Uber HQ, San Francisco, CA

Project Highlights

• two partnered with two interior design firms to curate furnishings and decor for Uber’s global headquarters. Our work supported a campus-wide design vision for spaces that feel more like your favorite neighborhood spot than a typical office environment.

• We collaborated with hundreds of vendors to select pieces that balanced design objectives with cost-effectiveness. The scope included 6000+ workstations and task chairs, as well as hundreds of conference room furnishings.

• Our team carefully chose pieces that met employee well-being and sustainability requirements, supporting both WELL and LEED certification for the project.

Uber’s new headquarters is a design project on an epic scale, spanning four buildings, 40 stories, and over one million square feet. The design vision was to create a microcity within a city, joining cafés, plazas, libraries, and event spaces into neighborhoods that evoke all the places city-dwellers know and love.

We sourced furniture and decor for the entire project, helping synthesize the work of two interior design firms, RMW and Huntsman Architectural Group. The final result is a cohesive style from two of San Francisco’s leading firms.

The client valued well-designed spaces, but they were also pragmatic in their furniture choices. two sourced cost-effective off-the-shelf pieces with reasonable lead times whenever possible. We designed custom pieces with intention, limiting them to specific settings that demanded a unique tailor-made piece.

arriving

In keeping with the hospitality feel of the project, the designers developed welcoming furniture arrangements in entrances and transitional spaces to invite employees and visitors to step inside.

Each building features its own color—red, green, yellow, or blue—that is used throughout the space in elements ranging from wall paint to furniture, graphic paneling systems, and even desk drawers. The large entryway above is in the “yellow” building, and the color is present in the rug, furniture, and accent pieces that we helped select.

Along with placing a warm, inviting mix of furniture we also facilitated the production of the 70-foot central rug custom-made by The Rug Company.

For coffee-shop-style transitional spaces, we selected furniture that supports a feeling of hospitality while still boasting a chic, modern look.

working

The campus includes dozens of energizing workspaces. We selected all of the core items, including height-adjustable workstations, task chairs, conference tables, and conference chairs from Steelcase’s line of workplace solutions.

In transitional areas, we collaborated with the architects to create multipurpose screens that combine whiteboards, shelving space, and dividers. Small groups of employees can easily pull away from their desks for a collaborative meeting. We also adapted Pair’s off-the-shelf Beluga table to be bar height, contributing to the bespoke feel of the space.

The signature color scheme for each building gave us a chance to add a pop of color to the clean neutrals of the workspaces. We worked with Pair to design and manufacture slim drawers for each desk that include a charger for phones and devices. Each drawer was custom powder-coated in red, yellow, green, or blue.

meeting

Flexibility is king in this project’s conference and meeting spaces. Uber’s event rooms are adaptable enough to host a wide range of gatherings, from meetings and trainings to meals and fireside chats. The furniture selections had to meet the functional demands while also fitting comfortably into storage when not needed for a given program.

For the campus’ largest event space, The Forum, we selected chairs and half-round tables that provide easy movement and flexibility between different arrangements.

Finally, the boardroom called for a distinctive extra-large custom table. We worked with Bernhardt Design to adapt one of their existing conference tables to fit the needs of this space.

refreshing

The furniture selection for lounge areas added curves, texture, and soothing colors to compliment the modern sleekness of the architecture. For spaces in the solarium (pictured above), the furniture selection supported the designer’s concept while integrating pastel upholstery, rounded shapes, and plants.

Uber’s light-filled double-height executive area was designed to be a multi-use entertaining space and is adjacent to a large conference room. This space is used for gatherings such as conference breaks and informal meetings. The selected ancillary furniture helped create a chic, welcoming lounge space.

In the library extension, we spruced up freestanding tables and off-the-shelf booths with custom textiles for a comfortable atmosphere that suggests a modernized diner. Since the furniture in this space has a major presence, we collaborated closely with the designers to ensure our pieces and their creative vision worked together flawlessly.

focusing

Huntsman and RMW’s inspiration for the libraries drew upon both quiet restaurant lounges and traditional libraries. Soft furniture, intimate lighting, and shared work areas summon the associations of both. For shared work surfaces, we selected the Watson Tonic table, fabricated in the US, making for a lower carbon footprint. It achieves a custom look and feel while bringing back comforting school-day library memories.

Our team at two decor finished off the rooms by carefully selecting books, ceramics, decorative pieces, and small plants for built-in shelving units.

eating

Like a bustling city neighborhood, this project offers a range of eatery styles. With over twenty dining spaces, the large selections of tables, chairs, and stools were carefully planned to match the specific vibe of each space, including multiple types of seating for visual variety and enhanced comfort.

Beyond the furniture selection, we also provided key support with spatial planning in the first café area, pictured above. Our aim was to generate circulation room and openness in the space.

Located in the “green” building, the second dining space includes a mix of chairs and tables that fit in with the vintage vibe of this space.

In this lounge-style dining space, the tables, chairs, and bar stools are a mix of styles to create an eclectic feel. Our team at two decor translated visual “look and feel” guidelines from our design partners to select small sculptural pieces and artwork that were available on quick turnaround times while still fitting in perfectly with the space.

Located on the sixth floor, this space was designed by Huntsman to support a wide range of functionality, allowing employees to choose if they wanted to sit in a large group, have an intimate lunch with a few people, or grab a quick bite alone while taking in the bay views.

Building upon “look and feel” direction from Huntsman, we designed and coordinated the construction of a large custom table with integrated lighting, produced by the Bay Area manufacturer, Woodtech. Opting to have the project’s few custom elements manufactured locally was another way we contributed to the project's LEED certification.

This break room was designed by Huntsman to evoke a bistro and is one of dozens of similar spaces in the project. To keep an authentic, neighborhood feel, each break room has its own color and material palette along with stools, tables, and chairs that complement the design vision of each space.

sun shining

Uber’s outdoor spaces are alternate areas to work, meet, or take a break with a refreshing change of scenery. Selecting furniture presented a new kind of challenge: the pieces needed to be impeccably designed while also standing up to San Francisco’s notoriously damp and windy weather.

We equipped terraces and indoor-outdoor spaces with sturdy, weather-resistant pieces that could be permanently outside, including covers that staff could put on in case of wet weather. Additional loose furniture, like stacking chairs, facilitated easy nesting and storage as well as reconfiguration in a cinch whenever needed.

The top floor is an indoor-outdoor space designed by RMW to evoke the feeling of an outdoor café.

reflecting

Uber’s commitment to employee wellness in the workplace extends to specially designed spaces meant for relaxing and reflecting. This space’s cocoon basket swings, natural materials, and wide skyline view coalesce to create the feeling of swinging in a treetop.

The vision for the basket swings came directly from the designers. Making their arboreal dream come true took a lot of coordination between us, the designers, and the contractor. We sourced the swings and determined the right hardware for them to safely hang, which entailed working closely with the contractor to develop proper mounting and integration.