Lois Weiss

Lois Weiss

Real Estate

NYC offices are going to look like your apartment when you finally go back to work

Employees have been working from their homes for so long, some companies are planning offices that will look more like home.

“Nobody wants the stainless and bright white,” declared Craig Deitelzweig, CEO of Marx Realty, of the tenants that have been touring their buildings’ pre-built offices. “Instead, they want their office to be like their family room or hotel, with finishes that make them feel embraced and comfortable.”

The newest furnishings include tufted leather and velvet.

“They used to want a cappuccino maker and now it’s banquettes,” added Deitelzweig.

At Savanna’s newly developed boutique office building at 106 W. 56 St., dubbed The Six, the elevator waiting area is covered in tufted dark leather. The lobby has a cozy seating area and club room. Dark or light woods can be chosen for build-outs. Peter Turchin, vice chairman of CBRE, is overseeing leasing.

Warm finishes and furniture are also what’s on tap for the pre-builts at Marx Realty’s 140,000-square-foot 545 Madison Ave. at East 55th Street (inset). Leasing here is being headed by a Cushman & Wakefield team that includes Tara Stacom and Harry Blair.

Marx is also nixing the old, cold look of cement and even marble floors for wood boards set in either herringbone or chevron patterns, including in the lobby.

“It’s walnut wood — almost like a honey color — and we are lighting it up to make it feel comfortable,” said Deitelzweig.

Interior shot of 545 Madison Avenue.
The pre-builts at Marx Realty’s 545 Madison Ave. enjoy warm finishes and furniture. Marx Realty

A similar hotel-like vibe was chosen for Marx’s 10 Grand Central on East 44th Street near the train terminal. This office building has undergone a $45 million renovation that included a new lobby, an amenity center with terrace, a board room tenants can rent, a lounge and a pantry.

The building’s club-floor lounge is more like a hotel lobby with black walls, modern velvet seating groups and copper accents. The adjacent Ivy Terrace has strung lights that add to its rooftop bar vibe. “The No. 1 question is about outdoor space,” said Deitelzweig. “People love the outdoor space.”

At the top of 10GC, Marx is creating furnished pre-builts dubbed the “Penthouse Collection,” including a 35th- and 36th-floor duplex of 9,683 square feet connected by a curvy wood stairway looking out through a huge glass wall to the Chrysler Building. That office includes two private outdoor terraces.

“If they aren’t built, they aren’t leasing,” Deitelzweig said of the availabilities in the building that range from just over 2,000 feet to up to 10,500 square feet.

Leasing is being handled by Mitchell Konsker, vice chairman of JLL.