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Wix and Stantec Redefine the Office

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When you think of an office, grass-colored carpets with cabanas, a pool table and hanging lounge chairs probably don’t come to mind, unless you work at Wix. Wix’s new office in Miami Beach redefines the office setting. Although they do a lot of web building, they left the architecture and design of the office to Stantec in Miami. Stantec kept in mind what Wix stands for and their innovative work ethic. They created a bright and energetic space with a lot of natural light, colors, and unique features, which were recently shared on Forbes.

Web building and design disruptor Wix has made it simple and fun for people of all skill levels to drag-and-drop design a business website. The platform is praised for its intuitive UX, attractive designs and supportive community. I took a tour through Wix’s Miami office, and chatted with Shelly Cohen, head of WixStores Business Development, and with U.S. Operations Manager Dax Pedraza about how Wix’s physical work spaces reflect the company’s open-minded and collaborative philosophy.

Regardless of what continent or country the office may be, “Wix has an open-minded environment and a unique vibe—and it starts with the office design,” says Cohen.

The interior design of every Wix office is characterized by bright colors, clear windows and proximity to the beach. In Miami, the office is located within footsteps of the Lincoln Road pedestrian thoroughfare, not to mention many famous restaurants and nightspots. That being said, the office still feels like a workplace—distant from the chaotic noise and odors of Miami Beach.

Designed by architecture firm Stantec, the Wix Miami office is an aesthetic treat from the minute the elevator opens into reception. The Wix sign is stenciled over a green wall, so the three letters are actually green moss. Immediately inside reception, three grownup-sized swings, with fake roses intertwined, beckon guests to come and kick their feet up.

To see more of this unique office space, visit Forbes.

Stantec Workplace Design Expert Discusses Office Kitchen Trends with WSJ

kitchenFor Michelle Scholtes, the secret to putting together a gourmet office lunch is the cooking toolkit she keeps at work. Ms. Scholtes, who is 30 years old, relies on mini salad tongs, a small cutting board, a paring knife, salt and pepper shakers, a miniature chef’s knife and two titanium sporks. She uses them in the kitchen of the non-profit in Washington where she works. Her favorite utensil is a silicone spatula with which she caramelizes onions and grills peaches for a savory goat cheese salad, she says.

Cubicle dwellers are stocking everything from chef’s knives to avocado slicers at their desks and bringing in ready-to-cook ingredients like those in DIY meal kits. The result is more time spent stirring—and socializing—in the office kitchen. The trend is taking off among young workers who are foodies but want to save money by not going out, says Diane Stegmeier, a consultant who helps companies manage change in the workplace. “We are seeing an emphasis on not just eating healthy, but also eating with others,” she says.

Gabriella Casimir, 25, a community manager for a co-working firm in New York City, sticks to just a few ingredients that can stay fresh in the office pantry. As far as ingredients, “I try to keep it minimal,” she says. One of her favorite lunches is summer rolls, an eggroll-type concoction that doesn’t require frying. To create it, Ms. Casimir uses warm water to transform crunchy rice paper into a soft shell. She stuffs it mostly with vegetables and “rolls into a burrito.” She uses the company blender to create a mango peanut dipping sauce or a creamy cilantro aioli.

While there are few hard-and-fast rules for cooking in the office, one no-no is fish, says Francesca Cwynar, a 28-year-old public-relations manager. “Even cold tuna smells pretty extra,” she says. To keep the open-plan office where she works from smelling like weekend brunch, Ms. Cwynar swaps morsels of unsmoked pancetta into recipes that call for bacon, which can be too strong for the office.

Microwaving certain vegetables is off-limits, too, because some can smell as bad as boiled eggs. “There’s nothing worse than someone who has microwaved a whole pack of Brussels sprouts,” says Ms. Scholtes, who adds that she avoids strong spices including cumin because the aroma can linger the entire day.

That said, people seem to like the aroma of melted cheese and tomato sauce. Ms. Cwynar keeps garlic, canned chickpeas and other non-perishables at her desk for an impromptu winter stew. She uses lunch as an excuse to step away from her email and “stimulate some good thoughts,” she says.

Quick and easy cleanup is key for Desiree Tizon, who keeps coconut oil, all-purpose seasoning and aluminum foil at her desk. Ms. Tizon often brings a sealed plastic sandwich bag of marinated tofu to the Weston, Fla., software firm where she works. She broils the tofu in the office’s convection oven to make it crunchy, and uses the oven’s bottom tray to cook asparagus or a sweet potato, which she pops in just before the lunch rush. Earlier in the day, she might use the same oven to make a breakfast frittata of egg whites and vegetables.

In recent years, Helen of Troy’s Oxo brand has introduced tiny sauce bottles, a microwave omelet maker and silicone baking cups for making mini frittatas. Many of the products are small enough to stash in a tote to customize meals on the go, says Karen Schnelwar, Oxo’s vice president of global brand strategy and marketing. A hand-held spiralizer, launched in 2015, cuts vegetables—including zucchini—into noodle shapes and can fit in a desk drawer. “We see a lot of people ‘zoodling’ in the middle of the day,” Ms. Schnelwar says.

Corporate kitchens are taking over larger, windowed spaces. Some are equipped with appliances and smaller kitchen gadgets such as waffle makers or panini grills, which appeal to office cooks, says Barbara Savage, a Miami-based senior associate at Stantec, a design consultancy. The option to cook in the middle of the day encourages a fun company culture where people can gather for lunchtime guacamole competitions, Ms. Savage says. Building codes prevent businesses from installing stoves, she says, but “you can make a batch of cookies in a toaster.”

To read the full story, visit The Wall Street Journal.

Stantec Flips the Script on Bland Office Kitchens

suffolk_kitchenIt’s 2017 and the workplace lounge is not what it used to be. Gone are the days of generic tables and chairs, awful fluorescent lighting, and laminate countertops. These days, designers are kicking things up a notch to create a home-like space for that one special area in the office that serves as the heart and soul of employee gatherings – the office kitchen.

Companies of all sizes and specialties are revamping their office kitchens with modern design elements, bright colors, and warm welcoming furniture pieces that make you forget you’re on a lunch break at the office. Designers like those at Stantec Miami strive to create more welcoming environments where employees can gather and socialize comfortably, rather than eat at their desks. Most recently, Stantec Miami has designed unique office kitchen spaces for clients including PricewaterhouseCoopers, Inktel, Suffolk Construction, Hamburg Sud, and Hemisphere Media Group.

A few popular design trends Stantec is incorporating into office kitchen projects for its clients right now are pops of color using the company’s brand colors to emphasize a sense of place and unity, as well as physical spaces that encourage culture and engagement.

The choice of furniture, lighting and colors are all integral parts of inspiring beautifully designed spaces, but comfort and functionality are equally important. Check out some of our favorite workplace kitchen designs by Stantec below.pwc-kitchenhemisphere_kitchen