This new office space for a global financial firm in Chicago showcases a highly creative and intentional flooring design that plays a central role in shaping the experience of the space.
A thoughtfully curated blend of Shaw, Mohawk, and Tarkett flooring materials creates a visually dynamic yet cohesive environment. Subtle shifts in texture, color, and pattern clearly delineate walkways from work areas and meeting spaces, while maintaining a seamless aesthetic throughout. The flooring does more than cover the surface—it actively organizes the workplace.
The overall interior concept draws inspiration from the adjacent Chicago River. Curved wood ceilings echo the flow of the water, and the flooring responds in kind, reinforcing a sense of movement and connection across the space. Equal-sized private offices are centrally located, emphasizing the firm’s commitment to equity, while open work and collaboration areas line the perimeter, ensuring all employees enjoy access to sweeping views of downtown Chicago.
Shaw
Over 2,000 SY of Shaw carpet tile
Mohawk
Over 5,300 SF of LVT
Tarkett
Over 2,000 LF of base
Over 500 LF of transitions
Nancy Thiel, founder and principal of Thiel Architecture + Design, is a licensed architect and an interior designer. With 40+ years’ experience working with luminaries in the architecture world, including Michael Graves, Robert A.M. Stern, and Rockwell Group, where she served as a studio leader, Thiel’s extensive portfolio includes single-family homes and multi-story residences, hotels, restaurants, retail, fitness clubs, offices, theaters, schools and shopping centers. She is a member of the AIA, holds NCARB certification and is a LEED accredited professional. Prior to her career in architecture, Thiel was a dancer and choreographer.
Thiel Architecture + Design is an award-winning multi-disciplinary architecture, interior design, planning, and product design firm with offices in CT and NY. The firm’s work focuses on high-end residential design as well as hospitality, contract, and retail projects. Thiel Architecture + Design’s work has been featured in Interior Design, Architype, New York and Connecticut Cottages and Gardens, Connecticut Magazine, Archello, and Fast Company magazines. In 2022, the firm received a Connecticut AIA Excellence award for Interior Architecture. Thiel earned a BA from Penn State University and her Master of Architecture degree from Syracuse University.
