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L'Oréal West Coast HQ

Challenge

Our workplace solutions for L'Oreal’s new west coast HQ needed to be as visually stunning as their fresh eyeshadow kits *and* up to the spatial challenge of the impressive yet unconventional building—a former airplane hanger. The architects at Studio Blitz needed flexibility in finishes and materials paired with innovative engineering to create desk clusters in organic shapes. The private and executive offices also had to have their own beauty touches.

Solution

We took off with our Swing system as the base for open office workstations and added custom colors to the mix, like a pop of blush or a bold eyeshadow. To create organic shapes we hacked Swing system as a base to build star-shaped desk clusters. In total, we designed and built 35 different desk clusters in seven colorways, plus work surfaces and storage for 17 private and executive offices. And even with all this complexity, the final install went off without a hitch—not a single part was missing or needed replacement.

PRODUCTS FEATURED: BELAY, Swing, CAPE, SIMPLE BEAM, TUCK, COIL, SALTINe, PLUS CUSTOM DESKS AND STORAGE FOR PRIVATE OFFICES, AS WELL AS CUSTOM INDIVIDUAL AND COLLABORATIVE TABLES

LOCATION: EL SEGUNDO, CA

DESIGN BY BLITZ

PHOTO CREDITS: JASON O’REAR

Makeover magic

Read on to see how we hacked Swing and added personalized touches for a saturated workspace to match the colorful products from L'Oréal

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Gather material inspiration

The project’s interior architecture firm, Studio Blitz, drew inspiration from the landscapes of Los Angeles. They provided us with saturated texture-rich palettes perfectly fitting for a forward-thinking international makeup brand.

**Visualize color and finish pairings**

Collaborating closely with Studio Blitz, we translated their mood boards into a makeup bag of options—lipstick pinks, eyeshadow blues, and a blush peach—for Swing beams power and data beams, acoustic panels, and accompanying height-adjustable Belay desks.

Defining the final palette

The final workstation finish palette included pops of blues, purples, pinks, and greens paired with neutral grey laminate or birch plywood tops.

Specialized hybrid work zones

Building off Studio Blitz’s design vision for non-linear workspaces we engineered dogbone-shaped desk clusters. To accommodate this organic shape we hacked our Swing system, bringing tackable panels and power to each desk.
The four darker gray desks on each end were designed to be multipurpose—for hybrid workers when needed or as collaborative shared tables when the office headcount goes down.

Fill smaller spaces

Not all work zones had space for the large dogbone desk clusters. For smaller areas, we created a star-shaped cluster. And for the tightest of spaces, our classic linear 6-pack of desks fit the bill.

Problem solving for architectural elements

Outfitting a former airplane hanger with desks for a modern office came with more than a few challenges. Because of its height, we could not use Swing as a power and data source in places with structural cross beams. Instead of dismissing these areas as unusable, we leveraged our Simple Beam with special electrical connections to supply power while molding seamlessly to the architecture.

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Design custom furniture for executive offices

We supported colorful, pattern-rich executive offices with custom two-tone credenzas, modular wall shelves, and boomerang desks with zones for working or collaborating, complete with color-matched legs.

Practice makes perfect

Moving beyond computer visualizations, we built a full-scale prototype of our modified Swing system. We engineered the Swing to have a vertical, rather than the standard tapered, frame, to accommodate the unique bow tie configuration. By producing this first article we ensured every part that left the factory was flawless.

Seamless installation

After manufacturing nearly 200 workstations and accompanying offices in seven color stories, we were on site to ensure the early installation happened as designed and delighted the end-user.