Designing Offices to Inspire
Mentorship, Culture, Innovation
An Interview with Suzette Subance Ferrier, IIDA, NCIDQ, LLED AP Managing Executive / Studio Creative Director, TPG Architecture
Introduction
Suzette Subance Ferrier, IIDA, NCIDQ, LEED AP, is an inspired designer and Studio Creative Director at TPG Architecture. She has spent more than two decades designing interiors that elevate organizations and the people within them, guided by a global perspective and collaborative spirit. Her work advances the future of the workplace, using design to attract people to the office, strengthen culture, and unlock innovation.
The future of the workplace is being redefined in real time. Hybrid work models, shifting office culture, and evolving employee expectations have forced organizations to rethink not only how people work, but also where and why they gather. At the center of this transformation is workplace design—spaces that must go beyond function to foster mentorship, strengthen culture, and fuel innovation.
In this conversation, Suzette shares how today’s offices can become more than physical settings; they can serve as cultural anchors that bring people together, accelerate learning, unlock creativity and spark new thinking.
Why In-Person Work Matters
“Human beings are social creatures. That’s in our DNA,” Suzette begins. “We learn from each other, we inspire each other, and we create together. That’s how societies have always built and advanced through community.”
The pandemic revealed the limits of virtual connection. “During COVID, we saw the lack of social interaction. You really can’t make those deep connections virtually. Even your brain doesn’t function the same way—the synapses, the joy, the way information is processed—it’s just not the same online,” she explained.
For Suzette, the evidence is clear: true mentorship, cultural growth, and breakthrough innovation depend on physical proximity. “Can we be that innovative in a virtual world? I’m going to say no.”
Hybrid Work Challenges in Modern Office Design
Hybrid work promised flexibility, but Suzette sees clear fault lines. Across industries such as financial, legal, media, and tech, companies face “information inefficiencies.”
“When you have some employees in person and others remote, information doesn’t flow smoothly,” she said. “Teams in the office are sharing in real time, while remote employees miss out on critical context. You end up duplicating conversations or chasing people down for tidbits of information. It’s cumbersome.”
The problem is especially acute for junior staff. “There’s a kind of passive learning that happens just by sitting near colleagues. I call it learning by osmosis,” Suzette notes. “You overhear conversations, you ask quick questions, you integrate faster. Remote employees—especially new hires—miss those moments, and their growth stalls.”
The Power of Serendipity
Suzette connects workplace design to one of Steve Jobs’ guiding principles: create environments where chance encounters spark innovation.
“Spontaneity breeds creativity. But it does not happen in Teams or Zoom. You don’t bump into someone in the hallway online,” she says. “In person, those casual collisions become like a combustion engine: one idea sparks another, and momentum builds.”
Design can help. Cafés, coffee points, town halls, and standing counters create natural intersections. Suzette likens them to “Bagel Wednesdays” or “coffee catch-ups” that evolve into brainstorming sessions. “It’s in those small, unplanned interactions where the big breakthroughs often begin.”
Designing Space as a Catalyst
If people are the engine, space is the accelerator.
“We need to design spaces that support innovation and creative thinking,” Suzette explains. That means a balance: large social zones for idea exchange, alongside private rooms or “quiet cars” for deep focus.
She describes “quiet cars” as borrowed from train design: “They’re not about privacy, but about shared focus. Acoustically calm, technology-light, where people can sit side by side and do heads-down work.”
Workplaces must also consider neurodiversity. “Something as simple as a dimmer switch can be transformative,” Suzette says. “Lighting, acoustics, temperature—when people can adjust their environment, they’re happier and more productive. It’s not a speed bump, it actually drives better business outcomes.”
An example of a product solution that allows for these kinds of adjustments is Haworth’s Hushoffice Pods, designed to support focus, reduce distractions, and give users control over their environment.
Research supports this perspective. A recent study identified noise as the most common workplace challenge for neurodivergent employees, highlighting how sensitive factors like sound can directly affect comfort, focus, and performance. Providing options to control or soften these elements is therefore not just thoughtful, but essential.
Lighting also plays a critical role. In one project, Suzette’s team installed circadian rhythm lighting that shifts throughout the day, mirroring natural sunlight. “During high-energy times, the light temperature was cooler and brighter; as the day wound down, it transitioned to warmer tones, helping people regulate their energy and avoid overstimulation,” she explains.
Culture and Experience Beyond Space
A well-designed workplace isn’t enough; programming and experience matter, too. Companies are increasingly hiring Chief Experience Officers to activate culture.
“You see companies bringing in dedicated leaders for office experience,” Suzette notes. “We have clients who serve warm cookies at 4 p.m. or offer non-alcoholic beverages on tap—small rituals that get people to gather. Programming complements space, giving people reasons to interact.”
