Heartwork has been lucky enough to participate in some interesting projects, where we’ve met some amazingly creative people. As a partner in Tech Cocktail, a Las Vegas co-working space that Tony Hsieh funded, we’ve gotten to know Heather Lipner, the Uncovet founder who’s designing the space. Uncovet sells some of the most, uh, covetable, accessories we’ve ever seen, which of course got us thinking how cool its Santa Monica headquarters must be. We interviewed Heather to find out where this master curator finds her inspiration, what challenges she has faced with her own office and what tips she has for creating a cool office.
2. What was the biggest challenge in creating the Uncovet office?
Our offices are within Science, which is our tech incubator. So as we grew, we moved with the office around 8 times! Yes, so the biggest challenge is knowing you're going to move and still investing in the design of the space.
3. What's your favorite item in your office (could be your personal office and/or something in the office as a whole)?
One of our old interns made me a donut coaster (see pic). Love it, use it, and everyone always asks about it. What a great gift from an intern! I also love our vibrant glassware. I designed our patio saw legged furniture - modern & rustic to feel warm within an office vibe. There's a MakerBot too. Science made their logo with it (see pic above). And love the couches we got from a designer of ours Stephen Kenn.
4. Heartwork is excited to be a partner in Tech Cocktail, the Las Vegas co-working space. Can you share with us what it's been like to design a co-working space? How does it differ from a more traditional office space?
The space has to work for speaking events, co-working as well as a crash pad of special guests. So the biggest challenge was making the space flexible enough to fit all use cases. We built in murphy tables & beds, extra storage space and designed the vibe to feel creative & fun, but down to earth so when it's time to sleep it felt comfortable.
5. What are your top tips for creating a cool office -- whether it's a home office, a small business or a bigger company?
For offices, I always recommend creating a functional space first. I am big fan of designing systems for organization, but doing it in unique and beautiful ways to make your work stand out. Perfect examples here. Top it off with a pretty color palette or visual theme like geometry. Check out more style tips here.
