A well-designed office space reflects a company’s culture, fosters engagement, and elevates productivity. At a time when people are hungry to reconnect, the role of the real estate office can be more pivotal than ever.
Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® celebrates amazing offices with its annual award for Most Innovative Office Design, recognizing members from its global network of 550 firms that have excelled in this area. This year’s winners – M Real Estate (Montreal, Canada) and Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate (Avon, Colo.) – set the bar high with impressive offices that may inspire you to elevate your space.
M Real Estate in Montreal, Canada
The team at M is constantly challenging the limits of the industry, exploring what real estate can be and what opportunities remain unexplored. This thinking inspires them to reimagine the client experience, which includes a genre-defining approach in designing office spaces.
Taking cues from luxury hospitality and high-end retail spaces, M developed an original office concept referred to as “shops.” Far from a traditional office space, the shops are predicated on guest experience and hospitality.
The company’s first shop, M sur Drummond, located in Montreal’s Golden Square Mile, is the physical embodiment of the M brand. Accessible by keycard, the space is a stunningly designed private venue in which clients are hosted in elegant comfort and invited to discuss what’s important to them.
Upon entering, the client is greeted by a dedicated host who hangs coats, serves water and takes orders for coffee while escorting guests to the private lounge. Every M shop is equipped with a state-of-the-art café that employs a professional barista and serves M’s private label coffee – combining a boutique experience with M’s full-service approach, while subtly introducing clients to some of the brand’s signature touches. When the time comes to talk business, the conversation moves to the lavishly appointed meeting room.
M sur Drummond and, soon to be launched, M sur Main are the culmination of the team’s brand vision and the future of M, redefining the real estate experience and reflecting the company’s ability to support clients.
Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate in Avon, Colorado
In February 2020, Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate unveiled The Slifer House (TSH), an innovative, energetic, first-of-its kind shared workspace.
The space was purpose-built from the ground up as a space for the way teams work today, while considering the way they’ll work tomorrow. As businesses become more virtual and employees seek careers with flexible schedules and remote work opportunities, TSH goes beyond a shared workspace concept.
It is designed for creating content, becoming immersed in virtual media, and meeting face-to-face with clients no matter where they are. That means leading-edge technology, and not just tech added on. There’s a state-of-the-art video conference space, smart TVs to display property videos and virtual tours, sound-proof phone booths, fully microphoned training room, and a professional-quality recording studio. TSH includes all the technological bells and whistles, but they’re integrated into a warm and inviting interior – a mountain-modern space that honors the company’s culture and 60+ year history.
TSH is designed to foster collaboration — whether warming next to the fire or in the sunshine of the patio or having a meeting of minds in the library. From formal training to impromptu brainstorming, the philosophy is that great things happen at the intersection of ideas and opportunity, and TSH was designed to help employees have those innovative collisions.
It’s about lifestyle, too. Only a 90-second walk from the gondola at the base of the iconic Beaver Creek Resort, TSH is a handy headquarters for outdoor recreation year-round. The space is built for active mountain living, with a shower, lockers, and mudroom — plus a kitchen, bar, and game room complete with shuffleboard, classic board games, and timeless arcade games.
Take a dose of inspiration from these firms to create an innovative space that engages clients and associates in completely new ways.