When the owner of Orange Barrel Media, known for its out-of-home media and smart technology—think futuristic 21st-century billboards—began conceiving ideas for a new office in New York City, fittingly, attention turned to creating visual interest. The owner had an ample, enviable collection of contemporary art he wanted to show off, but the airy, 3,500-square-foot NoHo, Manhattan office was more open-plan than art fair in organization.
Luckily, interior design firm Husband Wife, fresh off luxury residential projects in Manhattan’s Steinway Tower and elsewhere, devised an ideal solution to thoughtfully integrate the owner’s art collections. The design team set about transforming the office space into an ode to the neighborhood’s artsy heyday of the ’80s and ’90s, which spotlights the largely 2020s collection.
“Stepping off the small industrial elevator and into the office is shocking,” says cofounder Brittney Hart, “like discovering a secret space in that magical, New York-only kind of way.” They made only a few architectural interventions, including a scrolling teak room divider that also serves as display space. The palette is appropriately neutral: off-white paint, creamy veined marble, stainless steel reflect the glowing, natural light, while warm teak and black metal provide foundations. Glazing defines private offices and meeting rooms, while soft seating lend comfort to public areas and lounges.
“The loft, with its voluminous environment and curated arrangements,” says Husband Wife cofounder Justin Capuco, “speaks its own sort of spatial language that feels timeless but also new and exciting, like a day spent at The Met.” If only The Met had a contemporary collection like the loft, which includes a hand-carved hydro-stone piece by Lauren Halsey, herself fresh off last summer’s installation of work on The Met’s rooftop, along with a dynamic durags-on-panel piece by Anthony Olubunmi Akinbola and much, much more.
