23-009 Building 49
A repeat client approached our team with a vision for a commercial space in the heart of downtown Palo Alto – a boutique co-working office environment for her peers in the venture capital community. As a firm focused on supporting early-stage, AI-native startups, she wanted the space to reflect the same spirit of innovation: open, collaborative, flexible, and inspiring.
The refreshed design welcomes collaboration while still providing flexibility to work in private, quiet spaces. The ground floor features a welcoming lobby and an open break area designed to energize the space and encourage collaboration. Positioned at street level, it creates a connection to the neighborhood, drawing interest from passersby. A large flex space anchors the floor, serving as a dynamic hub where visitors can drop in to work in a café-like setting or gather for events, seminars, and presentations. The second floor offers a balance of private offices, conference rooms, and open-office layouts. A long library-style table at the front reinforces the informal, collaborative spirit of the space—perfect for laptop work or impromptu meetings.
Materiality
The palette emphasizes richness and warmth through texture, warm hues, and muted dark accents. While tonal in character, it achieves variety through simple yet beautiful materials that feel crafted and timeless. Hardwood floors and custom decorative lighting add a layer of refinement. In sourcing materials, fixtures, and furnishings, our team prioritized sustainability. All furniture in the renewed office space is either sourced locally or is a certified Declare Label product.
Exterior Facade
Before the transformation, the existing building housed standard office spaces, which lacked a sense of openness and desperately needed an update. Its exterior was equally unremarkable, clad in dated pink stone, a far cry from blending into one of Palo Alto’s busiest streets.
Our design refreshes the front facade - a dark bronze paneling wraps the storefront and entry, creating a clear visual hierarchy and wayfinding. The warm, textured material contrasts with the lighter tones of the upper levels, adding depth and character. Above, brick was introduced as the primary façade material to replace the pink stone.
