Athena Calderone practices what she podcasts. Back in 2020, the EyeSwoon founder offered up a sage piece of advice on Domino’s Design Time: “I would say to anyone who is about to start a renovation, they should really understand the light.” True to form, four years later, while touring Brooklyn’s Industry City warehouse complex for a future office space, Calderone’s top request centered on that very thing. “I know that a lot of people say that for photography, northern light is really important,” she says, “but I love harsh shadows and dramatic light, so I knew I wanted a southern-facing space.”

At 1,200 square feet, the winner was slightly larger than Calderone had initially envisioned, but it had a wall of windows facing the right direction and would allow the multihyphenate to carve out zones for the many sides of her business, from product development to interior design. Sold! Or, we should say, leased. It’s a rental, so Calderone would have to get creative to make the concrete ceiling, exposed pipes, and bright white walls work without any permanent changes. “The home is at the crux of everything I do; I wanted the space to feel homey,” she explains. Here’s how she did it.

Curtains as Walls

The office was a true blank canvas—one big, empty space. At first, Calderone explored building walls to create a spot for storing product samples, but she couldn’t justify the steep cost when she knew her team wouldn’t be there forever. Thinking outside of the drywalled box—“I wholeheartedly believe that sometimes financial constraints can force you to become more creative,” she says—Calderone turned to drapery. A lot of it. 

Creamy ripple-fold curtains from the Shade Store stretch from wall to wall and floor to 15-foot ceiling along a simple track. “They not only add a softness to the space, but that undulation offers a little bit of elegance,” Calderone notes. Not to mention, she can take them with her when they eventually move out.

Dual-Purpose Desks

Who says your desk has to be a desk at all? Instead, Calderone brought in her since-sold-out travertine console tables, part of her Crate & Barrel furniture and decor collection. She purposefully designed them to be a height of just under 29 inches so they can flex as shallow workstations in smaller spaces. It’s the same but different with Calderone’s own desk; it’s actually a vintage Angelo Mangiarotti dining table that used to live in her townhouse.

Vintage to Warm Things Up

“Everything felt so bright and so new and so slick that I really felt like a few vintage pieces would offset that and give some visual intrigue,” Calderone explains. In just one corner, a bronze candlestick, a floor lamp, a barrel chair, stools, and a wood screen at her desk are all antiques discovered at auctions and flea markets. “Found pieces are imbued with somebody else’s energy that you’re bringing into the space,” she says. “I love to think about where that piece’s story came from and how I am carrying on its legacy. It’s an emotive part of bringing in vintage.”

Balancing Big Box With Artisanal 

“One of the things that I’m always trying to teeter-totter in my designs is doing things that are aesthetically attractive at an accessible price point, but also things that have the touch of the hand and an artisan, bespoke feel,” says Calderone. Blackened steel task lamps with porcelain shades, a discovery at the Salone del Mobile design fair in Milan last year, fall into the latter camp, as do a wiggly clay sconce, a collaboration between Calderone and Simone Bodmer-Turner, and a plaster pedestal.

Playing With Scale

All that towering drapery needed a counterpart on the other side of the room. Calderone put on her DIY hat and picked up three 8-foot-tall Homasote pinboards from the hardware store to serve as vertical mood boards. A few yards of neutral linen fabric and a staple gun later, they were ready for collecting inspiration, building color stories, and finding common themes.

But Calderone was wary of everything being big, big, big. Inspired by historic homes, she chose a small vintage artwork to hang above the oval table with some simple twine. “It’s so much more interesting to offset art or play with a really diminutive scale,” she notes.

Earthy Color (Just a Little Bit)

“For so long I was anti-color,” admits Calderone. When she swapped a cream sofa for her sage green Crate & Barrel design in the office’s living area, she instantly thought, Oh gosh, it’s too much. “There was this inner struggle. My neutral self versus my colorful self,” she says with a laugh. But now, looking back, she sees clearly that it was the right choice. “When you do anything new that’s stepping outside of your comfort zone, it’s going to take you a moment to adapt to it,” she says. “Allow yourself the freedom to not be okay when you first make a change.”

