Ice the Cubicle

Luxurious . . . simple . . . stark . . . inviting . . . fun . . . formal . . . neat . . . cluttered. Judging from the responses of the design professionals and laypeople we interviewed, the ideal office is as unique as the people who envision and work in them.

First, what the professionals have to say about the way an office “ought” to be:

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The architect: Eric Owen Moss, FAIA, Culver City

* What an office should be:

“People shouldn’t feel that at work they’re just another cog. There should be public spaces for lounging, eating lunch. And some unusual views and auditory experiences--like a [bubbling] fountain. My own belief is that when we see something unexpected, or something that we don’t recognize, like an unusual color or shape or space, it stretches the mind a little bit. In that way, a work environment can increase imagination, invention, creativity, energy and excitement. Office space should be created one person at a time.”

* What an office shouldn’t be:

“Basically, if you don’t like your work and it’s a pain in the neck, architecture can’t change that, ‘cause even if you’re working on a roller coaster or Ferris wheel, you’re still gonna be miserable. But I think architecture can ease the pain a bit.”

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The architect/designer: Barbara Bestor, AIA, Los Angeles

* Should: “Spaces should be as interesting as possible--I like to use eye-catching colors, unusual materials and layers of light to achieve this.”

* Shouldn’t: “The traditional office is oppressive. There’s too much privacy and not enough communal space.”

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The designer: Mark Enos, Enos & Co., Los Angeles

* Should: “We’re all using computers now, and our computers are liberating us from file cabinets. Many offices are now putting all their files in one file room instead of keeping them in individual offices and in desks, as they had in the past.”

* Shouldn’t: “Right now, there’s a tremendous number of companies pushing the envelope in office design by doing away with the concept of ‘territory’ and not giving their employees offices. Instead, the employees just wander around with their laptops, cell phones and work, and take whatever space is available at the moment. It’s a great concept--I’m sure it can be liberating, but it’s also very frustrating, and people are resisting it. They still want their private space. It’s difficult for people to be so mobile and organized. And now some companies, which had embraced this ‘office-less’ concept, are backing away from it.”

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The medical office designer: Brooke Antonoff, Los Angeles

* Should: “There’s more personality emerging in medical office designs today. Doctors now want their offices to reflect who they are. But at the same time, they are tightening their belts and utilizing smaller spaces in order to save money. Many medical corporations are joining together to occupy one facility and rotate operating times.”

* Shouldn’t: “If the waiting room and the furniture aren’t updated, and the reception area is unclean and sloppy, it makes me wonder: ‘What about everything else in the back rooms? Is the doctor keeping up with his medical knowledge? Is his equipment up-to-date and sterile?’ This gives off the impression that a doctor may be resistant to change. And this would scare me.”

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The architect: Lauren Rottet, AIA, DMJMRottet, Los Angeles

* Should: “Because everyone’s using computers now, we can access one another without leaving our offices. This causes a real lack of interaction between employees. Good office design encourages employees to start communicating again--circulation patterns can be created so that people [encounter] each other in the halls and chat.”

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The architect/designer: Rinaldo Veseliza, Artech International, Santa Monica

* Should: “It’s ideal to be able to totally control one’s environment--one’s acoustics, lighting, air-conditioning and visual privacy. Someday, I believe each person will be able to control these elements of his work space via a monitor. I also believe it’s very important for people to be able to play music in their environments while designing, creating computer products or even doing monotonous tasks. And it’s important for people who do lots of computer work to have a couch in their office, so they can back away from their computer--they can rest and change their visual environment.”

* Shouldn’t: “Be uncomfortable. Every minute that an employee’s not comfortable is a minute that he’s not productive.”

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And now, here’s what people in various fields have to say about their own ideal offices:

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The cosmetic surgeon: Dr. Francis Palmer, Beverly Hills

* Should: “A cosmetic surgeon’s office has to be located in a remote part of a building, away from high- flow traffic, to ensure privacy and confidentiality. My office has a secret entrance so that clients can come and go without being seen. When I constructed my office, I wanted to make sure that my clients felt at home--that they were comfortable in tasteful surroundings. In this business, you deal with a certain class of clients who expect a level of elegance in a cosmetic surgeon’s office. I thought it was very important to personalize the office to reflect my own tastes--black granite floors, Louis XIV-style furniture and artwork--because this tells the clients a little about the person they’ve chosen as their surgeon.”

