Ellevest’s Very First Office
When Ellevest, an investment platform for women entrepreneurs, moved into their first physical commercial space, they looked to Homepolish to design an office that would be functional but also reflective of their brand. It starts in reception, where a Blu Dot sofa and shaggy sheepskin poufs allow visitors to relax before getting down to business.
Photos by Kelsey Ann Rose.
Ellevest’s Very First Office
The abstract art in reception is hardly a random piece. Called Flow XXII by Jonas Geard, it incorporates both of the company's branding colors: turquoise and magenta. Nina found it at Great Big Canvas.
Photos by Kelsey Ann Rose.
Ellevest’s Very First Office
And what company would be complete without some custom signage? Nina designed reception so the bold charcoal wall with elegant gold lettering would be the first thing guests see.
Photos by Kelsey Ann Rose.
Ellevest’s Very First Office
The custom workstations are literally built into the floor, so Nina had to figure out whether or not to keep them. She decided to work around them, focusing on break-out spaces and communal areas.
Photos by Kelsey Ann Rose.
Ellevest’s Very First Office
The space has giant steel-framed windows, so Nina couldn't help but create little seating vignettes where the worker bees could escape for a bit. Both the side table and the chairs were found at West Elm.
Photos by Kelsey Ann Rose.
Ellevest’s Very First Office
The Ellevest employees LOVE brainstorming on white boards, but when Nina was sourcing them, she hit a small snag. "Even the big ones weren't big enough," she says. "We ended up getting a bunch of whiteboards and flipping them vertically to give the client plenty of space to write on."
Photos by Kelsey Ann Rose.
Ellevest’s Very First Office
This area is a favorite of Nina's. "I love the way the bookshelves turned out. The space came with these beautiful custom built-in cabinets & shelves right off of reception. It was a lot of space to fill but it presented an opportunity to create something beautiful for the people that work there, as well as make an impression on their clients. We filled them with a beautiful mix of coffee table books on travel, fashion, and design, beautiful decorative objects, as well as inspiring books on women in business that the staff could borrow."
Photos by Kelsey Ann Rose.
Ellevest’s Very First Office
Luckily, the kitchen had just been refinished and some of the furniture was bought from the previous tenant. For remaining details, Nina sourced stools and side chairs from CB2 and West Elm.
Photos by Kelsey Ann Rose.
Ellevest’s Very First Office
Ellevest's own VP of design created the chic gold lettering wallpaper.
Photos by Kelsey Ann Rose.
For Ellevest, an investment platform focused in on empowering women, Homepolish designed their first-ever physical office space. It was the least we could do, since we're their downstairs neighbors.
Photos by Kelsey Ann Rose.
Homepolish always prides itself for being a startup that loves to work with startups. Taking the steps as a young company to design a considered workspace is a sign that you’re looking to the future and also looking out for the well-being of your employees. And in the early days, the functionality of your workspace can make or break the company itself.
So you can imagine our excitement when we were able to share our passion for design with Ellevest, a investment startup focused on empowering women that was looking to design their first offices. Why were we extra stoked? Well, Ellevest happens to be directly 3 floors up from our NYC Headquarters. Like, in the same building. We put our designer Nina Isabella on the job.
The biggest challenge with the space was it’s multi-functional nature. On one hand, as a business it needed break-out spaces and workstations, but as a networking program, it needed open space for crowds. Luckily, custom desks had been left behind from the previous tenant. Nina focused on the meeting areas and tying the space together with a style that reflected the brand. Now, from the reception to the small nicknacks on the custom built-in shelving, it all says Ellevest. We suppose that makes us pretty good neighbors.
Check out the whole space in the gallery.
“”
This is Ellevest’s first office and they’re sharing it with Ellevate, a community of professional women. They wanted help creating a space that worked for both companies and their individual work styles and needs.
- Nina Isabella, Homepolish designer