Steal Calderone’s On-the-Clock Style

• Most budget-friendly find: The wood plinth to the right of the sofa that’s really weathered and mucked up. Someone on my team was like, “You want me to move that, right?” And I was like, “No!” It was a side-of-the-street find. 
• Biggest splurge that was totally worth it: The tripod lamps by Andrew Pierce Scott and Natalia Triantafylli. They have a really beautiful glow.
• What I turn to for inspiration when I’m stuck: I’ve been stepping away from my computer and opening up books. There’s something to sitting down on the sofa, opening a book, and just looking through it. You just don’t know what you’re going to find and how it’s going to shift your direction.
• My secret to keeping the office organized: Curtains so that you can hide your mess! If you saw behind them, you’d be scared.

The post How Athena Calderone Managed to Make a Bare Industrial Warehouse Feel Homey appeared first on domino.

At this year’s Salone del Mobile in Milan, IKEA made two big announcements: One, it’s bringing back two iconic furniture pieces from the vault. And two, this September, the Swedish superstore is launching a whole new collection, Brӓnnboll, which is technically made for gamers but we like one product so much we can see tons of alternate uses.

The line’s gaming station cabinet is technically for storing a wide computer screen (it fits one up to 27 inches and there’s space for a PC tower, too), but it’s also an ideal desk for those of us who work from home. “We saw some DIY versions of this, where people would game in closets,” says Philip Dilé, product design developer at IKEA. “But there was always a chair standing awkwardly to the side.” So they solved the problem: The cabinet doors easily open and close, and the desktop folds up so you can fit your chair inside, too. If you’re a messy desk person, rejoice! You can easily conceal your clutter the second the day ends.

But there’s more to love—mainly the felt panels, which absorb sound during video calls and podcast recordings (genius!). Plus you can use them to hang important documents or, much like a high school locker, pictures of your loved ones.

When it’s closed, the whole cabinet takes up only 40 inches across and is about 80 inches high (depth is around 29 inches). That means it’s a compact way to work from home without anyone ever realizing it.

The post IKEA’s Newest Launch Conceals an Entire Home Office in an Instant appeared first on domino.

Reading up on Domino’s shopping guides is like having your own personal product concierge. We do the tedious part—deep-dive research, hands-on testing, and tapping experts for advice—so all you have to do is hit “add to cart.” That’s why we call them Simply the Best.

Working from home comes with many pros and cons. Pro: You can get from your bed to your desk in under five minutes (or less if your bed is your desk). Con: Maybe you’ve been making do with a shoddy workspace and your posture is suffering. 

The journey to a better home office starts with a more supportive seat. Whether you are ready to move off the couch or committed to converting that weird nook from a cocktail control center to a laptop landing pad, make it official with one of the best desk chairs. A balance of form and function, our 20 favorites look and feel good, primed for remote workstation resets. We’ve organized them below by price, with brands ranging from Target to Herman Miller, and we promise not one looks as if we sourced it from your brother’s gaming room. 

Our Favorites

• Best under $300: Amazon Armless Desk Chair by Emiah
• Best under $500: Branch Verve Desk Chair
• Best under $1,000: Rejuvenation Dexter Swivel Chair
• Best under $2,000: Cosm Chair by Herman Miller

Best Desk Chairs Under $300 

If you’re not into the corporate look, designer Sean Leffers is a firm believer that dining chairs are just as comfortable as office chairs but easier on the eyes, especially if your desk happens to be in your living room or bedroom. And our home editor, Lydia Geisel, couldn’t agree more. If you’re on a budget or tight on space and just need somewhere comfy to sit from 9 to 5, all you need is a cushioned seat or one with a high back. And to take up less visual (and physical) clutter, Geisel’s advice is to go armless. From a slipcovered sweetie to a few traditional-looking swivels—including the TikTok viral Amazon number—our budget-friendly gems hold their own among the fancier options on our list. 

