Narrate Design

INTERIOR OFFICE RENOVATION

When Narrate Design (formerly Selser Schaefer Architects) decided to relocate from its location in the historic Ice House, the firm knew it faced a tall order in finding and designing the right new office space. With its high ceilings, expansive windows, and open environment, the Ice House defined how Narrate works as a studio and served as a beacon for design in our community.

Early in its search, Narrate came upon the TransOk Building, a 1929 Art Deco masterpiece in downtown Tulsa with a ground floor awaiting the right occupant.

Narrate had found its new home.

Combining the Old with the New

Coinciding with the firm’s 30^th anniversary and company rebrand, Narrate’s new office serves as a display of its team’s interior design and renovation prowess. They set out to capture the qualities that made the previous office unique and thoughtfully crafted while responding to the prominent downtown corner location and historic charm of the TransOk space. What resulted is an open and light-filled studio punctuated by subtle Art Deco nods and flanked by sophisticated and daringly moody support spaces. Original building features like the concrete structure, large windows, and stone tile floors remain untouched, while new elements are defined by simple forms and a refined material palette subtly accented with the signature green of the firm’s new brand.

People-First Design

Narrate’s new office takes a space destined for retail or dining and instead highlights the firm’s design talent and its most valuable asset—its people. The open-plan studio, alongside a variety of private and communal spaces, encourages collaboration and offers many options for working and meeting.

Formal conference rooms, common areas, and lounge spaces are named after downtown districts, grounding the space in its community and honoring the locations of many award-winning firm projects.

Overall, the build-out carefully combines Art Deco inspiration and contemporary office amenities to create a thoughtful showcase of interior architecture that puts people first.

Narrate’s downtown headquarters responds to the most challenging of all design briefs—architects and designers successfully designing a space for themselves—the results of which capture the spirit of the firm’s people-first mission while showcasing the passion and talent team Narrate brings to the community.