Photography by Niamh Barry
In an era where the relevance of the office is increasingly questioned, this 64-square-metre lounge for a boutique law firm in downtown Toronto proposes a quietly radical answer: design, when treated with the same care as hospitality or residential interiors, can become a reason to return. Conceived by Studio HA/WA, the project reframes the workplace not as a site of productivity alone, but as a social and spatial refuge—one that oscillates fluidly between work, pause, and informal gathering.
Led by founder and creative director Erin Hannon‑Watkinson, whose background includes time at Yabu Pushelberg, the design draws from the language of hotel lounges and residential living rooms rather than corporate typologies. The result is an interior that privileges atmosphere over hierarchy, circulation over rigidity, and material warmth over visual neutrality.
The space unfolds as a sequence of clearly articulated zones—lounge, dining, and kitchen—each retaining its own identity while remaining visually cohesive. Rift-cut white oak, used extensively across ceiling beams, millwork, and architectural detailing, establishes a continuous material rhythm. Porcelain tile flooring introduces durability without sacrificing tactility, its subtle pattern achieved through two tonal variations from the same tile family. At the north end, a full-height fluted backsplash in Calacatta Gold stone becomes both focal point and spatial anchor, its curved profile animated by the Column Pendant by A‑N‑D Light.
Colour is deployed with restraint but intention. Muted greens—seen in banquettes and boucle armchairs—echo the glazing of surrounding office towers, drawing the cityscape into the interior palette. Camel performance velvets, rust-toned leather, and jewel-hued artwork by Alexander Jowett introduce warmth and depth, reinforcing the project’s hospitality-driven sensibility.
Furniture and objects further blur the line between office and home: Benson armchairs, &Tradition marble-based side tables, custom oak coffee tables by Coolican & Company, and a bespoke sofa by Decor Studio Upholstery coexist with sculptural accessories sourced from Bettencourt Manor, EQ3, and Hoxton Home.
Unexpected moments punctuate the plan: a concealed bar hidden within a structural column; a beamed oak ceiling that simultaneously adds rhythm and conceals mechanical systems. Even the kitchen—equipped with Design Within Reach counter stools, Casson Hardware pulls, and millwork by RDG Millwork—resists utilitarianism in favour of sociability.
Photographed by Niamh Barry and executed with MForm Construction Group, the project ultimately demonstrates that scale is irrelevant when intention is precise. By leaning deliberately residential—and unapologetically human—Studio HA/WA offers a compelling argument: the future of the office may well lie in its ability to feel less like one.