Armless Desk Chair by Emiah, Amazon ($217 was $229)

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Canvas Slipcover Dining Chair, Target ($200)

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Orren Ellis Faux Leather Task Chair, Wayfair ($67 was $70)

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Svelti Office Chair, Article ($89)

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Modern Slope Office Chair, West Elm ($299)

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Decade Chair, Blu Dot ($140)

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Best Desk Chairs Under $500 

“You spend half your life in bed, but your office chair likely comes in second,” Allison Petty, design director at Hyphen Co., stresses. While her preferred pick, the Eames Group chair, is more in the realm of dream-desk-chair territory, we took the reasoning as to why she loves the classic (it’s “comfortable, attractive, and built to last,” she says) to heart when searching for more affordable options out there.

Dexter Swivel Office Chair, Rejuvenation ($449)

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Mid Century Modern Brown Wood Office Chair, Kathy Kuo Home ($390 was $599)

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Jagger Desk Chair, Arhaus ($399 was $999)

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Rhea Swivel Chair, Urban Outfitters ($499)

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Soft Edge 60 Side Chair, Hay ($356 was $445)

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PatioMage Ergonomic Mesh Office Chair with Footrests, Amazon ($399)

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Best Desk Chairs Under $1,000 

The more ergonomic adjustments there are—a substantial height range, reclining positions, movable armrests—the more expensive a desk chair can run. But if you suffer from back or neck pain, the below favorites are a worthy investment. Our favorite in this group, Branch’s award-winning Verve chair, comes in four additional fun finishes beyond the basic black—but that’s the hue that clocks in under $500. Going with a trendier coral or mint pushes the price just a hair over that amount, but the upgrade is worth it for a statement, especially if the goal is delineating your workspace. 

As is true for a few of our top picks, materials factor in, too. Think: a burl-wood back, brass-capped natural rattan—with a slipcovered, tailored cushion and upholstery of linen and cotton. Or as other interior designers have let on, go for a no-waste option by searching Chairish for preowned, preloved vintage items, like the Marcel Breuer chairs you can find at the co–working spaces.  

Verve Desk Chair, Branch ($599)

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Rickards Office Chair, Lulu and Georgia

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Renato Chenille and Burl Wood Office Chair, CB2 ($999)

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Balboa Rattan Armchair, Serena & Lily ($628 was $828)

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Vintage Marcel Breuer B34 Style Accent Chair, Chairish ($650)

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Mezza Charcoal Boucle Office Chair, CB2 ($559 was $699)

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The Best Desk Chairs Under $2,000 

Dipping into serious splurge territory means one of the following: full customization, exclusive styles, or iconic designs (like the Saarinen Tulip chair, seen above). Investing in a Humanscale Path, for instance, is like creating a bespoke chair—you can choose everything between fixed and adjustable arms; four different frame finishes; 40-plus fabrics; and different types of wheels. This version of Emeco’s 1940s Navy chair got a modern upgrade from British textile designer Jasper Morrison. And ergonomics play as much a part as design at Herman Miller, which appears twice on our favorites list. As one reviewer of the Cosm writes, “My back thanks me every time I spend too much time on the computer.”

Cosm Chair by Herman Miller, DWR ($1,310)

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Exclusive Emerald Navy Officer Swivel Armchair, Emeco ($1,985)

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Asari Chair, Herman Miller ($1,695)

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Humanscale Path Upholstered Swivel Desk Chair, Pottery Barn ($1,285)

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Our Shopping Checklist

Seat Height and Depth

We like to think a well-designed WFH space is not complete without a chair that looks good from every angle. But before exploring color options or innovative mechanisms, first pay close attention to the size of your desk, which will typically run 30 inches tall. The ideal seat height, width, and depth should provide ample support, leave enough room underneath your workstation (no bruised knees), and enable your elbows to rest evenly with your keyboard. Test it out by popping a squat—while your back is pressed up against the backrest, your feet should be flush with the floor. 

Armrests and Adjustability

If you’re always typing away, you’ll likely prefer an office chair with armrests to give your wrists a much-deserved break. But if space is tight and your desk is small, a slim, armless silhouette will likely be a better fit. “I think armrests are a personal choice,” says Petty. “I don’t require them, and they do make sliding the chair under a desk a little easier.” 

