Fortune magazine not only has a new owner–Thai business mogul Chatchaval Jiaravanon–but it also has some fancy new digs.
The magazine’s new offices at 40 Fulton Street are a bit of an upgrade from the aesthetic at 225 Liberty Street, where Fortune once woked out of when it was part of Time Inc. For the first time, Fortune had the opportunity to design its own office that looks “high end enough to host an interview with a Fortune 500 company exec but still embody the casual and hip vibe of a typical media company.”
“It was really important to build that culture in their office and build that cohesiveness,” said Suzette Ferrier, the senior associate from TPG who oversaw the construction of Fortune’s new space. She added that the company “wanted to be able to play in the same ball field as top CEOs but also have their own feel.”
The architects decided to reduce waste by saving some aspects of the previous tenant’s offices, including a set of large circular booths that were reupholstered with tan leather and a long wooden table. Both items now anchor a large kitchen area with stainless steel appliances, white cabinetry, a long island and black-and-white-marble-clad counters and backsplash. The kitchen is separated from the open newsroom by hanging black, translucent pieces of felt cut in floral, geometric shapes. The panels can slide along a track on the ceiling and extend about three-quarters of the way to the floor. They allow workers to create a barrier — albeit a non-soundproof one — between the kitchen and the open newsroom during the work day, or to open up the kitchen to the rest of the office for an all-hands meeting.
