We have to
say we are blown away with this contemporary office design in São Paulo,
Brazil. A stark white interior decorated with eclectic, grandiose items, from
ornate gold chandeliers to a white grand piano, create a space akin to an
opulent townhouse or boutique hotel, or even an haute couture personal shopping
suite – anything but a small office for a start-up brand design consultancy.
School/SS99
comprises a seven-strong workforce, all branding experts who left behind
long-held positions at top advertising agencies to try something different. Its
aim is to design a complete, coherent brand package for its clients, so it was
vital that its own brand, from website to office space, was equally seamless.
The
agency’s entire identity is based on the work of fashion designer Alexander McQueen, specifically his spring/summer 1999 collection (hence the firm’s
mouthful of a name), thus the brand colours are black, white and gold, and its
aesthetic is a mix of contemporary and traditional luxury. Consistent
with this theme, the founders initially set out to find an office setting
that was far removed from the cliches of a traditional, corporate setting,
instead seeking a small, intimate space that, Hayashida says, was more like a
London home. They found this 1950s house and stripped back many modern
additions in order to create a blank canvas with character.
When it
came to decoration, they didn’t do anything by halves. Absolute dedication to
their McQueen theme saw Nogueira travel to New York and London sourcing unique
items, such as vintage chandeliers and other golden details such as taps, door
handles and even keys, because they just couldn’t find them in Brazil.
In the main
entrance hall and meeting space, monochrome tiling covers the floors and
brick-pattern white tiling covers one wall, an idea sourced from a New York
subway station. The space is dotted with a mix of modern and classic
furnishings, like Eames rockers from Vitra, a black Smeg fridge, a Chesterfield
sofa that the duo reupholstered in white, and a coffee table made by adding
ornate gold legs to a white cuboid top. The aforementioned grand piano, an
original Diederichs & Freres from Russia, was reclaimed from a boat in São
Paulo and revamped, creating an unintentional Liberace-style flamboyance,
helped by fur rugs – added for much-needed cosiness.
The
bathrooms are equally dramatic, with black tiles, gold finishes and a cabinet
of beautifully packaged, far-too-nice-to-use toiletries, whereas the workspace
is less ostentatious, with exposed original wood floors and three walls lined
with idea-spurring high fashion magazines. Having said that, the design team
does sit on Kartell’s Louis Ghost chairs, designed by Philippe Starck, around
an antique Louis XV dining table adorned with Seletti candelabras. But that’s
all part of the story School/SS99 is trying to tell. Its office exists as a
working example of what the agency wants to achieve.
“One client
said it reminded them of London,” says Hayashida proudly, “and another said
that it felt like walking into our website. We don’t have much emphasis on
interior design in Brazil, so they’re often surprised how an interior can be
part of their brand. They come in, and straight away, they get it.”