According to Petty, the secret to a sweet seat is adjustability. Most furniture designed for sitting takes a one-size-fits-all approach, but task chairs are unique in that they often feature built-in ergonomics. Petty suggests selecting a chair that can be easily altered to best fit the proportions of your body. Bonus points if it swivels and leans back—keep an eye out for multiple levers.  

Material

Ultimately the best desk chairs prioritize functionality, but by no means do they have to look as drab as that sounds. Avoid the round-the-clock corporate day job look by picking a bright hue—our finds, below, offer a wide range of colorways—or a playful pattern. No matter your preference, Petty says it has to be upholstered. The most popular options include fabric, vinyl, plastic, mesh, and—Petty’s favorite—leather for a luxe look. “Don’t even consider a nonupholstered option,” she stresses. “The extra cushion is going to make the biggest difference when you have to sit all day long.” 

Pro Tips for Styling Desk Chairs

• If the adjustability factor isn’t worth the splurge, MacGyver a pouf into a footrest or a pillow into a booster seat; Gorra’s trick is to reach for a sheepskin, which she says will “lend a little more cushion for all those Zoom calls.” 
• Avoid clashing colors (saturated hues work well with natural woods or neutral whites) and try mixing styles (pair a sculptural mid-century modern thrift with a traditional or industrial table).
• Don’t forget to surround yourself with items that spark a smile, whether it’s adding extra light from a task lamp (like a clip-on cutie our style editor, Julia Stevens, can’t recommend enough) or pasting together a mood board to keep the creative juices flowing.

The Last Word

The best desk chair for you is, well, all up to you—your taste, working style, location, and needs. Let’s say you’re short; a seat with an adjustable height is paramount. Or maybe you’re someone who sends a few emails from bed before bopping back and forth between your desk and couch; having a $2,000-plus Herman Miller original likely isn’t warranted. If you’re tight on space and only have so much room, then we’d opt for a slimmer, armless design. The last thing you want, as designer Meghan Hopp has told us in the past, is to have something big and bulky get in your way. And while some may be into that vibe, we love task chairs that can masquerade as something else or literally are something else—like a slipcovered dining chair.

The post Perfect the Art of Working From Home With the Best Desk Chairs appeared first on domino.

Our philosophy is that if your WFH desk is beautiful, the work you create will likely be, too (even if that just means a slightly more elegant spreadsheet). One of the fastest, simplest ways to make your area more stylish is by simply upgrading your desk lamp. Proper task lighting gives you the ability to work whenever inspiration strikes and will be a statement piece. But if the idea of online shopping for your office makes you yawn, we’ve got you: These are the 22 best desk lamps across a spectrum of styles and price points. With these pieces, you won’t need to burn the candle at both ends—or be left in the dark.

Adjustable Desk Lamps

With just a little rotation, many of these utilitarian picks can shift from a spotlight on your keyboard to an ambient upward glow. They bring a scholastic vibe that, in our opinion, encourages wildly productive work sessions. And if your lengthy to-do list gets you down, the rainbow colors of Anglepoise’s mini desk lamp are guaranteed to boost your spirits. 

Isaac Desk Lamp, Schoolhouse ($399)

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Type 75 Mini Desk Lamp by Anglepoise, DWR ($296 was $370)

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Metal Architect Lamp, Amazon ($58)

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Pete Table Lamp, West Elm ($229)

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Wiatt Task Lamp, Urban Outfitters ($129)

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Black Chappel Adjustable Metal Desk Lamp, Wayfair ($113)

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Nontraditional Desk Lamps

If adjustable task lamps are the most standard style, then consider these the complete opposite. From a powder-coated steel sheet base inspired by Luis Barragán Morfin’s architecture to oversize dimmable bulbs, they’re ideal for those seeking something a little more unconventional. 

LBM Table Lamp, HAY ($156 was $195)

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Pixi Rose Metal Swivel Table Lamp, Crate & Barrel ($50 was $129)

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Control Table Lamp by Muuto, 2Modern ($285)

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White & Green Portable JWDA Table Lamp by Menu, Ssense ($230)

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Modern Mushroom Desk Lamps

The ’70s are inarguably in vogue, and no article channels the groovy decade like a mushroom lamp. Offering a more even glow than your typical task lamp, these can move around your home as you redecorate, topping everything from a nightstand to a console. We’re especially crushing on &Tradition’s flowerpot design; the rare pale sand hue borders on butter yellow.  

