Charlap Hyman & Herrero Reimagines the Modern Workplace with a Retrofuturistic Los Angeles Office
When most people picture a contemporary office, they conjure images of open-plan layouts, neutral palettes, and modular furniture systems that prioritize efficiency over expression. New York–based interior design studio Charlap Hyman & Herrero has deliberately broken from that mold with a boldly conceived Los Angeles workspace that fuses retrofuturistic aesthetics with deeply considered functionality. The project, which features a suite of custom-designed workstations as its centerpiece, stands as one of the most visually arresting office interiors to emerge from the city in recent years — and a powerful argument for why workplace design deserves far more creative ambition than it typically receives.
Who Are Charlap Hyman & Herrero?
Founded by Adam Charlap Hyman and Andre Herrero, Charlap Hyman & Herrero has built a reputation for interiors that sit at a compelling intersection of art history, pop culture, and avant-garde design. The studio's portfolio ranges from private residences and hospitality projects to retail environments, each marked by a fearless use of color, pattern, and material. Their work consistently resists easy categorization — it is at once deeply researched and instinctively playful, referencing mid-century modernism, science fiction, and decorative arts traditions without being beholden to any single era. This Los Angeles office commission allowed them to apply that signature sensibility to a commercial context, with results that challenge assumptions about what a productive, professional environment can look like.
The Retrofuturistic Vision: Where the Past Meets Tomorrow
The term "retrofuturism" describes a design philosophy that imagines the future through the lens of a previous era — think the gleaming optimism of 1960s space-age interiors or the sleek organicism of mid-century concept cars. Charlap Hyman & Herrero channel this sensibility throughout the Los Angeles office, creating a space that feels simultaneously nostalgic and forward-looking. Smooth, sculptural forms are counterbalanced by vivid color choices. Materials reference both vintage craftsmanship and the clean geometries associated with speculative design. The overall effect is a workspace that feels genuinely unique — a built environment with a distinct personality that could belong nowhere else and to no other moment.
This approach is more than aesthetic novelty. Research increasingly supports the idea that distinctive, stimulating environments positively influence creativity, employee wellbeing, and organizational identity. By investing in a space that communicates a clear visual point of view, the client signals something meaningful about their culture and values — a message that resonates with employees and visitors alike.
Custom Workstations: The Design Heart of the Project
At the core of the project are the custom workstations that Charlap Hyman & Herrero developed specifically for this commission. Rather than specifying off-the-shelf furniture systems — the default approach for most commercial interiors — the studio designed pieces from the ground up, ensuring that every element of the workspace aligned with the broader aesthetic vision. These workstations are not mere functional objects; they are sculptural interventions that reinforce the retrofuturistic character of the space at human scale.
The decision to invest in custom furniture is significant. Bespoke workstations allow designers to resolve the tension between ergonomic requirements and visual ambition in ways that catalog products simply cannot. Form, proportion, material finish, and color can all be dialed in with precision, resulting in pieces that feel inevitable rather than incidental. For a studio like Charlap Hyman & Herrero, whose entire practice is built on the idea that every detail matters, the workstations represent perhaps the most direct expression of that philosophy within the project.
Material Choices and Craftsmanship
The studio's material palette for the workstations reflects the same careful layering of references that characterizes the wider interior. Surfaces carry the kind of tactile richness associated with high-end residential design, pushing back against the cold, impersonal finishes that typically dominate commercial furniture. The result is a workspace that invites touch and rewards close attention — a quality rarely associated with conventional office environments but increasingly recognized as important for human comfort and engagement.
Ergonomics Meets Aesthetics
A recurring challenge in bespoke commercial furniture design is ensuring that visual ambition does not come at the cost of usability. Charlap Hyman & Herrero navigated this with characteristic care, developing workstations that meet the practical demands of a working office while refusing to subordinate form to convention. The proportions, heights, and configurations have been resolved to support daily use, demonstrating that ergonomic intelligence and design boldness are entirely compatible objectives.
Spatial Experience: Moving Through the Office
Beyond the workstations themselves, the office unfolds as a cohesive spatial narrative. Each zone has been considered in relation to the whole, so that moving through the space feels like a deliberate progression rather than an accidental accumulation of decisions. Lighting, ceiling treatment, flooring, and wall finishes all contribute to an atmosphere that is immersive without being overwhelming — a fine balance that requires both technical skill and a strong conceptual framework to achieve.
The Los Angeles context is also woven into the project's DNA. California's particular quality of light, its history of architectural experimentation, and its ongoing role as a hub for creative industry all inform the choices Charlap Hyman & Herrero have made here. The office feels rooted in its city even as it reaches toward an imagined future.
Why This Project Matters for the Future of Office Design
The Charlap Hyman & Herrero Los Angeles office arrives at a pivotal moment for commercial interiors. As organizations continue to navigate the shift toward hybrid and flexible working patterns, the physical office is being asked to justify its existence in new ways. Spaces that are merely functional — that offer little beyond a desk and a screen — struggle to compete with the comfort and convenience of home working. The offices that succeed are those that offer something genuinely irreplaceable: a sense of identity, a quality of environment, and a level of design investment that no home setup can replicate.
This project makes exactly that case. By commissioning Charlap Hyman & Herrero to create a space with genuine character — complete with custom workstations, a cohesive retrofuturistic vision, and uncompromising material quality — the client has invested in a workplace that gives people a reason to show up. In doing so, they have also created a landmark interior that advances the conversation about what office design can and should aspire to be.
A New Benchmark for Creative Workplaces
Charlap Hyman & Herrero's futuristic Los Angeles office is the kind of project that shifts expectations. It demonstrates that commercial interiors need not default to anonymity, that custom furniture is a worthwhile investment when vision and craft align, and that the retrofuturistic aesthetic — far from being a stylistic indulgence — can serve the very real human need for environments that inspire, energize, and endure. As workplace design continues to evolve in response to changing patterns of work, projects like this one will be looked back on as early markers of a more ambitious, more humanistic approach to how we shape the spaces where ideas are made.