Perfect Pitch

In public relations, image is everything, as the New York space of Veeder + Perman demonstrates

A.E. Block -- Interior Design, 6/1/2002 12:00:00 AM

Design and home-furnishings PR firm Veeder + Perman was already renovating its 2,700-square-foot office in New York when business began to boom. "All of a sudden, we outgrew it," says Mark Veeder, coprincipal with Esther Perman. Fortuitously, 5,500 square feet on the floor beneath became available—which was almost too much of a good thing. The two partners knew they would need a good portion of the new space, but not all of it, to house Veeder + Perman as well as Veeder's special-events company, EventQuest. To pick up the slack, Veeder and Perman decided to bring in design professionals as subtenants, forming an extremely stylish co-op of architects, Web designers, and cultural-program planners.

Although the lower floor was essentially ready to move into, it did need some attention to reflect the firm's casual yet professional image. "The shell was there. It just had to be decorated," says interior designer Corinne Calesso. She and William Hellow, partners in American Design Company, handled color, lighting, and the installation of a storage system. The ceiling, painted in calming shades of blue, counterbalances a lack of windows. Fluorescent lighting was upgraded with full-spectrum lamps. To maintain a sleek, minimalist appearance, floor-to-ceiling commercial-grade metal cabinets lining a long hallway provide discreet but ample storage.

Cleverly, Veeder + Perman's makeover integrates products manufactured by the firm's prominent design clients, including Alessi, Toto, and Villeroy & Boch. The elliptical conference room, designed by subtenant Meyer Davis Studio and shared by all tenants, is differentiated by gossamer Robert Allen fabric and anchored by a Karastan rug. (Veeder + Perman reps the latter manufacturer.) A high-backed sofa, similar to one that EventQuest designed for a party in 2000, follows the curve of a wall, lending the room a loungelike feel distinct within the office's open plan. "The conference room breaks up the space and gives it movement," explains Meyer Davis principal Gray Davis.

Meyer Davis was also responsible for the L-shape front desk. Further defining the lofty reception area, four tall partitions are fitted with hundreds of 3/4-inch-square blue glass mosaic tiles by Bisazza, another client. "Most people think of tile only in the bathroom or kitchen," says Veeder. "We like to experiment."