Bellhop Portable LED Table Lamp by Flos, DWR ($350)

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Rivah Portable Table Lamp, Urban Outfitters ($179)

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Flowerpot VP3 Table Lamp by Verner Panton for &Tradition, Lumens ($790)

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Oslo Gray Table Lamp, Article ($129)

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Multifunctional Desk Lamps

Desk lamps can help you see the task at hand, but that’s just the start of what these offer. IKEA’s doubles as a Sonos speaker, Lulu and Georgia’s has a USB outlet, and Crate & Barrel’s and DWR’s are charging pads. Warning: These might ruin all other table lamps for you. 

Symfonisk Speaker Lamp w Wi-Fi, IKEA ($250)

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Noam USB Desk Lamp, Lulu & Georgia ($898)

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Talia Task Lamp by Pablo, DWR ($210)

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Rolph Wireless Charging Metal Task Lamp, Crate & Barrel ($99 was $249)

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Super-Natural Desk Lamps

Some metal desk lamps can feel a little cold, but these are sure to bring a heavy dose of warmth (not to mention coastal grandma) to your workspace. Wicker shades also happen to diffuse the light beautifully, making for a moody glow. 

Brookings Table Lamp, Serena & Lily ($498)

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Liz Rattan Task Lamp, Anthropologie ($248)

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Nanina Desk Table Lamp, Lulu & Georgia ($328)

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Marion Woven Table Lamp, Pottery Barn ($199)

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Pro Tips for Styling a New Desk Lamp

• Accessorize with art: A poster or painting hung above your desk will help balance the height of your lamp and provide a nonscreen visual for your eyes to rest on.
• Mix and match: Consider the material or color of your lamp and make sure there’s at least one other item on your desk that mirrors it, like an aluminum light paired with a metal pencil cup.
• Know your angles: Place your lamp opposite your writing hand so you won’t cast a shadow across your work.

Our Shopping Checklist

Brightness and Wattage

When it comes to lighting, you really just need to know the difference between watts and lumens. The higher the number of lumens, the brighter the light. The higher the wattage, the more power the bulb uses. Look for energy-efficient LEDs or CFL (compact fluorescent) bulbs, which use low wattage while giving off high lumens, ideal for a well-lit desktop area. 

Design

Trends may come and go, but when choosing a light, “it’s important to have a beautiful object you’ll like for many years and one that can serve multiple needs,” says Line Borella of Danish design studio Hay. Don’t just picture how this lamp will look on your current desk; also envision how it will grow with you and fit into your next space. And make sure the lamp of your dreams also functions the way you need it to. A simple way to assess this is to consider the two main parts of a lamp: the body and the shade. A stationary body can look more elegant, while an adjustable body provides more range and flexibility. If the shade is opaque, it will provide focused, downward light to a consistent area, while a translucent shade (either fabric or frosted glass) will cast diffused light in all directions.

Smart Compatibility

It turns out you don’t have to be a tech wiz or electrician to outfit your home with smart lighting; just add a smart plug or smart bulb. Connect your light to a smart plug (which fits in any standard outlet) and you can control your lamp from your smartphone with an app like Apple HomeKit or via another connected device like Amazon Alexa or Google Home. You’ll be able to turn lights on and off no matter what room you’re in or even put your lights on a timer when you’re not around. Want to have some fun and be able to change the color of your light? Pick up a smart bulb and you’ll have a rainbow of hues to choose from based on the time of day and the mood you’re in.

How We Vetted These Products

Every product in a Domino guide meets these criteria:

1. They blend form and function. We believe the best-designed products reflect your personal style and are a joy to use.
2. They’re expert approved. In addition to our team of editors, we tap a range of designers, makers, renovators, and all-around knowledgeable people to share their intel.
3. They’re endorsed by people who actually own them. We pay close attention to real reviews from both our creative community and third-party websites to know that they pass the test IRL.

The post 22 Desk Lamps That Might Actually Get You Excited to Work appeared first on domino.

