en.Wedoany.com Reported - Modellus Novus, a New York-based architecture and interior design firm, completed the renovation of the entertainment room at the North American headquarters of consulting firm Hakluyt in July 2026. Located on the 28th floor of the historic Squibbs Building in Midtown Manhattan, the space spans 6,600 square feet (approximately 613 square meters). Modellus Novus transformed this area into a "pied-à-terre"-style reception space that blends residential comfort with business hospitality.
Hakluyt, a global strategic consulting firm, positions itself as an "analog company in a digital world," emphasizing a personalized, people-centric service philosophy. This design renovation is a spatial interpretation of that ethos. Modellus Novus divided the floor into multiple functional zones, mimicking the layout of a high-end residential apartment to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
The spatial flow begins in a wood-clad elevator lobby, leading into a compact anteroom—its smaller scale marking the transition from the upper office floors. The anteroom features white walls and oak flooring, accented by two Cassina Cab Bordeaux saddle leather chairs, &Tradition ivory and cream marble side tables, and a J. Adams & Co brass Flume pendant lamp. A hidden door in the wall opens into a darker corridor, which then leads to the core of the space—the reception hall.
The reception hall, approximately 1,200 square feet (about 111 square meters), centers on a round Vermont Verde stone dining table set atop a travertine disc embedded in the floor. Custom seating groups by Modellus Novus, upholstered in light taupe mohair, are arranged on a hand-tufted corn-colored silk carpet. Stepped wall reliefs along the perimeter and fluted Strata 600 sconces by J. Adams & Co echo the Art Deco style of the building's facade. In the northwest corner of the hall, a stainless steel bar features a Gris Des Rois marble countertop. The bar is detailed with fluted bar stools, curved edges, and a back bar with additional wall reliefs. At the opposite end of the hall, two meeting rooms are concealed behind fluted glass sliding doors, furnished with leather-upholstered Cassina Cab chairs and banquette seating. The reception hall extends into a dining room, centered on a custom 12-seat table with an ALPI Sapele Pommele wood veneer top, surrounded by Charlotte Perriand-designed chairs for Cassina and three Allied Maker verdigris pendant lamps. The dining room can host events or large meetings.
This design imbues traditional meeting rooms with a residential spatial expression, creating a warm and refined experience while maintaining business hospitality functions. The completion of this project signals a shift in corporate office design from conventional models toward a more experiential, "hotel-like" direction.
