For the French eyewear company Jacques Marie Mage, we designed a workplace environment inspired by Japanese minimalism, warm whites, and wood furniture, transforming the industrial location into an inviting and inspirational office space.
Did You Inherit A Box? How To Create Distinctive Rooms Within Rooms
by Cleo Murnane, Co-founder & Creative Director at Studio Murnane
Situated alongside some of our favorite clients—Clover, Brella, and Pause—on LA’s trendiest street, Sycamore Avenue, Studio Murnane (formerly Project M Plus) designed the new workplace and VIP showroom for the ultra-chic French eyewear brand Jacques Marie Mage.
Embracing a palette rooted in Japanese minimalism—warm whites, rich woods, and refined restraint—we transformed their raw industrial space into a gracious, artful work environment. The brand’s signature oxblood red threads through the space in custom millwork, red-painted mullions, corridors, tilework, upholstery, Rojo Levante marble-clad bathrooms, and Viola marble countertops—a cohesive, deep-red brand expression.
To bring dimension and tactility, we layered in faceted custom millwork and 1970s space-age lighting. Oversized skylights infuse the space with natural light, enhancing the warmth and openness while reducing dependence on artificial lighting. The 13,000-square-foot shell offered architectural freedom, allowing us to insert a mezzanine with a top-secret design workshop, four executive offices, a lounge, and a conference room above. The ground floor features an expansive open-plan desking area for collaboration, six private offices, a second conference room, and an eat-in kitchen.
A built-in planter doubles as a handrail, transforming a ramp into a moment of spatial discovery. Nearby, a minimalist zen garden with raked sand and stones offers quiet reflection within the work zone.
Tucked between the workspaces and the front-of-house showroom, the VIP Room offers a private retreat for elite clients. With wall-to-wall cream plush carpet and a seductive 70s aesthetic, it’s a space to sip a drink, try on the latest frames, and linger in style.
Designed in lockstep with the brand’s growth, the result is a workplace of understated luxury—elevated, intentional, and inspiring by design.