When private equity firm Accordion rented office space on the 25th floor of 1 Vanderbilt, it wanted to strike a balance between corporate finance vibes and young startups.

So he brought in interior designer Dan Mazzarini, known for his work in retail and hospitality, to give the 9,000 square foot space a unique yet professional style. Mazzarini, who runs his own interior design firm, BHDM, said he wanted to focus on accommodating open workspaces while ensuring employees have enough space to get work done. ” head down “.

“The biggest mark we get on people working from home is not being as productive working head-down in the noise of an office,” he said.

Originally there were to be private offices for partners along the outer, glassed-in edges of the space, but the company opted to convert the executive offices into shared rooms bookable for small meetings or freelance work . So there are 28 spaces for people to work head down, including plenty of desks for one or two people and four phone booths.

But the centerpiece of the space is the cafe and kitchen, which feature two-tone checkered wood paneling on the walls, ceiling, cabinets, and even refrigerators.

“Their cases can seem very complicated,” Mazzarini said. “But we wanted to give the space a personality. You want employees to feel like they’re working in this cool space, but you want investors to feel like they can trust you with their money.

He added: “We thought, ‘Why not be a little irreverent about the men’s suit designs? And that became the inspiration.

Furniture in the cafe and throughout the office is a casual mid-century modern style, which means warm brown leather armchairs; low and gray sofas; and rectangular white coffee tables.

Much of the space also has wooden slatted ceilings that allow workers to see the open space above, to give the office a more fashionable feel while alleviating the sound issues of those cavernous ceilings.

“These slatted ceilings are a system that integrates both lighting and acoustic qualities,” Mazzarini said. “The emotional conversation in this workspace is that we’re polite but fun, a bit more downtown.”

Rebecca Baird-Remba can be reached at [email protected]