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Spaces We Love: Houzz’s Irvine Office

Images via Martin King Photography.

It’s not surprising in the least that Houzz.com – the world’s leading home remodeling and design website – has an impressive office itself. For the billion-dollar internet company, which Hughes Marino CEO Jason Hughes described as “kind of a mashup of Pinterest, Yelp, and an ecommerce site all devoted to home design,” it only makes sense that their office would perfectly represent their brand.

Take a look at how the bold green booths and chairs use the contrasting black to spell out ‘Houzz.’ Not only is this wildly creative, but it’s incredibly functional. The open ceilings, painted white, serve not only to reflect light, giving employees a bright space to work in, but it makes the room look much larger as well. The pendant lighting also gives the space a very modern, “techy” look, which works perfectly with the overall sleek ambiance. (Note: if you’re trying to replicate this creative look, be aware that the open ceiling isn’t great for acoustics).

Houzz's Office

In contrast to the uber-sleek, minimalistic look of the above photo, Houzz’s break room is peppered with natural elements to bring the outside in, with natural wood tables and greenery adorning the walls. This is a great example of indoor/outdoor juxtaposition within an office space.

Kid-friendly Houzz dinning area.

As cutting edge companies continue to look for ways to offer top talent additional amenities to attract and retain the best of the best in employees, it’s clear that Houzz has embraced this wholeheartedly. As evidenced by the super cute nursery they’ve created, Houzz is ostensibly doing their part to support working parents. As far as the design is concerned, I love the fact that they stuck with a modern style to match the rest of the office, but used bright pops of color to create a fun, kid-friendly space.

Houzz is a home away from home for employees.

While there’s a lot I love about Houzz.com’s Irvine office, what I appreciate the most is how they didn’t try to blend too many different styles. They chose one style and stuck with it. The entire space is decorated in essentially four colors, yet nothing about it appears drab. Though primarily white, green, gray and black, the bold green accents capture your attention from anywhere in the room. The addition of strategically placed plants and a wall of photos add a hint of warmth and comfort to their team’s home away from home.

Star Hughes-Gorup is executive vice president and director at Hughes Marino, a global corporate real estate advisory firm that exclusively represents tenants and buyers. Star is a key member of Hughes Marino’s brokerage team, where she specializes in tenant representation and building purchases. Star also makes frequent media appearances to speak on business issues from a millennial perspective, and regularly writes for Hughes Marino’s “Spaces We Love” blog. Contact Star at 1-844-662-6635, or star@hughesmarino.com.



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