Workspace, Re-claimed
Situated on a well-trafficked east-west thoroughfare in Los Angeles' historic Cypress Park neighborhood, this project reimagines a derelict and undistinguished storefront into a vibrant, inspiring workspace for CarbonShack Design’s offices. Using salvaged materials and natural elements – reclaimed redwood & marble, gypsum plaster and sunlight –the space is imbued with ever-present and consistent reminders of our relationship to the natural world. Organic forms, hand-troweled plaster, and prominently exhibited collections of oxidized antique carpentry tools further emphasize our interconnectivity to the environment.
In the entry area, two imaginative office pods, though thoroughly contemporary, celebrate a uniquely American architectural form - West Coast Shingle style. CarbonShack’s in-house artisans meticulously applied reclaimed redwood shingles to organic curvilinear forms shaped around the functional needs of a receptionist and front office staff. Floating above the receptionist pod, a cantilevered shingle-clad plinth emerges from an interior corner to become a display shelf for a rainbow-hued art installation of vintage books. Set against a backdrop of hand-troweled, lustrous white plaster walls, the deep, rich tones and organic forms of these reclaimed wood elements bring warmth to the workspace. A newly constructed turret, centered on the office’s main space, draws the eye skyward and floods the interior with natural light, bringing the outside in. Hand-crafted built-in cabinetry, constructed of upcycled Douglas Fir lumber and topped with salvaged green stone slabs, carries the theme of repurposed/revitalized/reclaimed throughout the interiors.
Finally, a bathroom at the rear of the space, clad in a clean grid of locally produced terra cotta tiles, features a full-height backdrop of CarbonShack Design’s signature mycelium design in neutral-toned hand-glazed tiles. Flowing down and across the room’s floor, this pattern serves as an elegant reminder of our collective connection to the natural world.
