When Professional Firms Go Creative

Niman & Associates creative space is 8,000 square feet.

EL SEGUNDO, CA— Niman & Associates is setting the design trend at the Elevon Campus in El Segundo . The CPA firm is the first tenant to open it doors on the newly developed creative office condominium campus, and worked with designer Ware Malcomb to create a cohesive creative office environment that is consistent with the campus’s creative aesthetic. “Being the first tenant, it wasn’t important for them for their space to set the tone for the other buildings,” Anita Makwana , Director of interior architecture and design at Ware Malcomb’s Los Angeles office, tells GlobeSt.com. “There were a lot of potential buyers that came through their space to see how a space could be built out.” Niman & Associates wanted a space that matched the exterior design of the campus, even though they are a professional firm. Ware Malcomb used that as a starting point to design an elegant creative space for the firm that has the feel of a tech start-up. “The inspiration really came from the client,” adds Makwana. “They really wanted to make sure that the interior space was cohesive with the exterior. The Elevon campus is a lifestyle environment for the creative office type of space. Even though they are much more traditional, they really wanted to make sure that the design was consistent from the minute that you came on the campus until you came into the space.” Makwana described the completed 8,000-square-foot space as “raw” with exposed ceilings and concrete walls and floors. To create movement in the space, they put the firm’s four executive offices in the four corners of the unit. “It has a much more creative feel, even though that isn’t the line of business that they are in,” she says. “I found that very exciting and inspirational as a designer. They were really open to our level of experience on interior design and allowed us a lot of creative freedom. They really trusted us.” Ware Malcomb is working with other tenants on the campus to create a similar aesthetic, and is already in the middle of projects on two other spaces on the campus. Other tenants are also inspired by the campus design for their interior space. “You can really work from anywhere,” explains Makwana about the campus. “With the Elevon campus, there is wireless connectivity on the campus, so people can be at their desk, on their patio or out on the landscaped area. It is a whole experience when you come to work there, and that is very attractive to current tenants and potential buyers that can use that as a recruiting tool.”