Design Offices & Showroom

Best Practice Architecture collaborated with Brownwork Design to create the Headquarters for a Seattle based shoe and apparel brand. The office makes Seattle’s historic Smith Tower its home, remodeling three floors of the 1914 skyscraper into offices, design studio and showrooms. Wanting to preserve the neoclassical details present in the building, the design team developed a concept of modern glass insertions that revealed the underlying mosaic tiles and Alaskan marble and highlighted the eccentric faux wood trim detail.

Project Type

Commercial, Office

Location

Seattle, WA

Specific Location

Smith Tower

Status

Completed January 2013

Size

33,000 sf

Contractor

Turner Construction

Collaborators

Brownwork Design
Blanca Lighting Design
B&O Interiors

Mark Woods

In the workspaces, a neutral palette and clean lines juxtapose the messiness of a design office, with open collaborative areas intermixed with private offices and glass front conference rooms.

The project is located in the Smith Tower, Seattle’s oldest skyscraper, which was at one point the tallest building West of the Mississippi River.

Mark Woods

Mark Woods

Mark Woods

Mark Woods

Mark Woods

Mark Woods

Mark Woods

The showrooms occupy the topmost of the company’s three floors, taking advantage of breathtaking views of the Puget Sound. The showroom floor was an exercise in design restraint, leaving the existing period details intact and reinforcing them with new wall paneling and lighting.

Mark Woods

Mark Woods

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