In 2019, HWKN designed 25 Kent, a jagged glass and brick office building along New York’s East River. Six years later, it’s home to the new headquarters of haircare company amika. Within the building, amika carved out 20,000 square feet to create its new office with the help of local architecture and interior design firm CIVILIAN. The workplace translates amika’s playful, rule-bending brand but on a contrasting neutral, muted base.
Chelsea Riggs, amika’s CEO, commented, the office is “intentionally designed to be anti-office, a place where boundaries between work and inspiration are fluid and everyone feels welcome.” An expansive floorplan divided up with glass walls allows for this fluidity and for natural light to seep through the office. The space transitions between two conference rooms, a lounge area, communal work stations, and places for private work.
The cream color scheme helps the office feel inviting, even if the colors feel at odds with the company’s own palette. amika is a company that celebrates pushing beauty boundaries. The brand’s packaging is drenched in pinks and oranges. For CIVILIAN cofounders Nicko Elliott and Ksenia Kagner, this loud color palette presented the first hurdle. The duo shared collectively, ”The biggest challenge was working with a brand that has such a bold and vibrant visual identity. amika’s palette of hot pink and orange—along with its bold graphic patterns—works well in branding but can quickly overwhelm a physical space.” They continued, “One of the most important early decisions was to avoid using those colors literally. Instead, we created a warm, neutral backdrop that serves as a backdrop for amika’s strong graphics and bold visual language, allowing the brand to shine in a more refined way.”
Thus, there is an immediate sense of quiet luxury, influenced by this soft base, rich textile accents, and high-quality furniture. But the sense of the brand’s defiance is apparent in the playful and unconventional pieces found throughout, such as an oak HEM table surrounded by the intertwined Turbo Chair by Wentz and squiggly KOHLO Chairs designed by Matthew Day Jackson for Made by Choice. The sitting area continues with a velvet Maura Sectional couch in taupe by TRNK and plush Easy Chairs by Verner Panton. Included in this area are dainty scalloped and marble Ostro Sconces, which can be found on most of the bulky industrial pillars throughout the space, adding a whimsical lighting option while also creating a unique visual contrast.
Part of the furniture selection also includes custom-made pieces designed by CIVILIAN. The cofounders shared, “Each piece was tailored to support different ways of working, making the user experience more intuitive and cohesive throughout the office.” These pieces include the grand 25-foot-long wooden communal tables that seats a total of 20 employees, the curved front desk, and the individual booths upholstered and encased with a wooden trim.
The kitchen is the only space where the color rules are bent just a hair. Here, subtle red is the main color language. The kitchen sink, backsplash, and island countertop are all encased in a veiny burnt red marble pattern. Above the backsplash is a line of clé tile’s end up terra-cotta tiles, which is then met with a display of tiles of a different pattern, which has a similar sheen and appearance to anomia simplex, or “jingle seashells.” All of these contrasting textures are met with quiet eggshell-coated cabinets.
Despite the floorplan being so large and expansive, the design creates cozy moments that contribute to the overall serene atmosphere. CIVILIAN was able to translate amika’s message by creating a new welcoming visual language for the haircare brand. The headquarters are designed to feel as if every day can be a good hair day.