The end of August signifies the swan song of out-of-office messages and Summer Fridays. Work Week is our one-stop-shopping cluster dedicated to feeling good about getting back into a routine—whether that’s working from home, the office, or a classroom. We’ve got the snazzy task lamps, new desks, and sharp organization tools to help.

Life as a digital nomad doesn’t always mean jetting off to places that’ll make your coworkers jealous. In my case, it simply means moving from room to room in my one-bedroom apartment. Even in my pre-pandemic office days, my colleagues might find me checking emails from the lobby sofa, writing in the conference room alone after lunch, or brainstorming anywhere outside as far as the Wi-Fi could reach. And ever since working from home became my life, I’ve still refused to sit at a desk. Until recently. 

Herman Miller’s Passport worktable is a new sit-to-stand workspace made for fidgety WFH-ers like me. Two compact sizes (the bigger one is barely over 2 feet at 27-by-20 inches), three tabletop finishes, and six base colors give you more than 40 combos to choose from, and casters make it easy to move to any room. I opted for the large (plenty of space for my ever-present coffee, a glass of water, and a snack within reach of my MacBook), with the top in ash and painted metal base in a rusty shade of orange called canyon. The small one doesn’t come with casters, so that was a no for me—I obviously need to be mobile.

Passport Work Table, Herman Miller ($600)

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Aside from giving me the freedom to roam, the best part about this workstation is that it moonlights as other furniture pieces when it’s not acting as a desk. Here’s how a typical day looks with me and my table on the move. 

8:30 a.m.

I start seated, with my desk next to the sofa, and stack a few cushions behind me to get extra-comfy. This is where I check emails, get organized for the day, and do any kind of focus work. 

1 p.m.

After lunch, it’s time to stand up. I slide my setup over to the living room window for a change in scenery (there’s better light for my afternoon Zoom calls, too). A squeeze of a lever under the table’s surface brings the whole thing up to standing height—it’s pneumatic, so there’s never a need to be anchored near an outlet.

5 p.m.

As I start wrapping up my day, the table ends up in the kitchen with me to prep for happy hour with friends. I don’t have a formal dining room, so when I’m entertaining, I load up the Passport in the kitchen with charcuterie or cocktail glasses and carafes and cart it back into the living area, where guests are piled on the sectional. On a more chill night, it’s my version of a chic TV tray for solo dinners while I catch up on my shows.  

8 p.m.

I have trust issues with bath boards, so instead of testing gravity over a body of water, I bring a few essentials (usually a glass of wine, my laptop, a sugar scrub, and a candle) to the table. Another squeeze of the lever, and I push the top down to its lowest position and slide it next to the tub for a wind-down session. A few sips of a Cab Sauv and an episode of Succession count as self-care, right?

For hybrid workers or a restless rising Sagittarius like myself, the Passport is the perfect piece for those who don’t want to eat up square footage with a more permanent WFH situation. With a range from $600 to $1,020, it is pricey for its size, but as a multitasking item from a name like Herman Miller, this investment will work overtime to pay its dues.

The post The Herman Miller Passport Worktable Moonlights as a Bar Cart and Bath Tray appeared first on domino.

Creating a home office doesn’t need to be hard work. Whether you have a dedicated room or only a corner of your kitchen, all you really need is a spark of inspiration and a trip to IKEA to easily transform your WFH space into a productive haven. Need proof? We found five projects that make use of the Swedish retailer to craft stylish places. From easy spray-paint jobs to more advanced wall customizations, these IKEA desk hacks deserve a promotion.

For a Standing Option

Before staying at home full-time became her reality, Brittni Mehlhoff, the DIYer and blogger behind Paper & Stitch, was already on top of the standing-at-home-desk trend. In her toolkit? Two trusty Ivar cabinets and a sturdy pine board. The cabinets provide the perfect stash for all her art supplies, necessary now that both she and her husband share the workspace.

For an Artsy Workspace 

The inexpensive and endlessly versatile Lack collection strikes again. In this IKEA-approved case, the retailer transformed a shelf into a sleek desk by setting the piece on a leg frame. Add a mismatched leg to the other side or stack up old books and pile on your standard slew of desktop accessories to achieve the ultimate home office.

