By Star Hughes-Gorup

There are some offices that epitomize a company’s look, feel and brand to a tee – and Beats by Dre’s new space is no exception! Their 105,000 square foot Culver City headquarters is unlike anything I’ve seen before – and the best way to describe it is exactly how I would describe their product and brand. It’s just cool.

The space is subtle, trendy, and even a bit hipster – but not to the point that it will ever go out of style. It’s a mix of natural elements and bold design choices. It’s high-end, but still casual. It’s eclectic, but still polished and put together.

Built out of two industrial buildings (one formerly occupied by a dental equipment manufacturer), the space had creative bones to begin with and, most importantly, was in the perfect location. Beats by Dre’s leadership team knew that they wanted to be in Culver City as to them it represented “the crossroads between technology and culture – aerospace and the back lot. It’s a tremendous ideological foundation from which to build our new space.”

The space itself is unique to say the least.

The gold staircase speaks for itself.

The conference rooms feature modern, futuristic light fixtures and high-resolution maps as wallpaper. (Note: this is an easy design element that anyone can incorporate in their space to make it feel more creative and fun. I’d even take it a step further and name each conference room after the city featured in the map, i.e. “Hong Kong Huddle Room” or “Montreal Meeting Space.”)

Bright colors are relatively unusual in office space today (most companies prefer a neutral color palette), but Beats by Dre embraces them, painting entire rooms in a single, eye-popping color! The above shade of cobalt blue is increasingly popular in “Ready Now” spec suites, and I expect that we’ll continue to see bold colors like these on accent walls in future tech spaces.

Beats by Dre’s café area provides a fun place for employees to catch up over a cup of coffee, and design elements like the stand-up chalkboards, cake plates, and countertop displays make you feel like you could be on a street in West Hollywood enjoying some cold brew and a pastry.

Another strategic element here is that Beats by Dre used fun, patterned flooring in the café area – which helps to break up the space and differentiate it from the hardwood-clad reception area. The graphic floor provides a clear distinction between rooms, while still maintaining an open floor plan free of unnecessary walls.

Beats by Dre did a great job incorporating their brand and identity into all facets of their office space. It’s an architectural and interior design stunner, and a great example of high-end, creative tech space that breaks the mold of what is typical today in the real estate industry.