For Tolleson, a nationally recognized branding and creative agency, a relocation to San Francisco’s Barbary Coast represents the third iteration of its studio evolution as well as partnership with Huntsman and Design Workshops. Formerly the showroom for the Amtico flooring company, this two-story warehouse embodied many of the original office’s rustic characteristics such as exposed brick walls and wood trusses, wood floors, and skylights. Coming from a 3,500 square foot space, Tolleson had the opportunity to configure its new office to better relate to how the firm currently works. This translated into a suite of spaces catering to client engagement, an expansion of the studio, and the addition of video and audio editing and photography studios. Many of the features of the original office come into play; the reception desk is made of hot rolled steel – a technique that defined the design direction of the first studio. Timber trusses and posts were bead-blasted to reflect the original redwood warmth and color. New steel beams form room edges and define a contrast with the original construction. Reclaimed wood from former barns clad side walls and extend up to a mezzanine level which was added as part of the building renovation. Rippled glass panels hark back to design elements of the first office and provide both transparency and privacy.
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