* Shouldn’t: “I’ve been to some [cosmetic] surgeons’ offices that are way, way overstated--$50,000 paintings all over the walls, museum furnishings--and I thought to myself, ‘This is no office; it’s a shrine!’ And I’ve also been to one or two of my colleagues’ offices that were too budget-looking, with cubicles, cheap carpeting and vinyl chairs. This can give a bad impression to clients about the surgeons’ practices.”

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The writer: Ed Solomon, screenwriter (“Men in Black”), Santa Monica:

* Should: “My most successful offices start with a chair. I put it in a blank space and ‘build’ the office around it. I like lots of table space all around me, about 270 degrees radius, so that things are within reach and not all piled up. But my desk ends up amazingly cluttered anyway--to others, my desk might look like the stationary equivalent of a homeless person’s shopping cart, full of stuff that seems meaningless but only makes sense to me. My office has to have two separate areas--one for work, the other for resting. I need to have a window to look out of while I’m thinking. And the air can’t be too warm or I fall asleep. A good [writer’s] office takes on a personality of its own. In the strangest of ways, you find yourself almost collaborating with the space itself.”

* Shouldn’t: “I hate working in offices on movie studio lots--I’d never do it again. It’s counterproductive to the creative process. I have to be in my own environment, not part of a larger functioning machine. And I need to have freedom to do my writing without interruptions.”

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The attorney: Harold Friedman, Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp, Los Angeles:

* Should: “For us, the first thing was to make the environment pleasant because, as lawyers, we’re spending 12 to 18 hours a day here. So when we were planning this building, we kept in mind that we were going to be living in this space. We didn’t want to look out over the roof of the garage, so we built a park on the roof with basketball and tennis courts. We added terraces. We also constructed a gymnasium, so when we’ve been working hard all day, we have a place to go to work off steam. And though we were worried about cost per square foot, we leaned over backward to give people offices of decent sizes. And we gave our secretaries semi-private areas rather than group them together in a ‘bullpen.’ Each attorney was able to design his or her office so it reflected the personality of the person who ‘lived’ within. There’s fabric on the office walls to absorb sound. The colors are warm. There are lots of plants throughout--ivy and vines. We get compliments on this building all the time.”

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The sales representative: Carolyn Reid, AAA, La Mesa:

* Should: “Big windows, big overstuffed chairs with tropical landscaping outside, so I’d have a view when I looked out the window. I’d want my own fax machine, copier, extra computer, a foot massager and a phone that could handle multiple lines. I’m one of the top producers in my office, and I think that having these things would help me produce more and generate more income for my company.”

* Shouldn’t: “It shouldn’t have fluorescent lighting. It’s too harsh and cold, it strains my eyes, and it’s not inviting to clients when they come in for appointments. Also, cubicles aren’t good for my type of work because there’s not a lot of privacy in them. We need clients to disclose private information when they come in for appointments, and this type of setup doesn’t facilitate disclosure.”

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The investment banker: Charlie Farrell, Merrill Lynch, Newport Beach

* Should: “Ideally, it should be located in a prestigious area, because most investment clients tend to be upscale. It should have lots of sub-offices close by, so that supervision of the staff is easier. We need our files to be readily accessible--in organizers, shelving and file cabinets by our desks--so we can get literature quickly to our clients. And we might want a refrigerator so that we can offer a beverage to our clients if they visit. I’d want my office to be green, I think--a dark, rich, conservative green because we’re in the money business.”

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The psychic: Mary Kara, Psychic Eye, Sherman Oaks

* Should: “There should be candlelight, meditative music playing in the background. Good colors for the room are deep purple, reds and blacks. And all that’s really needed for furniture is a table and two chairs.”

* Shouldn’t: “Some psychics do their readings out of their homes, in their kitchens, bedrooms or living rooms. I think that’s unprofessional and tacky. A psychic’s room should be separate and private--not like at psychic fairs, where people are doing readings right next to one another. There also should be no fluorescent lighting.”

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The interior designer: Michael Payne, Michael Payne Design, Nichols Canyon

* Should: “I elected to keep my office lacking in color--white walls, gray surfaces. This is because I am working in a world of colors and I need a neutral background as a sort of blank canvas. People who know me know that I’m playful. I like toys. If you came to my office, you’d see antique trains, antique boats and cars. And they’re all bright red. I love to collect old red toys. An office becomes a reflection of the person who occupies it. It reveals their character. We spend more time in our offices than in the comfort of our homes. That’s why our offices need to be as comfortable and inviting as our homes.”

