The offices of boutique firm McLeish Orlando Lawyers are endowed with a new lounge space 18 floors above downtown Toronto. Locally based Studio HA/WA synthesizes three previously disparate areas—a lounge, lunch room, and unused office—to create a new multifunctional setting lined with warm wood tones and soft curved focal points. “We intentionally created a space that was comfortable, yet sophisticated. A large part of that was introducing design elements, finishes, and furniture that you don’t expect in an office environment and lean slightly residential,” says Studio HA/WA founder and creative director Erin Hannon-Watkinson. “A large source of inspiration for the project was from hotel lobbies and lounges. They are a great example of utilizing a variety of seating and zones that all work together in one cohesive and sophisticated design.”
A cohesive flow characterizes the open layout, where rift-cut white oak wraps surfaces from millwork ceilings to architectural columns. Balance is a defining characteristic of the project, with durable porcelain floors contrasting quartz countertops and full-height fluted tiles stretching from backsplash to ceiling in the kitchen. Offsetting the neutral base of white walls and tonal gray tile floors, a sophisticated colorstory warms the lounge via commercial-grade upholstered seating. Green boucle armchairs, camel-colored velvet swivel chairs, sage-colored vinyl banquettes, rust-hued leather stools, and jewel-toned artwork by locally based artist Alexander Jowett round out the inviting palette with refinement.