For younger employees, many of whom have never worked in a physical office, these cues are essential. “Some have only known remote school or internships. They don’t yet see the benefit of casual collisions. Programming helps ignite that first spark.”
Other design responses include scrum areas near open work zones for quick collaboration, town halls or cafés with adjacent breakout rooms where spontaneous discussions can flow into focused sessions, and lounge zones with whiteboards and pinup boards that encourage informal idea-sharing without disrupting quieter areas. Placement, she emphasized, is key: “You want active zones where people can exchange ideas, but also quieter nooks that allow respite and focus. It’s about balance.”
She recalls a legal project designed in partnership with WB Wood and Haworth that put this principle into action. “They dedicated the best corner of their office to a flexible café-style space where everyone, not just partners, could gather,” Suzette shares. “It became the heart of their culture, hosting town halls, celebrations, and casual collisions that built community. Surrounding breakout rooms gave employees the ability to peel off and work through ideas right on the spot.”
Together, these strategies form a design ecosystem where people can both collide and concentrate.
Wellness and Recalibration Spaces
Wellness is now firmly embedded in workplace design. Post-COVID, air quality has vastly improved thanks to advanced filtration and circulation systems. But Suzette sees the trend evolving even further.
“We’re now creating sensory rooms, spaces where you can dim lights, adjust acoustics, or surround yourself with natural textures. For a large tech client, we created a nature bathing room. It’s full of greenery, with a water feature, a place to recalibrate for 20 minutes. Instead of grabbing chocolate at 3 p.m., you reset in nature. It lowers anxiety, improves focus, and lets you reenter the workplace stronger.”
This concept draws directly from the Japanese practice of forest bathing, or Shinrin-yoku, a mindful, sensory immersion into nature that’s shown to lower blood pressure, reduce stress hormone levels like cortisol, and improve mood and overall well-being (Kaiser Permanente). By translating these principles into the built environment through plant-rich spaces, soothing water features, tactile materials, and controlled lighting, companies are creating micro-nature sanctuaries within offices.
Flexibility Through Design Innovation
Flexibility remains a client priority, especially for organizations revising early hybrid models.
“Some took less space assuming hybrid would reduce demand. A couple years later, they realized culture and innovation were suffering. Many are now expanding again. Nothing replaces in-person,” Suzette says.
Furniture manufacturers are helping meet this need. “Architectural furniture, pergolas, pods—they let companies plan for now and adapt later. It’s architecture through furniture: dynamic, reconfigurable, less costly than permanent buildouts.”
Haworth’s Pergola collection exemplifies this approach as an adaptable framework that defines space without permanent construction. With options for integrated power, acoustic treatments, and customizable finishes, Pergola creates meeting zones, focus areas, and social hubs that can expand, relocate, or evolve as workplace needs change.
The Role of AI in Workplace Design
AI is also transforming planning and visualization. “AI helps us monitor how space is used, what’s over-occupied, and what’s underutilized. That data informs future workplace design,” Suzette explains.
“It also accelerates visualization. We’re using AI in Revit to test lighting, finishes, even virtual walkthroughs. It doesn’t replace designers, but it removes rote tasks so we can focus on creativity. Still, touching materials and seeing colors in real light—that human element can’t be replaced.”
AI may also evolve sourcing. “Imagine AI supporting furniture selection, surfacing new ideas beyond our go-to favorites. That’s a real opportunity. But it will always take a designer to bring parts and pieces together in a unique way for clients.”
A Generational Shift
Looking forward, Suzette sees younger generations reshaping expectations. “Gen Z and Gen Alpha crave togetherness. My kids hated remote school, they wanted peers. As they enter the workforce, they’ll demand collaborative, inclusive, and flexible spaces. They know their needs, and they’ll push for them.”
That push is already beginning to take shape. A recent article from All Work highlights how Gen Alpha is expected to redefine the workplace with a focus on belonging, community, and adaptability.
“This generation grew up with diagnoses and accommodations,” Suzette explains. “They’ll expect workplaces to mirror that variety, and in doing so, they’ll make work better for everyone.”
The Office as a Cultural Anchor
In-person work isn’t about nostalgia; it’s about performance, growth, and human connection.
“The rote work can be done anywhere. But mentorship, culture, creativity, and innovation require being together. That’s where we grow, that’s where ideas spark, that’s where we become our best selves.”
For companies navigating the hybrid debate, the path forward is clear. The office, when designed with intention, becomes more than a workplace; it becomes the anchor of culture and innovation.
Partnering to Create Meaningful Workplaces
WB Wood and Haworth partner with designers like Suzette Subance Ferrier and the teams at TPG Architecture to deliver workplaces that people want to work in—environments that support mentorship, accelerate innovation, honor neurodiversity, and align with your brand’s purpose.
Explore our corporate workplace projects here.