Forerunner Ventures Offices – San Francisco
Fennie + Mehl designed a sophisticated and welcoming space for the Forerunner Ventures offices in San Francisco, incorporating classical and ageless forms with contemporary accents.
Fennie + Mehl completed a sleek and warm space for the Forerunner Ventures offices in San Francisco, California.
Forerunner Ventures invests in teams who use innovation to solve consumer-focused problems. Known for their discerning eye, Forerunner wanted a sophisticated and welcoming space that reflects their own built-to-last attitude and inspires every entrepreneur lucky enough to pitch them.
With 8,500 sq. ft. within George Lucas’s Letterman Digital Arts Center in San Francisco’s Presidio, the Design Team created an aspirational and stylish home base.
Intrigue starts outside the front door, where repeating vertical slats allow for just a peek into the beautiful main lounge. Entering through a deliberately darkened passage with the navy-on-navy company logo as a guide, one emerges into the naturally lit and airy Collaboration Café and lounge with its dramatic 14’ coffered ceilings.
The elegant new coffers draw the eye upward and are a nod to timeless and historic San Francisco architecture. But instead of traditional heavy and expensive millwork, the Design Team used lightweight gypsum board and stretched fabric to ingeniously create coffers that are 75-85 percent more acoustically absorptive yet visually indistinguishable.
Throughout the space, classical and ageless forms and features find balance with contemporary accents. Wood and marble complement jewel tones. An arched doorway is the moody entrance to the Green Room, a paneled and coveted quiet space for private discussions. Where private offices and communal workspaces are sited, the Design Team exposed the 25’ high open office volume with a skylight running along the bare pitched ceiling. There is not a single visible light fixture, yet the room is beautifully lit.
Forerunner’s design-conscious team wanted refined workspaces and an environment that makes everyone feel inspired. Local fabricators customized every office desk, and vintage rugs and fine artwork finish the look. For a company always in search of the next innovation to champion, this design encourages everyone at Forerunner to continually look up.
Design: Fennie + Mehl
Design Team: Doug Mehl, Jenna Ruth, Kristen Bates, James Ibali
Contractor: Skyline Construction
Furniture: MG West
Photography: Casey Dunn
