Law firms such as Palmer & Dodge in Boston are trading in the traditional conservative look of such establishments for a more contemporary design.
When most people think about the decor of a Boston law firm, “conservative” is the first adjective that comes to mind – dark wood surrounding panels of law books and chairs in dark greens or plaids. Not anymore. Boston interior designers say that senior partners are throwing that old, stodgy look out the window in favor of bright colors, bold statements and cutting-edge designs.
“Firms these days, like any other business, want to have an adventurous image, something more contemporary,” said Kathy Powers, a senior associate at the Boston architectural firm CBT/Childs Bertman Tseckares. “They need to attract new lawyers just out of school; they also need to attract business.”
The shift in law firm interior design has changed radically over the past 10 years, Powers said. Palmer & Dodge, credited as the first such firm to move its offices out of Boston’s Financial District and into 111 Huntington Ave. in the city’s Back Bay section, is also one of the first to drastically change its image through interior design. Employees, tired of the beige-filled offices, craved a dramatic new space.
“It was old and tired, more traditional,” Palmer & Dodge Executive Director Ross Farrar said. “When our lease was up, we looked at it as an opportunity for a fresh, new look.”
CBT, building upon the views of the Blue Hills and the Christian Science Center Reflective Pool, created a 2-story reception area with steel-and-glass accents, contemporary lighting and modern furniture to emphasize the 21st century workplace.
“We didn’t want to be old and stuffy. We wanted to be a little high-tech without going crazy,” he said. “The steel screen in the lobby is a little contemporary but not in an overbearing way.”
The design also incorporated glass-enclosed rooms at the end of each corridor. Those fishbowls, as Farrar calls them, allow sunlight throughout the hallways. Sidelights in the individual offices also capitalize on natural light. The full-scale dining area satisfied the firm’s thirst for color; alternating walls of tangerines, limes and plums complement chairs of the same varying tones.
“Everyone loves it,” Farrar said. “There’s a variety of seating [in the cafeteria]; there’s an overstuffed chair area with a coffee table, which gives it a different feel. It’s bright, cheerful and a little funky.”
The move toward contemporary designs accommodates other changes in the industry. For one, law offices in the past were driven by the corner-office layout. Floors had little variety and consisted of cookie-cutter reception areas and conference rooms. Firms are becoming more space-efficient; gone are the days when each lawyer retained their own secretary. Assistants are now shared by a group of attorneys. There are other changes – conference rooms and multi-purpose rooms are larger and practice spaces are more comfortable, casual and flexible. Powers says that it’s the public spaces where firms spend most of the money.
“Like any other business, they’re interested in branding,” she said.
For example, CBT’s design for Foley Hoag LLP at its new waterfront location in downtown Boston reflected the firm’s pioneer spirit and its location. A 2-story reception area provides views toward the city and out over the water and a reflecting pool brings the outside indoors. CBT also incorporated the firm’s logo, a spinning gyroscope. The shape appears in carpets, on stairwell panels and in the dining room. Conference rooms are egg-shaped and the dining area was dubbed the Gyro Cafe.
Brown Rudnick Berlack & Israel could be called the pioneer in taking a bold approach to firm branding. When CBT originally designed Brown Rudnick’s downtown Boston space in 1986, work revolved around a centerpiece – a 2-story, black-and-white wall mural designed by Sol LeWitt, an international artist who also commissioned a piece at Christie’s in New York City’s Rockefeller Center. Recent touch-ups have preserved the LeWitt centerpiece, and provide an example of another law firm trend – the move toward state-of-the-art technology.
Brown Rudnick recently completed a new lobby and conference area, which features a table with microphones and two plasma screens. The idea was to connect its offices across the region and the globe.
Marilyn Stempler, a partner at Brown Rudnick and a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, said that when she asked the firm’s managing partner how he would like the firm communicated through design, he said he wanted an image of a cutting-edge, forward-thinking, international law firm. The trend, it seems, is catching on.
