A Tour of Sapphire Ventures’ New Palo Alto Office

Location: Palo Alto, California
Date completed: 2018
Size: 6,831 square feet
Design: Studio O+A
Photos: Garrett Rowland

Michal
Finance
6 years ago

Sapphire Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in innovative technology companies, recently hired interior design Studio O+A, to design their new office in Palo Alto, California.

“O+A designed Sapphire Ventures’ recharged space in Palo Alto to be an expression of these dichotomies. A visioning session with Sapphire’s team uncovered two-fold aspirations for virtually every aspect of the new space: elegant, but industrial; intense, but warm; edgy, but comfortable. (Not too comfortable). We recognized this duality as central to the success of a company that balances visionary resource allocation with asset management based on the classic principles of finance. The result was a small office that conveys a big scope. Sapphire’s specialty is venture capital for companies that have proven the viability of their concepts and are now at a point of scaling up. O+A’s design framed the office as a compact wheelhouse steering rapid growth companies to sustainable prosperity. The aesthetic requirements were comfort, strength and openness to new thinking. A kitchen and a lounge space that would not be out of place in a cozy, modern apartment adjoin private consultation rooms appropriate to a bank. Sculptural light fixtures capture the modernity of a company that invests in the future, while warm wood reassures that that future will be shaped by values we share. Overall the impact is friendly, professional, forward-looking and confident—a message all can welcome in turbulent times.”