May 10, 2019

Text: Jesse Dorris

Lucy Harris Studio Invests in a Classic Look for a Financial Services Headquarters

The custom reception desk is honed Arabescato Ovulato marble, framed by slats of rift white oak veneer in an ebonized stain. Photography by Garrett Rowland, courtesy of Lucy Harris Studio.

When a financial services company needed new offices in Greenwich, Connecticut, its executives wanted the design to embody the firm’s focus on developing long-term client relationships. The headquarters’ ambience, they decided, should not only continue to look fresh as those relationships matured, but also include nods to hospitality to make clients in a jittery financial market feel comfortable. 

Roll & Hill’s Circle pendant hangs above a Knoll table and Bernhardt chairs in the conference room. Photography by Garrett Rowland, courtesy of Lucy Harris Studio.

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“The architect, Dan Radman, had developed a layout that fostered a strong connection between reception and the board room and another conference room, which are client-centered spaces,” says Lucy Harris, principal of her eponymous design firm. Her team polished up the 10,850 square feet with investment pieces that include Charlotte Perriand sconces and concrete side tables by Francesco Balzano. 

The pantry area features Gubi stools and Apparatus pendants. Photography by Garrett Rowland, courtesy of Lucy Harris Studio.

Executive offices line the perimeter, with open workstations within, all in what Harris calls “a high-contrast palette of white walls, dark furniture, and architectural elements as it felt fresh, clean, and dramatic.” And just in case the pantry and conference rooms are full, private lounge areas are carved out by slatted walls next to reception. “They open up and connect spaces by giving views and light,” Harris says, two qualities any client might appreciate.

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A Living Divani sofa and Thomas Hontz Associates tables form the reception seating area, beneath a Serge Mouille chandelier from Studio Twenty Seven. Photography by Garrett Rowland, courtesy of Lucy Harris Studio.
The pantry’s lounge area features Vitra chairs and a Knoll table. Photography by Garrett Rowland, courtesy of Lucy Harris Studio.

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