New York-based studio Civilian has overseen the interior design for the offices of Award-winning documentary production company Sandbox Films. Located in a landmarked 1920’s neo-gothic skyscraper in Manhattan’s Flatiron District, the 4,200 sq ft space features a central reception area and bar, a conference space, private and open offices, production and editing suites, a mix of carefully-sourced vintage and custom-designed furniture and a state-of-the-art private screening room.

Inspired by their clients’ love for the craft of storytelling, the space was informed by the grandeur of the amenity-rich yet intimate early movie houses of Stockholm and Amsterdam, Art Deco cinemas, the architectural color gestures of Danish modernist designer Poul Henningsen, and the vanished world of interwar New York conjured by the project’s Broadway address.

A non-profit documentary production company focusing on cinematic science films, Sandbox is behind ‘Fire of Love,’ nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 95th Academy Awards in 2023, among other critically-acclaimed projects. Their team approached Civilian to design a space that brings together the creative and technical facets of filmmaking under one roof. With an active roster of screenings, events and a residency program for independent filmmakers, the space acts as an office as well as a dynamic center of gravity for New York’s nonfiction film community at large.

Civilian has created a thoughtful interior layout and infused the project with a rich material and color palette, reimagining the potential of a modern workplace into an inviting environment that supports a sense of community and promotes cultural exchange.

The creative heart of space, the Art Deco-inspired, Dolby Atmos 22-seat screening room with unparalleled surround-sound is the only one of its kind in New York City. Working in collaboration with a team of sound engineers, Civilian has taken great care to create a seamless, fully immersive environment with sound equipment, acoustic dampers and reverberators concealed behind a series of deep-brown stretched wool and walnut panels. Rising up in three tiers, the fully reclining periwinkle blue screening room seats by manufacturer Cineak were customized specifically for the project and feature a series of discrete built-in table lights made in collaboration with Lambert et Fils. The projection screen is articulated by vertical brass sconces on a double-curved walnut frame which is subtly perforated to facilitate the performance of concealed speakers and subwoofers. Carefully considered overhead sconce and foot-lighting allows for a variety of lighting scenes and uses within the space, from public screening events through to private working editing sessions.