Yves Behar Introduces Innovative Coworking Space, CANOPY
As more professionals opt to telecommute, co-working spaces are gaining more traction than ever before. Startups such as WeWork and LiquidSpace helped popularize the movement toward communal workplaces and have rapidly expanded their footprint in major tech and creative havens such as San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles. Patrons praise the community spirit these spaces foster—and the increased autonomy it affords workers not too keen on following rigid standards of corporate behavior.
Impressed with this new generation of workspaces, Yves Béhar is offering his own take. The legendary designer, whose robust list of clients includes Herman Miller, Puma, Swarovski, Samsung, and Prada, recently unveiled CANOPY, a sophisticated approach to the coworking setting founded in collaboration with partners Amir Mortazavi and Steve Mohebi. CANOPY aims to merge the latest in contemporary design with the fundamental goal of making professional environments friendlier, more accessible, and optimal for serious workers of all walks.
Slated to open its doors in the fall, CANOPY will call San Francisco’s affluent Pacific Heights neighborhood home. Real estate developer M-PROJECTS—co-founded by Mortazavi—is spearheading the building design from the ground up. Currently, co-working spaces are almost nonexistent in the primarily residential area, leaving professionals with long commutes to hectic business parks.
Canopy Coworking Space Designed by Yves Béhar Prioritizes Connection
“Our goal is to bring great people together in a mature work environment that stimulates great ideas that design can amplify,” says Behar. “Rather than focusing on fun and entertainment, CANOPY will provide a striking workspace that balances open plan and private spaces. There are no foosball tables here.”
Behar’s concierge-style amenities program and selection of office furnishings more than compensate for the lack of foosball and ping-pong. Members will enjoy various office furnishings designed by Behar, including Herman Miller’s Sayl task chairs and Public Office Landscape desk systems. Michael Anastassiades’ pendants for FLOS will hang overhead, and Heath Ceramics will cover the entire back wall with its tiles. Other furnishings will range from the likes of Joe Colombo, Alexander Girard, Stilnovo, and Don Chadwick, another Herman Miller veteran behind the iconic Aeron task chair. Complementing the furnishings are a Juicero Press in the communal kitchen and August Smart Locks throughout, both designed by Behar.
“It’s that pioneering spirit of makers, past and present, that we want to celebrate in CANOPY’s design approach,” adds Behar.
