GQ USA – May 2017

1

Embrace

Your Canvas

Contemporary office

interiors tend to

be very...“trendy.”

And right now the

trend is clinical, austere,

with light gray cube

walls and light-tone

wood laminate.

Sounds lifeless, right?

The thing is: That

sterile canvas allows you

to show off what

you add to it. So go for

durable, weighty

materials and colorful

graphic artwork.

2

Grid Out

Your Space

A little desk chaos

is good. It suggests

you’re actually working.

But it’s important to

contain the chaos.

So apply a grid to your

desk. “Each zone

should feel purposeful,”

says Marshall Rake of

the design studio

Public-Library. “Papers

over here, laptop

on the right, et cetera.

People will notice.”

3

Prioritize

Comfort

“Being uncomfortable

wastes time,” says

Rake’s partner, Ramón

Coronado. “You’re

thinking, ‘I don’t

want to stay here any

longer,’ instead

of finding a rhythm.”

Being in Your Office Feel

Like Work? Change It

As GQ contributor/interior-design spirit guide Brad Dunning tells us whenever we’re

complaining about our professional digs: “Good design knows no spatial

limitations. The same goals apply whether it’s an executive corner office or a

sepulchral cubicle.” (You always know what to say, pal.) The key is to rework

your office with certain principles in mind. Mainly: Stuff is good—you just need to

wrangle it. And decorating is good—but it shouldn’t look decorated. With help

from expert office dwellers, here’s how to easily (and cheaply) overhaul your digs.

The

Ten-Step

Office

Upgrade

72 GQ.COM MAY 2017

Make the Guest Chair Count

“I found this classic Charlotte

Perriand chair at a flea market.

I’m into the leather and patina

finish and that it’s old. But what

I like most is that it’s unique.”

GQINTELLIGENCE THEWORKINGMAN

SPACES WE ENVY

1 OF 3

The Exploded

Desk

• Frank Muytjens, head
  of menswear design at
  J.Crew, doesn’t believe in
  drawers. If he can’t see what’s
  around him, he forgets he
  has it. Muytjens calls this an
  organized mess. “I know
  where everything is, and my
  surroundings motivate and
  inspire me but don’t distract,”
  he says. “It’s a lot to take
  in, but you find new things
  every time you visit.”

Contain Your Gear

“There are a lot of materials

there—cardboard, wood, glass,

metal. Confine it all in a tray

and it somehow works together

and looks uncluttered.”

Add Weight
“I picked up this pencil sharpener
in London, and it was so heavy I had to
bring it back in checked luggage.
Heavy materials feel real and substantial.
I use it a couple times a day.”