Four Hands, a leading designer and global importer of trendsetting lifestyle home furnishings, announced today plans for its new state-of-the-art corporate headquarters and flagship showroom in Austin, TX, where the brand is based. Designed by renowned local architecture firm Michael Hsu Office of Architecture, construction for the new project has already begun and is on track to be completed in early summer 2020.
“The design for Four Hands' new space is nostalgic and refined,” said Michael Hsu, founder and principal of Michael Hsu Office of Architecture. “It is directly inspired by the Four Hands’ brand, culture and products. We incorporated a lot of natural light to create a comfortable environment for staff and to showcase the Four Hands furnishings.”
The new showroom and corporate office will feature a palette of warm, light, and neutral tones, which will serve as an understated backdrop to showcase the original designs, rich textures and sleek lines of Four Hands’ furnishings. Accommodating the needs of Four Hands’ employees and understanding the brand’s long-term business goals was essential for the design team, who consulted closely with members from every corporate department, including HR, Accounting, IT, Marketing and Product, to deliver a warm, intentional and functional office environment.
At approximately 35,100 square-feet, Four Hands’ expanded corporate headquarters will be organized by a central spine through its existing warehouse space, and retrofitted with custom Four Hands furnishings. The space will feature two volumetric 'houses,' which will be residential in nature with open office space located at the perimeter. A key design consideration for employee wellbeing was the use of natural light. The new headquarters will feature floor to ceiling windows around the perimeter and large skylights over a feature tree in the central common area, allowing light to filter deep into the floor plate of the workspace.
Designed to encourage productivity, collaboration, community and creativity, Four Hands’ new campus will introduce added facilities and amenities, including:
- Multi-Use Meeting Space: Six new meeting rooms and five phone rooms, each equipped with state-of-the-art communications technology and conferencing tools, including an 8-by-14-foot built-in video screen.
- Photo Studio: A 2,700-square-foot studio to create original photo and video content for promotional purposes.
- Breakout Areas and Community Spaces: Spaces designated as breakout areas and community spaces, featuring lounge-like office furniture and plenty of natural light to encourage creativity and cross-departmental collaboration. Four Hands’ furnishings will be used in these spaces, which lends itself to the creation of a residential-like setting within a high productivity office environment.
- Indoor Kitchen: An upgraded indoor kitchen with top-of-the-line commercial-grade appliances, a fully stocked bar, cold brew on tap and seating for up to 40 employees.
- Outdoor Kitchen & Patio: An outdoor lounge space with updated landscaping and a pergola will provide an outlet for employee socializing, personal focus or quiet rejuvenation and feature Four Hands’ outdoor furniture lines.
- Fitness Center: A renovated fitness center featuring state-of-the-art gym equipment.
- Wellness Room: An upgraded wellness room will provide ample space, a refrigerator and comfortable seating. Primarily serving nursing mothers, the space will be open to all employees seeking a private space during the workday.
“As Four Hands continues its evolution as a lifestyle brand, we found ourselves needing a space to better suit our growing team and company culture,” said Four Hands CEO Matthew Briggs. “Michael Hsu Office of Architecture understood our vision and worked closely with us to create a world-class design experience, right here in Austin. For me, the new space feels like the Four Hands brand, while also reflecting the creativity of our team and innovation of our designs.”
Four Hands’ flagship showroom in Austin, Four Hands Home, will also undergo a major renovation to better serve as an international design hub and provide an unrivaled shopping experience for its wholesale customers, and local Austin designers and consumers. Lifting the ceilings to over 14 feet, full height windows will create a natural light-filled space for an improved shopping experience. The approximately 14,500-square-foot showroom will include a designer workspace and collaboration station, an interactive touch display to virtually browse Four Hands complete collection of furnishings, and an expansive art display to showcase its curated collection of wall art from emerging artists around the country.
The announcement of Four Hands’ new corporate headquarters and flagship showroom is the latest in the company’s recent and rapid growth. Doubling its revenue over the last five years, Four Hands has bolstered its position as a premier lifestyle home brand with the recent acquisition of Austin-based Wonderwall Studio - now Four Hands Art Studio, in 2018 to expand its Art category, as well as Austin-based technology firm, Adaptdev to improve its digital marketplace experience. The brand continues to introduce hundreds of new trend-forward styles and products each year, most recently announcing a partnership with renowned British designer, Tracey Boyd at the 2019 fall High Point Market. Additionally, Briggs was recently recognized as EY’s 2019 Entrepreneur of The Year in the Distribution, Manufacturing and Real Estate category in Central Texas. With team members on the ground in China, India, Vietnam, Mexico and Indonesia in addition to its Austin-based headquarters, Four Hands currently employs 415 full-time team members across the globe, and plans to hire 60 new US-based employees by the end of 2020.
For more information about Four Hands, visit www.fourhands.com. Four Hands corporate campus and flagship showroom is located at 2090 Woodward St., Austin, TX 78744.