Clive Wilkinson Architects

Set foot in the 14,400-square-foot headquarters of this real-estate developer, and it's clear that something's up: the surf. Surfboard-shape tables are a trademark of Interior Design Hall of Fame member Clive Wilkinson, while the sea of white drywall forms was conceived with surfing enthusiast Robert Maguire specifically in mind. “The curves express the extreme motion of water,” Wilkinson says of the forms, which began as full-scale CNC-milled foam mock-ups. Finished versions cluster around the two conference rooms—enclosed by glass in shades of bottle green and aquamarine—then reappear as workstation dividers. Underfoot, poured marble-aggregate flooring recalls a raked beach, even if employees can't feel it between their toes.

PROJECT Hedge fund, New York.

STANDOUT A terrazzo spiral staircase, with its custom-shaped low-iron glass balustrade, connects two levels filled with contemporary art.

PROJECT New York Academy of Sciences.

STANDOUT Latticework of painted MDF maps out downtown Manhattan streets, pinpointing the academy's previous locations.

PROJECT Bartle Bogle Hegarty, New York.

STANDOUT For maximum IT flexibility, the entire work space rests on an exposed concrete-panel floor raised 6 inches above the building's subfloor.

See photos of all the projects in the December 2007 issue of Interior Design. Photo by Benny Chan / Fotoworks.