For an Office That Floats

This DIY desk transformation from The Crafted Life is ideal for spaces lacking in floor space. Use Granhult brackets to piece together customizable shelving, and paint in the color of your choice to add personality. Books, potted plants, and artsy frames bring extra flair. 

For a Dresser-Turned-Desk 

If your files are constantly overflowing the drawers of your traditional desk, it’s time to think outside the box. That’s what Emily Lex of Jones Design Company did, using three Hemnes dressers and a wood countertop to make one massive workspace in her garage. Take it a step further with custom pulls or knobs to make it more you. 

For Lots of Space and Storage

Hemnes 3-Drawer Dresser, IKEA ($269)

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Linnmon Tabletop, IKEA ($25)

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Lack Wall Shelf, IKEA ($25)

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Skädis Pegboard, IKEA ($29)

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The post 5 Hardworking IKEA Desk Hacks for Your Home Office appeared first on domino.

The post Kellie Brown’s Guest Room Was Made for Creative Hangs, Down to the Dual-Purpose Daybed appeared first on domino.

A deep believer in the magical healing powers of aesthetics, color, and sound (and something of a shaman), Ivy Ross is not your typical tech executive. But her spiritual approach is not some woo-woo fantasy either. From her office at Google’s Design Lab in Mountain View, California, the company’s cool-headed vice president of hardware design means business. 

There, she steers her team of 150 in making some of today’s most standout gadgets, from phones to smart speakers. Since first unveiling its line of hardware in the fall of 2016, Google has quickly gained a reputation for creating soft, simple, and remarkably attractive products that sensitively combine color (often pastel-y, some that pop), material (most notably textiles), and form (nature inspired) to surprisingly pleasurable effect. 

Forget shiny, hard black boxes. Ross and her colleagues make playful pieces intended to fit into their surroundings (or, in the case of the Pixel phone, our lives). We stopped by the 70,000-square-foot studio to find out how, in a relatively short period of time, they’ve crafted such a strong signature look.

In 2015, when Google was forming its in-house hardware unit, about 25 staffers—including Ross and Isabelle Olsson, now director of design for home, wearables, and color—decamped for an off-site brainstorming retreat. Their goal? To clearly and succinctly define the Google hardware aesthetic. 

Ultimately, the team arrived at three words: human, optimistic, and bold. Ross, who began her career as a jewelry artist before working in marketing and development roles at companies including Calvin Klein, Mattel, and Gap, understood the essentialness of the exercise. “Before you attempt something like this,” she says, referring to creating a line of products for a global brand from scratch, “there has to be a shared vision and connectivity. Especially when you let people loose to work in a variety of categories. We tried to really give a way to embody what we were talking about.”

That logic is clear as soon as you step inside the team’s new HQ, a light and airy two-story sanctuary that they moved into in 2018. Organized into labs—including one for color and another for materials—the space encapsulates the Ross ethos: warm, welcoming, open. “People forget technology can be cozy,” says Philip Battin, head of special projects. “Our building doesn’t feel like a hospital, it feels like a home in some way.” 

What’s the trending shade of 2020?
“Blue is very appealing right now. Unconsciously, it’s a calming color when things are chaotic,” explains Ross, adding that may also be because there’s “a lot of talk around sustainability and oceans.” On the whole, Google’s palettes have been ahead of the curve. Take coral, which the company used in its first Home Mini (released in fall 2017) and was later named Pantone’s 2019 color of the year (this year’s Pantone pick is classic blue). Likewise, inspirations at the materials lab come from beyond the tech world. “What’s going on in furniture and shoes and things like that,” says Battin of their interdisciplinary approach. “It gets really exciting, because that can help push the aesthetics of what we do.”

The design steers clear of the cubicle culture found in many other Google offices and instead features soothing colors and birchwood accents, living room–like lounges decorated with Muuto and Knoll, tinted glass partitions that let in lots of natural light, open-plan desks, and a library filled with employees’ favorite books—the kind of personal touches uncommon in a large corporation. Marguerite Bergman, [the former] head of packing design, adds that the office sparks creativity: “Everything is visible—nothing is locked up. We’re very transparent in how we share our work.” (Because so many top-secret concepts are out in the open, the building is under extremely tight security.)

