Garden 26: where concrete meets canopy – a refreshing office reset

The relentless glare of screens, the sterile hum of digital life – it’s a battleground for the modern designer. But at Garden 26’s newly renovated Manhattan headquarters, a deliberate pushback is underway. Forget glass cubicles and fluorescent lights; this is a workspace deliberately engineered to reconnect with the tangible, the natural, the fundamentally human.

A sanctuary from the scroll

The firm, specializing in landscape design, recognized the creeping effects of ‘screen fatigue’ on their creative team. “Young designers are on computers all the time,” explains Helen Lambrakis, co-founder. “Coming out of COVID especially, we found that students and junior designers were referring to materials and plants through screens. They were on Zoom and on Google, but they were not feeling textures.” The result? A bold departure from the typical corporate aesthetic – a vibrant, layered space that practically begs to be touched.

From warehouse to oasis

The 4,000-square-foot space began life as a coworking hub, a jumbled mess of mismatched flooring and poorly defined zones. Clemens Kois, Lambrakis’ husband and a dedicated collector, spotted the potential immediately. “It was sunny, high-ceilinged, and more than double the size of their previous office on 26th Street,” Lambrakis recounts. “We got very lucky. We could afford it because the commercial rents went down so much after the pandemic.” The renovation, spearheaded by Kois’s design and construction expertise, transformed the raw space into a compelling environment.

Details that demand attention

The entrance is a curated experience: a wall hanging by Studio Liam Lee, echoing the firm’s focus on natural elements, and the scent of felted merino wool. Vintage treasures – Carl Auböck sculptures, Design Within Reach furniture – punctuate the space, creating a dialogue between old and new. Practicality is woven throughout; accessible storage, custom-designed tables crafted by David Ceko, and a library brimming with materials samples and rare books. “The most important thing for us to have was a library,” Lambrakis emphasizes. “Not only a library of books, but also one of materials.”

Beyond the desk

The 570-square-foot terrace is a critical extension of the office, a sun-drenched haven for meetings, relaxation, and – crucially – observing plant life. “We’re keeping an eye on these vines,” Lambrakis notes, gesturing to a collection of realistic artificial foliage. The space, built with cedar flooring and a custom trellis, is a testing ground for future projects. “We want to see how they hold up to weather and fading,” she adds.

A design philosophy rooted in tactility

Ultimately, Garden 26’s office isn’t merely a place to work; it’s a conscious antidote to the digital overload. It's a statement about the value of materiality, of connecting with the natural world, and of fostering a creative environment that prioritizes human experience. “We are designers, so we need an environment that looks good and feels good,” Lambrakis concludes. And, perhaps, a space that allows a little ‘touching of grass’ along the way.