The Art Gallery Inspired Offices of Roc Nation
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Whatever your work reality is right now in this new year, we're all thinking harder about what we need in a workspace right now: how it should feel, what it should offer, and where we want to be. Whether you can't imagine being back, you love working from home, or maybe you never left – the future of co-working spaces is in the balance. Because of that, we want to talk about the office of all the offices, the Roc Nation headquarters in NYC owned by none other than Jay-Z. Besides the obvious cool-factor of working there, the interiors are expansive, art-focused, and built for the creative collaboration we're desperate to resume. Filled with so many of our favorite pieces from Blu Dot to Knoll, we hope this is welcome inspiration to start the new year.
Design: Jeffrey Beers
Photographer: Eric Laignel
Location: New York, New York
Jeffrey Beers is classically known for his 25 years of high-profile hospitality projects, like Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen, and esteemed hotel chains like the Plaza, Wyndham, and the Ritz-Carlton. He studied with Dale Chihuly while at RISD, his firm has received awards from Gold Keys, Contract Magazine, Interior Design Magazine, and he's been inducted into the Hospitality Design’s Platinum Circle. For a larger than life project like this, he was the perfect match. When Beers was designing the Roc Nation headquarters, his hospitality roots informed the layout while much of the interior design choices stemmed from Jay-Z's personal art collection with pieces from artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and Roy Nachum. The result is a marriage between the warmth of a well-designed boutique hotel and the energy of a gallery on opening night.
The total size of the headquarters is a massive 30,000 square feet across the four floors! Besides the artwork, the connectors throughout the space are factory-like finishes: buffed concrete floors, metal glazing systems, and warm textural elements like wall coverings and walnut wood.
The individual offices for most of the company are housed in private spaces with black-steel glass wall systems, making them a little better equipped to handle, well, the world at large. Those inhabiting the general offices were even able to bring in a personalized touch by selecting the artwork that went on their walls. You can spot classics like the Nelson Bench and Saarinen Executive Armchairs helping keep that sleek and sophisticated feel, but beyond the core pieces, everyone has the freedom to decorate their offices how they wish.
The four executive offices were taken a step further, with each custom-designed to embody the personality of the executive, even containing a custom sofa and art piece. Beers intended to make these as residential feeling as possible, anchoring each end of the floors.
Other larger endeavors, like the communal spaces, are so loud and innovative, the social media room above is filled with floor-to-ceiling monitors and furniture in a rotunda. The meeting rooms feel avant-garde, immediately setting the tone for clients and big meetings to achieve some creative ingenuity the brand is known for.
And we can't forget about outdoor space being quintessential to happiness in the workday, and the 9,000 sq ft roof deck at Roc Nation HQ is no small joy. Especially when it's outfitted with a bar and plenty of lounge seating.