* Shouldn’t: “A stark environment with no personality. I think bare and boring says it all about a person. Some people believe that they have to present themselves professionally by giving their offices a clean, stark, undecorated, so-called professional look. But I’d argue the opposite--that they’d make the better impression if they had an office that reflected their character.”

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The real estate agent: Sarah MacDonald, John Aaroe & Associates, Pacific Palisades

* Should: “Totally modernized and efficient--computer, fax and modem all within reach. In our job, the most important thing is to obtain information as soon as possible. We need voicemail calls to apprise us of new listings. This is particularly important right now because it’s becoming a seller’s market. I need a comfortable chair because I might sit for long periods, and I need a headset, because I’m making about 100 calls a day. I prefer neutral, soft colors, and I love being surrounded by green plants. It helps lift the spirit.”

* Shouldn’t: “I once worked in a place where the agents were on top of each other. You couldn’t hear your client when you were talking on the phone, and you had to wait in line to use the computer. There were piles of paper all over, which made documents hard to find, and the interior was kind of gray, shabby and dark. When the environment looks that way, clients wonder about your efficiency; they wonder if you’re losing their files and paperwork.”

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The artist/sculptor: George Herms, instructor at Santa Monica College of Design, Art & Architecture:

* Should: “It needs certain living amenities--a bathroom, kitchen and, of course, a large, open space. My own space has two studio sections with high ceilings. I am a junk sculptor by trade, so I keep mountains of raw materials on one level, and I have a loading dock where my sculptures can go out--that’s another necessity. I need wooden floors, and a kind of rough, durable work area because I’m banging nails, drilling and sawing. I need white walls and pillars to attach things. There’s only one thing still missing in my ideal work space--an outdoor area where my objects could be rained on and weathered. I work with rusted steel, weathered wood and yellowed newspaper--that type of palette--they have had one lifetime, then were thrown away before I found them.”

* Shouldn’t: “Carpeting, small space--I’ve worked in one that was 600 square feet--artificial light, because it makes it hard to judge colors.”

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The magazine editor: Paige Rense, Architectural Digest, Los Angeles:

* Should: “Great office design generally isn’t different from any other great design. We [Architectural Digest’s Los Angeles office] just moved, and the office space planners and designers wanted to make a statement because this was Architectural Digest, but I didn’t want that. I wanted our space to be for everyone--soft, welcoming and warm. And the space-planning people wanted the best carpeting for my office, then the next best carpeting for the senior editors, but I said that the same carpeting should go everywhere. I think it’s divisive to delineate rank with decorative elements. Visually endorsing a caste or class system in your own office is very passe--very out of step with the times and quite counterproductive.

I happen to love primitive, painted furniture and folk art, very casual, very simple surroundings. This is how I’ve decorated my office. I went to Mimi London’s showroom and picked out a sawbuck painted desk, three wicker chairs and an Early American rug. I have photographs on my desk of my husband and dog, but they face me, not my visitors. I feel a little peculiar when I visit an office and photographs of the person’s family are looking at me. I feel I have to comment, ‘Oh, your wife is so beautiful,’ or something like that.”

* Shouldn’t: “I don’t see as many offices designed as faux English men’s clubs as I once did. An office should be personal, but not too personal. People should feel comfortable coming into your office, and if you’ve created an environment that’s too personal, they may feel hesitant about entering the space.”

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The interior designer: Suzanne Faulkner, Faulkner & Associates, Encino

* Should: “There must be good, natural light in order to view color samples in their true forms.”

* Shouldn’t: “Most people have a budget, so they don’t want to look at their designer’s office and think the designer spent a great amount on her own office. A designer’s office that’s not painted, not maintained, not put together is a turnoff for most clients. Because of our work, we have to keep our own kitchens, bedrooms and living spaces updated.”

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The Marine officer: Maj. Robert Wheeler, Air Operations, U.S. amphibious assault ship Tarawa, San Diego

* Should: “My office is on a ship, so I don’t have a view, but I don’t need one while I’m working. My job is information processing, so I need just a few things to do my work--a desk, chair, copy machine, fax, two computers, Internet access and phones. I share my office with a bunch of people; our desks are lined up side by side against the walls so we have lots of walking space. We use grease boards for our status reports, and our walls have shelving built in, which saves space. This is the Navy and we do things efficiently. Everything in my office is ‘secured for sea’--desks are bolted, chairs are tied with ropes, and there’s Velcro tape over the in-box openings so things don’t go flying around.”

