DESIGN: Branding in the workplace.

Whole Food's IT space was featured last month in Interior Design magazine. Their downtown Chicago location was transformed by Gensler, whose challenge it was to keep the employees linked to the essence of their brand - the retail stores themselves.

Reception Area. Photograph: Eric Laignel

The reception area contains a product display wall, which features items that are actually sold at Whole Foods. 

Reception Wall Detail. Photograph: Eric Laignel

Reception Desk. Photograph: Eric Laignel

The wood from the front of the reception desk is reclaimed from a grain silo.

Retail Wall. Photograph: Eric Laignel

The retail wall is a great, flexible way for the IT employees to maintain a daily connection to the stores they service.

Meeting Rooms. Photograph: Eric Laignel

The core values covering the glass-partitioned fronts of these meeting rooms are great for branding, but they also distort the view into the meeting room, affording some privacy.

Another prominent feature of their new space is the lunch table in the kitchen. In keeping with the nature of their business, their monthly meetings take the form of a pot-luck. And now they have designated space for this ritual. 

Lunch Table. Photograph: Eric Laignel

Note: For more insight into Whole Foods, check out this great feature from the New Yorker from a few years ago.