That the San Francisco office of software developer Giant Pixel takes a few cues from the 1950s should be apparent enough from the freestanding fireplace and the curvy, Jetsons-esque reception desk. Specifically, Studio O+A looked to the workshop of über-influential midcentury designers Charles and Ray Eames for inspiration, which they blended with the industrial timber-and-concrete look so popular with the modern startup. What's a bit less obvious is the Star Wars reference snuck into a large perforated-steel screen in the entryway, which has the opening crawl from A New Hope ("A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...") punched into it in binary. As O+A designer Neil Bartley told Co.Design, any potential hires that can understand it will definitely have a leg up.
Pushing back against the pointedly wacky vibe that reigns in offices all across the Bay Area, studio principal Denise Cherry said that going into a project like this, "You don't want to create a playground; it's a place where people work." After indulging themselves just a bit with the Star Wars gag and the basement cocktail bar, O+A stuck with that affirmation pretty closely, created a somewhat staid environment punctuated by the occasional marquee piece. But even if they had gone a bit crazier, it still would've been a far cry away from blue hair walls and indoor orange groves.
· A "Star Wars"-Inspired Office In The Heart Of Silicon Valley [Co.Design]
· All Office Spaces posts [Curbed National]
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