nothing new to Cannon, which operates its St. Louis practice out of a similarly gutted and reinvented 1928 power station. “We’re fortunate to have a lot of that kind of building stock in our city,” Crabiel acknowledges. “And much of it is getting new life.”

The interior program was intentionally kept timeless, both natural and neutral. “We featured exposed concrete and natural oak against a lot of black and white,” Gebben says. “The bright blue printing press is a huge presence, so we didn’t add much color.” Most of the color, in fact, comes from numerous art installations.

“Art is in the DNA of our company,” says Jay Scheinman, Block’s global municipal affairs lead. “Jack Dorsey and Jim McKelvey came up with the idea of Square when Jim couldn’t complete the sale of one of his glass pieces because he didn’t have the ability to take a credit card.” In keeping with this strong connection to art, a contest was run for local artists to come up with pieces reflecting the company’s mission of economic empowerment. The 10 winning entries are now incorporated into the fabric of the building. Third Degree Glass Factory, founded by McKelvey in a reclaimed 1920’s service station, devised a striking ceiling installation—a constellation of suspended vitreous globes—for the third-to-fourth-floor atrium. “The blue color is as close a match to the press as possible,” Crabiel explains. “And the individual handblown ‘bubbles’ are meant to represent ink droplets.”

“So often in design, you look at the physical form and can see the connections between the original building and the renovation,” Crabiel continues. “But sometimes there’s an underlying philosophical connection, too.” Pulitzer believed that providing information enabled readers to make responsible choices. “Block is centered on the same principle,” the architect says, “and we wanted that notion to have a presence in the new iteration of the Post-Dispatch building.”

Cannon­Design: Ken Crabiel; Olivia Gebben, michael bonomo; nicole andreu; kevin zwick; elise novak; enge sun; melissa pirtle; stephen gantner; carmen ruiz cruz; kelsey mack; heather rosen; michelle rotherham; rita radley; brendan smith; jocelyn wildman; alex oliver; alyssa packard; barrett newell

trivers architecture: architect of record

mcclure engineering: MEP

KPFF Consulting Engineers: Structural Engineer

tarlton corp.: general contractor

Andreu World: café tables (all hands)

davis: chairs

ofs: high tables

coalesce: stools

flos: lighting system

plyboo: paneling (all hands, atrium 2)

knollstudio: chairs (game room)

gestalt: side tables (game room, lounge area 1)

kasthall: rugs (lounge areas)

Hay: sofa (lounge area 1), side chairs (terrace)

ecosense: pendant fixture (conference room)

tretford: carpet

herman miller: side chairs (con­ference room), task chairs (office area)

stylex: sofa (lounge area 2)

bernhardt: coffee table (lounge area 2), side tables (atrium 1), ottomans (atrium 2)

modloft: lounge chairs (atrium 1)

mafi: stairs, flooring (atria)

poe: storefront systems

Janus et Cie: tables (terrace)

Paola Lenti: lounge chairs

kettal: side tables, lounger

landscape forms: benches

pair: workstations (office area)

fine mod imports: lounge chairs

de padova: coffee tables

anthropologie: rug

focal point: pendant fixtures

Interface: carpet tile

woodtech: café tables (atrium 2)

Fredericia: side chairs

resident: sofa

vitra: lounge chairs

Ethnicraft: coffee table

vibia: floor lamp

growing green: planters

ppg industries: paint