Blitz designed a glamorous West Coast residence for L’Oréal, integrating feminist historical past with fluid and community-focused parts, brand-specific areas, color-themed environments, and wellness options.
When trailblazing industrial design agency, Blitz, was tasked with designing the glamorous West Coast residence for L’Oréal, the world’s main magnificence model, their purpose was to make it fluid, recent, and community-oriented. Ladies-run on each the Blitz and L’Oréal management fronts, showcasing vital feminist historical past and celebrating the facility of girls within the office was a precedence. Initially an aerospace manufacturing warehouse, the 130,000 SF facility employed 1000’s of girls to construct planes throughout WW II. Homages to this wealthy historical past are integrated all through by way of visible parts and photographic shows.
As the primary unified residence for a set of L’Oréal’s west coast manufacturers (NYX, Pulp Riot, City Decay and Youth To The Individuals), the venture wanted to symbolize each the worldwide L’Oréal title, in addition to the distinctive facets of the distinct California-based manufacturers. The structure was designed round a central organizing axis known as the ‘river’ in reference to the LA river. This metaphorical waterway winds by means of the entire social and shared facilities (manufacturing studios, creator’s salon and cafés) selling spontaneous and natural connections. The varied brand-specific areas fan out from its flowing path.
Drawing inspiration from the omnipresent development of daylight over the course of a day in LA, three thematic instructions assist set the temper of every mini setting throughout the total area: calm, individual-focused areas are represented by the cool, subdued tones of dawn; increased vitality, collaborative areas like shared places of work and convention rooms are represented by the brilliant, crisp colours of mid-day; and extra muted, communal areas for folks to take breaks— like cafés— are mirrored within the heat, saturated tones of sundown. Finishes, graphics (together with exterior signage), and stylistic decisions like coloration palette and furnishings, and curated artwork contribute to the transformative results. Wellness and work-life stability had been high of thoughts and integrated by means of considerate and tranquil parts like an city backyard, costly biophilic plantings, a “barking lot” (for the staff’s furry associates), wellness and train rooms, indoor-outdoor workspaces, and an abundance of pure mild.
Blitz additionally added a central interconnecting stair, and catwalk factor to the venture’s social and bodily facilities – the bottom ground cafe and second ground espresso bar. The stair and catwalk kind bodily connections between ranges and areas, but additionally present inside topography that permits folks to climb to survey the bigger area, its parts, and the those who work there.
The venture options L’Oréal’s first west coast skilled academy, ProLAb which has a separate, public-facing entry. The academy features a full salon, three coaching studios and a big, versatile occasion area for hair reveals and huge format coaching periods. It has quick entry to the out of doors areas for indoor / out of doors occasions.
Design: Blitz
Design Group: Melissa Hanley, Kimberley O’Dowd, Justin Beadle, Riz Walker, Jenny Heers, Jake Kutzin, John Hunter, Riz Walker, Erica Russell, Clint Coleman
Mission Administration: LPC West
Contractor: Company Contractors Inc.
Images: Jason O’Rear