Contango Capital Advisors
Private Wealth Management
Office Design and Branding
Berkeley, CA

Designed for the office support staff of a new start-up venture in private banking, Contango’s headquarters provides an opportunity to test ideas, which will then be incorporated into customer branch offices. To foster open communication and flexibility, Huntsman designed glass-walled private offices that float in the middle of the space along with team meeting rooms. This allows the workstations to take advantage of three sides of windows offering abundant day light and wrap-around views of the San Francisco Bay. Since the office staff had not yet been hired, Huntsman designed a completely flexible open office free of panels, which allow users to easily reconfigure work areas based on need. Huntsman also worked with Contango to develop the unconventional color palette, which distinguishes it from other firms and reaches out to a new client base. The palette culminates in a large multi-colored arched wall that becomes a backdrop to the overall space and enlivens an otherwise utilitarian corridor.

Publications
“No Wall Street Stiff,” Interior Design, May 2005

Completion Date: October 2004
Size: 6,000sf

photography by Sharon Risedorph