* Shouldn’t: “Cluttered. It gives the impression of being unprofessional. You want to look like you’re a first-class operation that does first-class work, so your office should be neat and organized. Also, sharing a desk with other people is really difficult--I did that 10 years ago in Hawaii, and I had to deal with other people’s paperwork and belongings in the desk, and it reduced my efficiency.”

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The priest: Carol Anderson, All Saints Episcopal Church, Beverly Hills

* Should: “I think an ideal office--for me--is one that is comfortable with a homey look, which puts people at ease. My office is very quiet. I actually prefer a smaller space, because it offers a sense of intimacy. I use my office for counseling, studying, meetings and classes. It’s got comfortable club chairs, a sofa, lots of pictures and eight floor-to-ceiling bookshelves--clergy like to read a lot. Basically, it has what I’d call ‘an old shoe feeling.’ ”

* Shouldn’t: “One where there wasn’t any privacy, where there weren’t any elements that gave life to the room. I guess like the Social Security Administration office--a very impersonal kind of place where lots of people share desks. I think we need a sense of warmth and personality in our workplaces.”

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The geek: Steve Trilling, development manager, Symantec Anti-Virus Research Center, Santa Monica

* Should: “Very casual. And fun--with lots of toys. I have power putty--green and blue--lots of Slinkies and an Erector Set that people put together when they’re in my office talking to me. In our field, we have to work long hours and be very creative, so we try to make it as much fun as we can. Sometimes we feel like kids--eating candy and soda for breakfast, throwing balls and staying up past our bedtime. Also, since we’re working with computers, it’s a badge of pride to have the fastest machine on the block. We’re always comparing and bragging about that. Right now, we have a dual Pentium Pro 200, with 96 megs of memory, and a T1 connection to the Internet. People in other industries are sometimes very envious of this. At Symantec, we have a rec room called the Slac Lab that has a pingpong table, pool table and pinball machine. We also have ice cream parties and pizza parties there.”

* Shouldn’t: “That’s easy. Kind of like my stockbroker’s office. Four people sitting in one room, with no time to themselves and always forced to look happy and be dressed up. If you tell someone in my industry to wear a tie, stick to a formal regimen and come in at a certain time, you make them very unhappy. Also, we’d be very unhappy if we had no toys and we worked at a place where bosses monitored Internet sites to make sure you’re only visiting work-related sites. We just can’t work with the formalities and protocol of other industries.”

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The massage therapist: Ahmos Netanel, director, Massage Therapy Institute, Los Angeles

* Should: “A good massage therapy center should be designed with the massage therapist in mind. Certain things have to be addressed. For example, clients always get cold during massages because their metabolism rate is slowing, but the therapists always get hot during massages because they’re doing all that physical work. In a lot of places, they just put one vent over the client’s back, so when lotion is spread on the client’s back, the client gets cold immediately. We use a system where air comes in and then return air recirculates, so this won’t happen. We also provide a full-body heating pad and flannel sheets, so the client is always warm and comfortable. The size of the space is important. A therapist can’t work in a tiny cubicle--the room has to be large enough so the therapist can do joint mobility, stretching, etc., and not be cramped. There should be hydraulic tables so the therapist can do good work, for if the table is too high, the therapist must use more muscle, and then his actions are more jerky and unstable. The place must be clean and calming, and there should be indirect lighting, which can be adjusted for the client. The moment you walk into our center, you hear a waterfall and smell a scent from an aromatherapy infuser. People take massages to escape the pressures of their daily lives--it’s like a one-hour vacation.”

* Shouldn’t: “In most spas, they don’t consider the massage therapist when they choose a massage room. Some of the rooms look like broom closets, and they just stick a massage table in there, and say, ‘There you go.’ ”

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The psychiatrist: Dr. Jerry Martin, Santa Barbara

* Should: “A place that provides a sense of reliability and security, a sense of wellness and warmth to it, but at the same time has boundaries--it’s intimate but not personal. It does not contain personal effects--photographs of friends and loved ones, but still it is comfortable. The office environment should help one to work and be pleasant--this is particularly important for psychiatrists who spend a lot of time in their offices alone, unlike other professionals who work with colleagues. My office’s colors are muted--the less imposing the better-- and there is neutral artwork--landscapes, a Chinese print, a watercolor. I stay away from bright reds and yellows that seem to have universal implications for people.

There is a separate exit in my office, so that clients can leave without being seen. And I have a couch because I still do some psychoanalysis, although most of my colleagues in psychiatry do not have couches anymore, because so many are moving toward practices that are strictly ‘medication management’; their offices are more oriented toward 10- to 15-minute interviews--they might have two comfortable chairs, a desk and a computer.”