Four One Nine is a socially minded creative space

Green garden at Four One Nine by Síol Studios

(Image credit: Joe Fletcher)

last updated 28 June 2022

Contributions from

A new creative hub for San Francisco, Four One Nine by Síol Studios ambitiously combines art display, product development, and digital content production. The brainchild of business coach, creative director and photographer Sonya Yu, Four One Nine was conceived to cater for the creative community as a place to serve local talent and generate positive change; and its design and interior, carefully crafted by the Síol team and led by studio principal Robo Gerson, reflect those values through openness, green elements and bright, welcoming and flexible spaces.

Síol Studios, co-founded by Jessica Weigley and Kevin Hackett, was guided by functionality and versatility in the design. A large, column-less gallery makes for a multifunctional space for shows and events, while a small but practical kitchen serves as the venue’s food preparation spot as well as a location for photoshoots. Office and meeting rooms around these spaces flow in a largely open plan arrangement with a dramatic staircase at its heart (built in collaboration with steel fabricator Henry DeFauw and concrete fabricator Concreteworks), which becomes a real centrepiece in the overall interior architecture.

Seating area and library at Four One Nine by Síol Studios

A strong green element defines the design. A planted wall (including a thriving beehive) designed by Habitat Horticulture, the firm behind the greenery at SFMOMA, gently dominates the terrace area and remains visible inside through large windows. Outdoor furniture, water features and landscaping help complete a rich open-air experience for users – one that also seeps into the indoors, thanks to the strategically planned vistas.

Art, such as the colourful murals by Dave Muller, blend with natural, tactile materials – white ash wood, three-dimensional tiles, Caesarstone countertops – to deliver a layered interior experience. Meanwhile, bespoke elements ensure every part of the space is entirely fit for purpose.

‘While the interior is protected from unwanted noise pollution, it’s also acutely connected to the world around it. Throughout the interior, massive, carefully placed skylights flood the space with light and create a visceral link between Four One Nine and the changing weather, cloud cover, and sun intensity, all of which register on the interior walls,' say the design team.

Terrace at Four One Nine by Síol Studios

Outdoors space at Four One Nine by Síol Studios

Main staircase showing the open plan interior at Four One Nine by Síol Studios

Green wall in the terrace of Four One Nine by Síol Studios

Green urban garden at Four One Nine by Síol Studios

White interior with staircase lit from above at Four One Nine by Síol Studios

Staircase with black vertical elements in white and light wood background at Four One Nine by Síol Studios

Installation at gallery of Four One Nine by Síol Studios

White bathroom with skylight at Four One Nine by Síol Studios

Large windows and skylights at Four One Nine by Síol Studios

Light coming in from everywhere at meeting room and offices of Four One Nine by Síol Studioslight coming in from everywhere at meeting room and offices of Four One Nine by Síol Studios

Kitchen at Four One Nine by Síol Studios

INFORMATION

siolstudios.com

fouronenine.com

TOPICS

USA Cultural architecture

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture Editor at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018) and Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020).

With contributions from

Joe Fletcher - Photography