Mid-century design elements infused in L.A. office conversion provide comfortable work settings
A Mid-Century Modern Office Space Transformation by 22RE Studio
In the heart of Los Angeles, California, the creative agency Day Job now calls a unique and inspiring office space home. The space, designed by the local design and architecture studio 22RE, is a blend of mid-century modern aesthetics and a domestic atmosphere, aimed at fostering creativity and innovation.
The office was once the studio of renowned artist Ed Ruscha, and 22RE aimed to maintain the building's history while elevating the space to a distinctly '22RE space.' To achieve this, they referenced mid-century movements that shaped Los Angeles' design language, including Italian, French, Japanese Modernism, and Soviet modernism.
Influences and Materials
The design reflects a mellow mid-century mood typically found in residential interiors. Warm, natural materials dominate, such as cherry wood, terracotta tiles, carpet, green concrete flooring, stainless steel countertops, and hardware. These are paired with industrial touches, creating a harmonious balance. The exterior of the building is clad in locally sourced Douglas fir and stucco, maintaining a connection to local materiality and the building's history.
Unique Features
A sunken "piazza" serves as a dedicated workspace, featuring custom cherry-wood desks and green leather desk chairs, evoking a residential gathering place. The office layout incorporates living room and dining room settings along with a conference room conceived as a bedroom, reinforcing the home-like feel.
Reconfiguring the original building to enhance spatial flow included adding a wall of pivoting timber-framed doors that open onto a terrace, connecting indoor and outdoor spaces. By peeling back multiple past extensions, 22RE created a cohesive redesign aligned with mid-century design principles for light, natural materials, and functional spaces.
Custom Touches
The circle motif contributes to the office's soft, inviting ambience, appearing in door cut-outs, skylights, and chair backs. Custom door handles, cabinet pulls, and other small pieces were produced by 22RE, ensuring a consistent and cohesive design throughout the space.
Many furnishings in the office were designed in-house by 22RE, including the custom furniture such as desks, dining sets, and a sculptural conference table. The lighting scheme includes designs by Charlotte Perriand, Sophus Frandsen, Motoko Ishii, and contemporary pieces by Anthony Dickens. The kitchen features orange cement tiles and a backsplash by Californian brand Heath Ceramics.
The Ethos of 22RE
22RE enjoys working at the tactile scale and including as many custom and hand-built elements as possible. The studio's ethos emphasizes the importance of custom furniture, as seen in the sunken 'piazza' and the custom-designed furniture throughout the office. Levin, the studio's founder, worked as an artist before setting up his interior design practice in 2021.
In conclusion, 22RE’s office design for Day Job merges mid-century modern residential influences with thoughtful use of natural materials, spatial openness, and creative historic references, crafting a warm, adaptable, and uniquely Californian work environment.
