Kitchen & Bath 2025
Murdock Solon Architects Creates a Homey Haven for a Video Editing Studio’s New York Office
New York
Architects & Firms
Designing post-production studios has become a specialty for Murdock Solon Architects. Over the last 15 years, it has done nearly a dozen boutique facilities for video- and sound-editing companies, with a few more in progress. While each is unique, one commonality is they feel more like high-end residential spaces than corporate offices. Workspaces balance comfort and utility; daylight is prioritized, and the overall vibe is warm and mellow, not cold and sterile. Central to the plans—literally and experientially—are communal gathering spaces.
California-based Cabin Edit’s 5,000-square-foot space in New York, on the top level of a gut-renovated five-floor loft building in SoHo, showcases Murdock Solon’s approach. The work happens in smartly furnished edit bays and offices, located along the perimeter to accommodate privacy—the company handles sensitive, high-profile video content, like Super Bowl commercials. But the heart is the café-like lounge, defined by a walnut-framed partition with rattan caning and comprising three small booths and two round tables, and the generous kitchen oriented around a large travertine-topped island. (Steps away is a slightly smaller dining spot.)
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The intimate lounge (1 & 2) and generous kitchen (top of page) were designed for decompression and community. Photos © William Jess Laird, click to enlarge.
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While there are tools around to aid in productivity (phones, pens, paper), these communal areas weren’t envisioned as extensions of the workspace. Rather, they were designed as places for socialization and decompression—Murdock Solon principal Satoi Akimoto says Cabin Edit wanted something “homey.” Editors pull up at booths for a breather or gather with clients at the larger tables. In the kitchen, stools like inverted chess pawns surround the island, an invitation to linger over food and talk about life beyond work. “It’s not just a pantry where you grab lunch and go to your room,” Akimoto says about the kitchen. “People hang out there. It’s like a house party.”
It helps that it’s a space easy to hang out in. Venetian plaster and dark wood millwork throughout give it a warm, Mediterranean feel. The caned partition and booth seating create an intimate setting in the lounge; custom cabinetry and matching travertine counters invoke an upscale residential kitchen. And, even though there’s limited access to direct sunlight, fritted glass in edit-bay and office doors ensures the core isn’t solely reliant on artificial lighting. In fact, the mix of diffused natural and warm ambient light is pleasantly anti-corporate.
As important as it was to make Cabin Edit’s office feel comfortable, though, Akimoto says it was just as necessary not to make it too cozy. Work needs to get done, after all. Booth benches are tight and stiff. There are no seat backs or solid walls around the lounge tables or the kitchen stools. Privacy, generally, is difficult.
Still, the residential atmosphere Murdock Solon creates is undeniable. And it begins with the lounge and kitchen—central communal areas that generate and rejuvenate employees’ energy and enthusiasm.
“That social aspect is something you cannot replace in a working-from-home environment,” Akimoto says. “That’s the incentive. It’s actually better—nicer—to be here in the office.”
Click plan to enlarge
Credits
Architect:
Murdock Solon Architects — Satoi Akimoto, partner; Morgane Lebeuf, associate
Engineer:
2L Engineering
Interior Designer:
Maison Trouvaille
General Contractor:
Dennis Darcy Construction Group
Client:
Cabin Edit
Size:
5,000 square feet
Cost:
$3.1 million
Completion Date:
July 2023
Sources
Interior Finishes:
Travertine Navona (island top), Fisher & Paykel (refrigerator, stove, recirculator), U-Line (wine chiller, dishwasher), Sub-Zero (beverages refrigerator)
Stools:
Jayson Home
Lighting:
Space Copenhagen (pendant), WAC Lighting (track), All-Star Lighting (downlights), YLighting (sconce)
Plumbing:
Elkay, California Faucet
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