A Soothing Office Space Redesign

When a Los Angeles-based psychotherapist acquired a tarnished historic structure, architect Barrett Cooke, cofounder of the firm Arterberry Cooke, transformed it from an austere edifice into a soothing environment for hosting clients, parties, and other uplifting gatherings.

Tell us about your professional background:
My route to pursuing the design world actually began because I was interested in furniture design. I ended up getting a master’s in interior architecture because I enjoyed working at that scale. I then moved out to Los Angeles and worked in small boutique architecture firms. A few years ago, I met my business partner, Alice Arterberry, who was moving from LA to Austin, Texas, when we started working together. Now we run independent offices in each city while continuing to collaborate.

Did this project’s client have any specific requests for your team?
Michelle came to me with very clear, pragmatic goals, which were to make this space work for a therapy practice. It was already somewhat set up for that; there was a large central gathering area and many small, more private rooms. We didn’t have to change much in terms of the layout or flow of the rooms, but we did add a few others.

So now there’s space for all her therapists to practice, and they’re also able to host events like lectures from different psychoanalysts or therapists; the internal team will also meet sometimes in the upper lounge. Michelle is able to use it as a community space too. It’s perfect because the building had a huge central hall that kind of craved for it to be utilized in that way. It was so spacious that you would never just fill it with people waiting for their appointments.

How did you approach this project?
This office occupies a very old building in Garvanza, a neighborhood in northeastern Los Angeles. It had a complicated history because several owners made various changes and add-ons. It was founded as a library, but most recently it was the home of the Danish Soldier Society. The structure is also in a Historic Preservation Overlay Zone, meaning we were restricted on what we could change.

We were charmed by the structure’s potential, so when we first walked in the door, we expected to make straightforward habitability and accessibility updates. But this ended up being fairly complicated, primarily because there was no HVAC system; we had to add one without disturbing certain historical elements. We ended up putting in a VRF system, which allows for individually controlled rooms instead of needing to install bulky ductwork. In the end, it’s actually a great feature because not every room is in use at the same time, so they can remain comfortable only where needed and turn off cooling elsewhere.

As for the exterior, the biggest changes were painting, repairing old windows, and other general upkeep. Also, the original doors didn’t meet accessibility requirements, so we replaced them with large new ones; ramps and stairs were added for this purpose too.

The interiors bridge a commercial and residential feel. Was that intentional?
Yes, and much of that is attributed to the colors. Therapy is obviously an emotional process, so making the interiors feel very comfortable and not clinical and dull was important. In an earlier iteration of the design, we suggested some more blatantly professional elements, like dark wood and old-school clinical decor, but Michelle was not interested in that. So we decided that a light and warm environment would help put people at ease.

We have an interior design team on staff, and one of them, Emily Carlin, took the lead on that. She attended an art show for Agnes Pelton, who made colorful, desertlike paintings with soothing colors, which inspired her. She brought the concept to Michelle and asked if we could use it as a guidepost for decorating decisions; she loved the idea (and the artist, actually). We pulled the soft pastel colors and tones throughout the space from the art, which perfectly created the calming atmosphere Michelle was after. She even scattered Agnes Pelton books throughout the office after the project was done, so it was really sweet seeing her connect the inspiration with the results.

What is your favorite part of the results?
I just love that each room has its own little personality, yet it feels like they are all in conversation with one another. The decor is also distinct throughout. It was really fun for my team and me to play with the furniture setups and imagine how each space would be used differently.

A lot of this uniqueness by room comes down to color. I think people currently feel much more willing to experiment with it rather than having primarily neutral ambiences. One of the first things you talk about when you’re in architectural design school is paint. It’s a more affordable way to transform a structure. Likewise, people are embracing bolder textures, patterns, and colors with kitchen cabinetry and countertops, going beyond simple all-white stone and Shaker cabinets, for example.

We also tried to integrate more decorative lighting than basic can lights. We still used those, especially in the kitchen and bathroom zones, but for the overarching atmosphere we integrated decorative fixtures like sconces and chandeliers. It is a workspace, after all, so the therapists who work there do need brightness to be productive, but when they are hosting an event in the building or conversing with patients, they can adjust how much lighting they wish to use, highlighting certain areas or reducing the intensity.

Overall, I think this project was a nice reuse of a historic place that had not been updated in a long time. I loved seeing it transform from a Danish Soldier Society hall to a community-focused place for adults to connect, get treatment, and socialize. The most fulfilling part was shaping the space for this strong community purpose and bringing it into the modern era.

For more info, visit arterberrycooke.com