Best Offices Ottawa: Creating comfort and balance at Dentons’ Ottawa office

For more than 20 years, the team at Dentons Ottawa has called the 14th floor of 99 Bank St. home.

With large windows, sweeping views of the downtown core and the entire floor at the team’s disposal, it is the perfect location for the firm to continue to grow in Ottawa.

“It’s a terrific space and we were pleased to renew our commitment to staying there,” says David Little, managing partner at Dentons. “But we also knew it was time for a refresh.”

The office was originally designed with a traditional feel – with solid fixtures, closed-in private offices and lots of heavy warm wood furniture and accents.

“Even before the pandemic, we were having discussions about creating a more open, collaborative space that reflected our office culture,” says Little. “In our minds, there was no better time than the present.”

Working closely with local interior design firm 4té Inc. and commercial interior specialist and furniture provider Burovision, Dentons saw its traditional office transform into a bright, comfortable, open-concept space that encourages employees to once again make the trip into the office.

A fresh start

Instead of trying to work around the constraints of the original floor plan, the space was completely replanned – reconfiguring the flow to create a new front of house, a large café for staff, flexible workstations, as well as private offices and boardrooms encased with glass walls.

“We wanted everyone to have access to daylight and the glass walls provide that opportunity while also making the space feel open and airy,” says Tzoofit Hammer, principal at 4té Inc. “There is a real balance in the space. The mix of modern elements, such as polished concrete floors, open ceilings, light wood accents, glass details and specialty furniture makes it unique.”

The Dentons’ brand was also a key inspiration component for the office redesign.

Pops of purple – the Dentons branded colour – can be found on walls and is incorporated into the furniture, while the themes of ‘innovation’ and ‘future’ were used to create a directional flow. Arrows, linear lighting and angular walls create the feeling of moving forward, which was a concept Little and his team were eager to see incorporated into the space.

While the 4té team managed the full design scope and created the look and feel for the new office, the team at Burovision was selected to bring forward their signature furniture products and technologies to support the design thinking behind Dentons new environment.

“Office furniture should never be an afterthought,” says Clark Moland, senior account executive at Burovision. “It’s part of the architecture of a space and there is a real design intention behind it.”

The perfect fit

From the beginning, the team at Burovision was fully engaged with 4té Inc to understand Dentons’ needs and ensure the best design solutions were put forward to create an innovative and inspiring workplace for employees.

Building off 4té’s warm and modern design, Moland and the Burovision team found their own balance between contemporary and traditional.

Bright splashes of colour can be found throughout the office, incorporated into chairs, couches and artwork on the walls. Furniture was also strategically placed to offer employees more flexible work conditions, allowing for run-in meetings and impromptu chats.

The closed offices and workstations chosen for the office feature clean lines, with no visible seams or exposed hardware. Accent pieces placed in breakout spaces and the staff lounge are unique and have a more relaxed aesthetic to encourage and support collaboration.

“Dentons, 4té and Burovision landed on a timeless palette so that five or 10 years from now, the office will still feel vibrant, modern and fresh,” says Moland. “It’s still a law office, but it’s one that feels welcoming for both employees and clients.”

Burovision Ottawa has been an exclusive Knoll distribution partner since 2015. For over 80 years, Knoll has been connecting people to their work, their lives and their world through modern design. Burovision’s strong supplier partnerships provide clients, such as Dentons, with design leading solutions and iconic brands to meet their objectives.

“People really love the new space and that in itself generates a lot of positivity around work and collaborating together,” says Little. “We wanted a comfortable, natural environment that reflected Dentons and its values and that is exactly what we achieved.”