A Washington DC case study
This Health Care Association is an organization acting as the voice for large employers in health care policy and driving market health care change. To better support their employees and the vision for the future of their company, they decided to renovate their office to provide a more modern, flexible, wellness-oriented space that can comfortably welcome guests. Led by a dedicated team, including Kala Fagan, a Senior Designer at OTJ, the project sought to create a workspace that reflected the company’s commitment to health and well-being.
What was the design vision for the space?
In partnership with the company's leadership team, OTJ imagined a place that would weave together functionality, wellness, aesthetics, state-of-the-art technology, and sustainability—all while reflecting the values and needs of the workforce within.
Originally, the office was primarily filled with high panel workstations and private offices, leaving little room for hosting. In order to better accommodate members and visitors, the team added ample hospitality space, notably updating their space to include over 40% guest-centric areas, including an outdoor terrace.
They included a mix of collaborative spaces, private offices, workstations, conference rooms, and cafe space throughout, creating flexible options. They also included extensive technology, but kept a minimalistic design so that upon entry of any room, the tech would be noticeably integrated into the space design.
For the color palette, the team included soft creams and off-whites, adding striking black and bronze details as well as a classic blue hue in patterns and saturations. Kala Fagan described the vision, saying,
How did the team support employee wellness through design?
The team is pursuing WELL Gold on the project, a demonstration of their commitment to employee wellbeing. Kala Fagan noted the company’s unwavering support throughout the process, saying,
Aside from their overall vision to pursue this goal, the team also incorporated extensive wellness elements into their space such as respite rooms, added biophilia, enhanced acoustics, a beautiful cafe space, and a variety of workspaces to accommodate various work styles.
Today, employees constantly talk about the pride and comfort they feel when coming into the office. With members from Fortune 500 companies and guests from prominent industry organizations, staff feel excited to welcome their members into the office, knowing it is a reflection of their brand and vision for the company.
Products included:
Yonna graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Design and Human Ecology. She practiced residential design for several years, until she realized her talents could best be utilized supporting the A&D community as a manufacturer's representative.
She provides furniture workplace consulting and specification support to the design community as well as OFS's furniture dealer partners throughout DC | Baltimore metropolitan areas. Yonna is also passionate about giving back to the industry. She is the co-chair of OFS's DEI committee and the co-chair of the DEI Art For A Purpose scholarship fund raising art event. She has supported IIDA MAC throughout her career, serving on the IIDA MAC Philanthropy and Breaking Boundaries committees for many years. Her passion is giving back to the industry in service of supporting others.
As a Certified Interior Designer and an active NCIDQ holder, Kari has leveraged her Interior Design degree from JMU and her Masters in the Business of Art and Design from MICA by practicing in many facets of the industry for almost two decades - as a commercial interior designer, a residential design business owner, a furniture dealer rep and now as the Architecture and Design Market Manager in DC for OFS. She is passionate about human centered design, wellness and protecting our environment, all of which encouraged her to earn a LEED AP and WELL AP credential, and also become the OFS WELL Regional Specialist for the Mid Atlantic.. Kari is an active member of the IIDA Mid Atlantic Chapter, currently serving as the Chapter President with previous experience in several other board positions and committee leadership. She believes in the power of design, advocating for the integrity of the profession and is dedicated to supporting the design community. Her passion for people focused spaces fuels her partnership and collaboration with architects and designers to bring thoughtful furniture solutions that support human wellbeing, productivity and overall client satisfaction.