Our Interior Design Studio in a Converted Shipyard

STARTING WITH A BLANK SLATE FOR A PROFESSIONAL OFFICE

When we were looking for our own studio space, we immediately fell in love with a recently remodeled former shipyard. It had been heavily damaged in Hurricane Sandy and was now being renovated and converted into industrial looking, modern office spaces. What better to suit our design style and provide functionality than the clean white background we needed to inspire beautiful designs and and have client presentations? Of course, as women business owners, we also needed a little bling. Preferring to keep our office investment low meant quite a few trips to Ikea and the Container Store to add lots of modern and clean organization. We always love to incorporate something new and add (or keep) something old in order to give the space warmth and personality. We like to call it injecting some soul and history!

After: View towards the window. Fun fact: on a clear day, we could see One World Trade Center off the left in the distance!

Before photos of our studio.

Our usually “full” desks are hidden behind the two floating cabinets. We needed a lot of storage organization and chose a drawer and shelving system we sourced from the Container Store. What’s a gorgeous office without functionality? The HUGE chandelier was purchased second-hand from a clothing store and added some bling. It makes a big statement and softens the otherwise industrial space. It also attracts a lot of attention from the other tenants and brings visitors to our office, lol!

After: View towards the entry.

The rug is an over-dyed, antique, hand-knotted rug. Hand-knotted rugs are lifelong investments versus machine made rugs. A recycled dyed rug like this is inexpensive and much greener than anything else we could have purchased. Being green is important to us, but even without this requirement, what’s not to love?! We decided to take the same approach with our sofa and chairs. We took custom to the next level! We found this vintage Art Deco sofa and chair set - see below. We decided to use a crushed velvet fabric, which referenced back to the Art Deco time period and style, and viola: another spectacular, custom furnishings transformation! And, yes, we selected a rich navy blue well before it became a popular trend! (Read more about design trends here). Of course our pink brand color was injected in liberal doses as well, without becoming too much. After all, design is in the details!

All “after” photos by Mallika Malhorta