Speaking of Office Design

Wouldn't it have been fun to design this one?

Amy Wells you have such a cool job.

I went on a tour last year of the new Hill Holiday space Gensler designed in the financial district here in Boston. They showed the before shots, which were from when Hill Holiday was still in the John Hancock Tower, they were 100% Mad Men. It was awesome. Awesome in a I would never want to work there, that is so old, I can't believe people smoked inside, awesome way.

We are just now jumping on the Man Men train via Netflicks. We are a little behind, but totally addicted. Which character do you think you would be if you were a living in a pre-feminist movement NYC? Good night, the way they treated women in the office back then, I wouldn't just be burning my bra, I'd be setting the entire place on fire. Crazy!

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A Dreary Day in Harvard Square + some recent work

I had a meeting today before lunch with a client in the Holyoke Center, which is right in the middle of Harvard Square. After that meeting I walked over to another client's space, in the same building, to take some scouting shots to prepare for a waaaay overdue real photo shoot. Since I had my camera in tow, I thought it would be fun to do a little photo walk around Harvard Square. It was a dreary day, it's actually snowing outside my window right now. But there is something romantic about the occasional gray day in New England.

The infamous Harvard Yard, smelled like manure today...getting ready for spring.

The statue of 3 lies. Does anyone know the 3 lies?

I know you are not supposed to actually touch John Harvard's foot. This sweet kid did not.

He was all over it.

Does anyone recognize this clothing shop?

The exterior appeared in a popular movie about counting cards. The interior is sadly not the wood clad, luxurious space the movie portrayed. See those fluorescent lights? It's so sad when movies are not real.

And here are a few quick shots of the space that I finished last fall for the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.

Keep in mind, these are not staged, no cool, blurry business people walking around, etc.

We'll liven it up with that stuff later.

If you have been to the Holyoke Center you know it is a million years old and was definitely designed from the outside in. But despite the low ceilings and crumbly laminated windows, this group was seriously the nicest, most laid back corporate client I have ever worked with and they seem to love their new space. If I've said it once, I've said it a million times, it may not be shiny for the blogesphere, but corporate design is my first love. Work in an office space that needs a new life? Moving to a new space? Call me.

p.s. Thanks for all the sweet comments in the last post. I need to get 9 months pregnant and wear spandex on the internet more often:) The shoes are from Forever 21, my source for all things maternity or sparkly.

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Diva Lounge

When I worked for the hospitality design firm in Memphis, this image was tacked to the side of my workstation for 2 years.

When I moved to Boston I got a job with a firm in Somerville and discovered that the space that served as an inspiration image for me for so long was located just down the street. My office had our holiday lunch at the Diva Indian Bistro next door and when we were finished eating I ran next door for some design dessert.

Looks like some bar goers loved on the little partition above pre-photo shoot. If I were the designer, that would kill me.

The little dome spaces in the back are the restrooms. 

What I like most about this space is the shoestring budget that in no way, shape, or form limited the level of design.  The architects used skylight domes to achieve the bubbled ceiling look, which are backlit with LEDs. The LEDs probably ate 80% of their budget, but the space would not have made Architectural Record (or my pin up space) without them.

I have yet to go back to Diva at night. Boston is so small and messes up your perception of distance so much, that asking a group of people to go to a bar in Davis Square, a whopping 5 miles from the city center, is like suggesting we all drive to Chicago for the night.


Architect: Hansy Better Barraza and Anthony Piermarini
Source: Architectural Record

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