An imaginative design approach creates the perfect platform for work and play
With a workforce that is 100% remote, our design strategy for Shopify Ottawa Hub office space was to create an interior that would deliver experiences unattainable in the home office setting and that encourage people to come in and linger. As a pioneer in non-traditional work environments, Shopify actively encouraged and embraced this strategy, creating a unique constellation of discrete, functional hospitality spaces that unite and inspire their staff.
Interior Designer: Anthony Orasi, ARIDO
Design Team: Katy Krause, Betty Chor, Dema Talib, Patricia Marcotte
Design Firm: iNSTUDIO
Photographer: A-frame
Intended as a collection of hubs, these small hospitality vignettes provide spaces for Shopifolk to eat, drink, and collaborate.
We took deliberate steps to design unique areas within the office space that reflect Shopify personality and the collection of merchants they represent, while still recognizing the company’s values of individuality and entrepreneurship. The spaces are unique but unified and refined. We emulated the rhythm and spirit of a neighbourhood of individual retail locations, rather than repetitive applications, allowing users a multitude of settings and experiences for their on-site time.
Part of achieving this community vibe was to design a non-corporate interior, with hospitality in mind. The various colourful and vibrant settings include: a coffee shop, a trendy bar, a fun karaoke lounge, a service bar and an energetic evening lounge.
Perhaps the single most notable element of this newly designed environment is the River Bar. The soft organic shape was designed both to separate the larger space into distinct zones as well as direct the flow of people through the space. Surrounding the bar is a diverse assembly of seating and collaboration configurations, so Shopifolk can hop from the bar into any kind of collaboration they choose.
Another notable space is Wild Ginger’s karaoke lounge. Designed with warmth, intimacy and acoustics in mind, this high-performance space is on display through its glass façade but also secretly accessed through the adjacent coffee shop. By blending technology with warm, natural materials and customized millwork we created a space that invites individuals to relax and bring their most authentic selves into the mix.
All of this was done with the recognition that Shopify’s workplace is no longer primarily about individual on-site work but entirely about collaboration. All spaces were designed to enable groups of people and collaborative scenarios where the focus was on facilitating engagement and the sharing of ideas.
Furniture and fixtures were sourced directly from Shopify merchants, creating a showcase of merchant goods. Taking lessons from retail design, food and beverage stations were designed and branded to showcase goods also sourced directly from Shopify merchants.
One of the main goals being to design an interior that promotes wellness and wellbeing, a consistent element across all these spaces was the inclusion of biophilic elements and the prioritization of natural light. Additionally, by creating distinct spaces that offer unique experiences, along with moments of novelty and discovery, we also encouraged Shopifolk to physically circulate through these spaces.
By varying the type and personality of the different spaces, our design team created a draw that will pull users through the space the same way retail establishments would in a traditional neighbourhood. With the goal of uniting Shopify individuals and teams, the array of unique settings in this office space is used to promote company culture by infusing the interior with merchant products while giving Shopifolk an exciting venue to work, relax, and mingle.
