InBusiness Commercial Design Award

Best New Development: Office

The purpose of this project was to create a space for the realtors of Sprinkman Real Estate and the interior designers of Sprinkman Design Collective to provide a seamless process for clients to find a house and make it their home. Designers were challenged to encourage collaboration between the two business entities in a comfortable, open office in the heart of downtown Madison.

The 6,200-square-foot facility, set inside of a historic building, features modern furnishings, unique finishes, and thoughtful architectural details. The workspace also doubles as a show floor where clients can see, test, and ultimately purchase furniture pieces, allowing them to receive designer items with confidence and giving Sprinkman realtors an opportunity to update the look and feel of the office.

The offices feature floor-to-ceiling windows across three sides of the property to flood the interior with natural light and dim it with electronically controlled Lutron shades. It also features natural finishes including wood detail on ceilings and walls and live plants throughout from floor, to table, to wall. “Bright, intriguing, and welcoming,” notes one CDA judge who praised the office’s interactive feel. “Color and material planes slide past each other in both the vertical and horizontal plane, sparking interest and curiosity.”

A favored architectural feature for CDA judges is the wood slat ceiling that is sometimes floating and sometimes enveloped into a ceiling cove, which adds a common thread that moves through the office’s private and public areas. “The black accent walls and trim add another spark of interest to the crisp white walls,” says one judge.

Another judge praised the interior detailing for its neutral palette “juxtaposed with more saturated art choices,” while a third judge lauded the “dual creation” as an amazing office environment for employees, particularly the daylight harvesting. “It allowed them to bring in natural light, and with the vast number of plants, give it that homey feel while at the same time incorporating green features and sustainable building practices.”