While the innovative use of textiles in Google’s products no doubt serves an essential role in helping things stand out (the material lab is home to more than 1,000 swatches), the company’s subtle but idiosyncratic color choices have proven especially central. Olsson says that questions like “How do we harmonize?” have been key to their process. “But also: ‘How do we pop?’ We always want an expressive option.” 

Whether it’s a purplish Pixel 3A smartphone, a coral Google Nest Mini, or a wasabi-hued button on the Stadia controller, Google’s often-adventurous palette makes refreshingly out-of-the-norm statements. Going bold was also a way to capture attention—an important factor, according to Ross, because “we were late to the game in terms of electronics.” Max Yoshimoto, [the former] director of consumer hardware industrial design, elaborates: “When we started to look at color accents and pops, it clearly became a thing for us that was unique. Nobody else was really doing it.”

Still, that direction was a departure from the expected: In a twist, the hardware colorways—such as aqua, chalk, charcoal, sand, and sky—are in no way an extension of Google’s primary-hued logo. “A lot of people ask, ‘Why are the products not red, blue, green, and yellow?’” says Olsson. For Ross and Olsson, it was important to stay rooted in the brand’s DNA without being too literal and create a wholly distinctive palette. 

Their approach seems to be working. The company’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, was using the Pixel phone in public soon after it launched when someone came up to him, not knowing who Pichai was, and asked, “Is that the new Google phone?” They had recognized the device’s bright orange button on the back. Essentially, the team’s color development is “a reflection of what society is feeling at the time,” says Ross. “We really believe that we can convey optimism.” 

With a background in fashion and psychology (she minored in the latter at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology), Ross is constantly looking for cultural cues about what’s new, next, and fresh: “I find it fascinating that if you track when certain colors come into popularity, it relates to what’s going on in the world and what people might be unconsciously craving.” This mindset continues to push Ross and her team to produce products that surprise and delight. Largely via color and tactility, Google’s devices encourage users to engage with them—much like the Design Lab spaces. “Our design principles and aesthetic, in part, enliven the senses,” shares Ross. “You could say it’s neuroaesthetic. It makes us all feel alive.”

This story was originally published in our Spring 2020 issue with the headline “Color Code.”

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Interior designer Sidika Owen d’Hauteville could walk into a Victorian-era house in central London with her eyes closed and move around the space with ease—almost all of them have the same layout. “I once read a statistic that more than half the homes in London are Victorian,” says d’Hauteville. On the main level, she expects to find a long, double reception room that stretches the depth of the house. Typically, people designate the area toward the front of the home as the living area, while the rear space goes underused (some families might turn it into a second dining room; others, a kids-only TV space). But when a family of five living in the northwest neighborhood of Little Venice asked d’Hauteville to completely renovate their Victorian house, the designer decided to break with the status quo. 

“My aim was to connect these two rooms so that they feel like one big space,” she shares. Her solution: create custom slatted oak cabinetry that runs along the wall, visually uniting the two zones. The result turned out to be way more functional than anyone could have imagined. Within the cupboards, d’Hauteville tucked away a TV, bar, fireplace, and—get this—two desks. 

Incorporating a mini office into the typically overlooked space was essential. The father works two days a week at home and there wasn’t another place in the house to carve out a separate room. Still, d’Hauteville didn’t want the rest of the family to have to stare at Dad’s mountain of paperwork when they’re all hanging out. The designer called on furniture maker Andy Gardiner to build cabinets with discreet doors that can flip down and double as a desk, not unlike a tray table on an airplane. The textured wood treatment naturally disguises the seams.

The whole thing juts out 35 inches when open, and the melamine surface on the interior is not only easy to wipe down but it’s lightweight, which was key to the construction. D’Hauteville had the ribbed facade stained an orangey tone to make the oak look a touch closer to teak, lending warmth to the newly renovated space. 

“At the end of the day, it was important that they could hide their work and relax or entertain,” says the designer. “The clients also didn’t want to see computer screens—they’re always best kept hidden.”

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