Shopify offices by MSDS Studio feature meeting rooms designed to look like shipping containers

Louvres are used to partially separate one space from another, while maintaining a sense of openness and   visual connection. The studio divided the existing space into two volumes representing different areas of trade activity. White electrical and extraction pipes run across the ceiling, giving the interior   an industrial feel that resonates with the shipping container- and crate-inspired enclosures. Toronto-based MSDS Studio was approached by online retail brand Shopify   to redesign the interior of its offices in   a 100-year-old warehouse. Photography is by Paula Wilson. «Aluminium louvres cladding much of the block, painted in a palette derived from the shipping containers, imply the corrugated material used in their construction,» said the team. Canadian design firm MSDS Studio has fitted out a Toronto warehouse with modular boxes to form offices for e-commerce company Shopify (+ slideshow). Floor plan – click for larger image A staff   kitchen that doubles as a bar for evening events wraps around this central space. Collectively the wooden elements are designed to give the   space the   appearance of a giant wooden palette. Related story: 99c offices by Inhouse Brand Architects feature a waiting room inside a shipping container»The design of the office is built on the metaphor of the mechanisms of contemporary commerce: the front office block and reception area are the market, the rear office is shipping and transport, while the third floor, currently under development, will be production or fabrication,» said the designers. The layout   accommodates 90 desks, a reception and retail space, meeting rooms   and   several areas   intended for staff interaction. The reception area operates as   pop-up shop displaying wares by Shopify’s clients, while rooms   are enclosed in timber and metal boxes   that are intended to suggest shipping containers.