Not All Corporate Offices Are Boring

I thought this small company in San Ramon was very innovative in their desire to provide a real lounge their employees could relax in, watch TV, eat or have meetings. I've heard they've even had a few Wii game-offs.

How did I do it? Here are five basic steps that anyone could follow.

1) Define Style: Cozy, comfortable, clean lined, interesting, appealing to employees and durable materials.

2) Floor Plan & Budget: What did they need? Dining area, TV, sitting area & some outdoor seating. I created a couple layouts with furniture options, which helps determine scale and size of each piece. As well, a budget was in order. Honestly a budget helps the client take a realistic look at their needs, priorities and plan of action.

3) Select Furniture: These dining room chairs were my first find at a Palecek sample sale at the Palecek warehouse in Richmond. The texture and color of the rattan chairs combined with the golden leather end-chairs set the direction for my color palette. Combining different dining chairs gave a homey, eclectic feel to an office environment. From there I kept the wood tones similiar to keep a unified feel, repeated the leather in a dark leather sofa, and softened the seating area with cozy chair. Take note that the flat screen TV could have been hung on the wall; however, I chose a media console which anchors the TV and prevents the TV from "floating" on the wall. Plus the TV console actually balances the dining table.

4) Create Color Palette: This picture captures the essence of the color palette. Dark woods, soothing blues, golds and greens with pops of aqua blue, plus texture from the rug, pillows & dining chairs. As well notice, how I pulled the gold from the leather dining chair into this side of the room in the art and vases. It's all about creating balance.

5) Accessories & Art: Accessories and art are the last layer that finishes a room. It was important (especially since this was an office environment) to include little touches to create a feeling of comfort & coziness. This was achieved by incorporating throw pillows, vases, magazines and natural elements such as orchids on the dining room. As well, this last layer allows for a balance of color throughout the room.

Do you know what's missing? What's missing is lighting. If I had my preference I would have added a chandelier of sorts over the dining room table and a table and floor lamp. Lighting is an often over looked opportunity to add... light! Surprisingly homes are often missing basic lighting. However, in this case there is plenty of natural light with a whole wall of windows and plenty of florescent light. So even though we didn't add it here light fixtures can balance and create scale to a room as well as incorporate accessories & sculptural elements.

This was a fun project! It worked in an office but it would just as easily fit into someone's home.