MetroEighteen’s office and showroom in Los Angeles is conceived as a home
MetroEighteen by Holm Studio is a project that consolidates office, showroom and staging warehouse for the leading audio-visual and lighting systems specialist in Los Angeles
MetroEighteen, a leading audio-visual and lighting systems specialist based in Los Angeles was after a new home – a headquarters that would act as offices, but also a showroom and staging warehouse where it could show off and dazzle its clients with innovative displays. Enter Holm Studio, the local architecture practice led by Ehran Holm, who proposed the redesign of the company's space into a domestic interior that is warm enough to feel like a home but at the same time rough and flexible so it can adapt to different set-ups and project needs.
MetroEighteen by Holm Studio: a warehouse interior with a domestic twist
Holm Studio composed an interior out of vintage and found objects, which are highlighted in different moods by colourful lighting – both ambient and spotlights, created by Sean O’Connor Lighting. It all sits in a raw, almost industrial environment that has been polished just enough to maintain a balance of warmth and refinement. 'This collection plays well in LA, a city that’s entrenched in the production and consumption of music and entertainment. The office also showcases the founder’s collection of music and video memorabilia compiled over many decades,' the studio writes.
A simple, white-painted façade features large glass shopfront-style windows which hint at the amazing lighting and colour displays inside. It also ensures ample natural light flows inside – illuminating the textures and architectural features in the space, such as the exposed roof rafters and layered brick and plaster. Furniture is by Janelle Lee.
'A sense of humour and whimsy,' were also important in the interior composition and overall feel. 'For example, speaker cones double as candy dishes; restored BMX bikes, radio station stickers, movie projectors, and turntable cabinets contrast with the muted backdrop,' the team explained.
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director 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), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
French bistro restaurant Maset channels the ease of the Mediterranean in LondonThis Marylebone restaurant is shaped by the coastal flavours, materials and rhythms of southern France
-
How ethical is Google Street View, asks Jon Rafman in CopenhagenIn 'Report a Concern - the Nine Eyes Archives' at Louisiana Museum of Art, Copenhagen, Jon Rafman considers technology's existential implications
-
Next-generation jeweller Rosalie Carlier is one to watchThe young jewellery designer creates sensuous but bold pieces intended to ‘evoke emotion in the wearer’
-
Step inside this resilient, river-facing cabin for a life with ‘less stuff’A tough little cabin designed by architects Wittman Estes, with a big view of the Pacific Northwest's Wenatchee River, is the perfect cosy retreat
-
Remembering Robert A.M. Stern, an architect who discovered possibility in the pastIt's easy to dismiss the late architect as a traditionalist. But Stern was, in fact, a design rebel whose buildings were as distinctly grand and buttoned-up as his chalk-striped suits
-
Own an early John Lautner, perched in LA’s Echo Park hillsThe restored and updated Jules Salkin Residence by John Lautner is a unique piece of Californian design heritage, an early private house by the Frank Lloyd Wright acolyte that points to his future iconic status
-
The Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s houses of the monthFrom wineries-turned-music studios to fire-resistant holiday homes, these are the properties that have most impressed the Wallpaper* editors this month
-
The Stahl House – an icon of mid-century modernism – is for sale in Los AngelesAfter 65 years in the hands of the same family, the home, also known as Case Study House #22, has been listed for $25 million
-
Houston's Ismaili Centre is the most dazzling new building in America. Here's a look insideLondon-based architect Farshid Moussavi designed a new building open to all – and in the process, has created a gleaming new monument
-
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fountainhead will be opened to the public for the first timeThe home, a defining example of the architect’s vision for American design, has been acquired by the Mississippi Museum of Art, which will open it to the public, giving visitors the chance to experience Frank Lloyd Wright’s genius firsthand
-
Clad in terracotta, these new Williamsburg homes blend loft living and an organic feelThe Williamsburg homes inside 103 Grand Street, designed by Brooklyn-based architects Of Possible, bring together elegant interiors and dramatic outdoor space in a slick, stacked volume