Floyd Library

FLOYD Library Following the 2018 construction of a multi-use headquarters and showroom for the sustainably-oriented furniture startup Floyd, M1DTW returned to redesign its interior to meet changing conditions of workplace activity. Originally designed as an adaptive reuse project in keeping with Floyd’s ethos of durability and minimal waste, Floyd HQ converted a 3,200 SF former meat storage warehouse in Detroit’s Eastern Market district into a combination retail/ office space, which included research and development (R&D) facilities and a showroom of company products. In the years since the initial realization of Floyd HQ, two things happened: The company, building on the success of its initial ‘slow-furniture’ vision, began to require more space for its R&D facilities and internal operations. At the same time, the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted all conventions of workplace interaction, requiring a new level of flexibility and open-mindedness to reimagine the on-site company activities fostered by the conditions of this new way of working.

The result is Floyd Library, a complete reimagining of the internal dynamics of the headquarters space. The Library pays considered attention to the workplace environment and needs of Floyd’s staff with an emphasis on safe, comfortable and creative cohabitation. Designed over the course of several months, in response to prolonged and thoughtful interactions between the design team and core company members, the new Library builds on the entire 3,200 SF original floor plan, taking advantage of new space made available with the upgrade of R&D facilities in an adjacent building within the same complex. The result is a homier workplace, which emphasizes smaller meeting rooms, semi-private ‘hot desks’ for focused individual work, warmer lighting and relaxing interiors for casual staff interactions.

In keeping with Floyd’s values of conservation and reuse, M1DTW worked carefully to readapt and infill the space while ensuring that virtually none of the previous construction materials were demolished or discarded. To define and separate the open office, the architects designed several 10-foot high free-standing walls—including a thick-to-thin partition dubbed ‘the Floyd Wall,’ which had been previously custom-built in reference to the company’s signature tapered table legs. Tabletops or desktops became new partition dividers. A custom shelving system, designed by Floyd and still in prototype form when their HQ was first built, now makes up a core component of the new wall space. In some instances, Floyd products with slight imperfections or returned by customers were incorporated into the interior, including reused bed panels which now cover one of the Library walls and provide visual warmth and texture.