Recently, a design consultant and I were working on a project for a fairly conservative client. The designer had proposed incorporating a fair amount of lavender into the scheme. Given the conservative nature of the client, introducing lavender (which elicits a strong and not always favorable response in the realm of office space design) was cause for concern. While Bottega Veneta and Fendi have splashed lavender across their fall 2009 collections and this has trickled down to H&M, it’s not common in the cubicle filled world of office furniture design…yet. On the day of our presentation, the designer arrived carrying a Bergdorf’s bag filled with samples in varying shades of lavender, plum, and mauve…no back up colors. We refined our selections, made them more conservative and moved our cast-offs and the Bergdorf’s bag (left oddly standing up) to a credenza in the room. The presentation went well though the CEO was hesitant, but open to incorporating lavender into the office layout. The designer shared his inspiration for the schemes, which included the advertisements for Botega Veneta and Fendi. As the designer gestured to the advertisements, the CEO saw the Bergdorf’s bag (also a lovely lavender color) below the advertisements along with our cast-offs for the first time.
“What are these?” the CEO asked. The designer answered, “Oh, those are some things we thought were a little too wild.” “Really? I like these better.” The CEO replied.
I am not sure if it was the ads or the strategically placed Bergdorf’s bag that validated our scheme, but I did see a flicker of victory cross the designers face!
Do you have any stories about incorporating something wild or unusual into an office design layout?
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