We here at Prairie Hive are excited to have Retro Den girls, Ashley Palmer and Ashley Daly, guest post today to share with us about the exciting downtown Tulsa makeover they were requested to do for a local business. Here is what Ashley Daly had to say about this excellent opportunity for their vintage furniture and homewares store.
These days, downtown Tulsa is an exciting place to be – especially for employees of software start-up Consumer Affairs. Owner Zac Carmen asked Retro Den to furnish his newly renovated offices on the 2nd floor of the McFarlin Building – located in the heart of Tulsa’s new Deco District at 5th and Main. This gorgeous red brick building was built in 1918 by pioneering oilman Robert McFarlin and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
image via Wikipedia
Zac wanted to create a space where his employees could transition seamlessly from team meetings to programming to playing video games – a place that felt less like an office and more like home. He also wanted to honor the character of the building by filling it with vintage pieces.
The space’s high ceilings, exposed infrastructure, and abundance of natural light welcome the weight and masculine energy of Mid-Century Modern and Industrial furniture. The clean lines of the era help the open floor plan from feeling cluttered or chaotic.
The biggest challenge was defining each department’s space without breaking up the flow of the office. By using a different style of desk in each area, we not only provided a sense of place for each team, but we made it possible to find enough furniture for Zac’s rapidly expanding staff (you’d be surprised how hard it is to come up with a dozen matching vintage desks in working condition).
I don’t think either of us knew what we were getting into when Zac asked us to outfit a 6,500-SF space entirely in vintage pieces, but there is something about putting that much history in one place. It’s magical. We’re totally hooked.
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