Amika Offices
In Brooklyn, Civilian creates an immersive, collaborative workspace for trailblazing haircare company Amika, where undulating forms and a subtle material palette enhance a sense of connectedness.
American haircare brand Amika has done nothing by the book. Founded in Brooklyn in 2007, the company adopted a people-, planet- and performance-focused model that helped catapult it to become one of the most successful independent haircare companies in the US. Its purpose-driven ethos, deeply engaging and original social media content and commitment to sustainability – backed by B-Corp Certification and Climate Label Certification – marks the brand as a creative powerhouse with integrity at its core.
When it came to designing its headquarters in New York, in the brick-and-glass 25 Kent office building overlooking the East River, Amika sought a practice that aligned with its vision on myriad levels. Multi-award-winning, Brooklyn-based Civilian – renowned for its work with mission-driven companies seeking spaces that foster community and support identity – proved the ideal partner. Recent projects like Newlab NOLA in New Orleans, an innovation hub working on decarbonisation technologies for the energy sector, and the Canadian Centre for Housing Innovation in Toronto serve to underscore the studio’s ethos.
To create a sense of intimacy and connectedness in a sweeping 1,850-square-metre space, Civilian’s Nicko Elliott and Ksenia Kagner introduced an understated material and colour palette of creamy neutrals, blonde timbers, soft upholstery, glazed tiles and terracotta-hued stone. The palette not only imbues the space with a sense of tactility, harmony and calm, it also forms a purposefully subtle backdrop to Amika’s vibrantly packaged ranges. The space is, according to Amika CEO Chelsea Riggs, “intentionally designed to be an anti-office, a place where boundaries between work and inspiration are fluid”.
The understated palette not only imbues the space with a sense of tactility and calm, it also forms a purposefully subtle backdrop to Amika’s vibrantly packaged ranges.
Curves and undulating forms introduce an additional sense of the organic, a feeling bolstered by curvaceous architectural hardware from Bankston. Civilian collaborated with the acclaimed, design-led Australian company in 2024 to create Hemispheres, a 12-piece collection that blends form with function, reimagining traditional hardware by integrating architectural precision with artistic expression. The name reflects not only the range’s dome-like vernacular but also the collaborators’ disparate geography – the Northern Hemisphere-based Civilian and Bankston in the Southern Hemisphere.
For Amika Offices’ communal kitchen, Civilian specified the H04 door pulls in Bone. Referencing the sinuous lines of Art Deco design, the pulls add pearl-like accents to the flattened planes of the joinery, their tones blending harmoniously with the kitchen’s cream and terracotta palette. Installed horizontally here, the H04 pulls can also be attached vertically, and are available in two lengths and a wide range of finishes.
Referencing the sinuous lines of Art Deco design, the pulls add pearl-like accents to the flattened planes of the joinery.
Versatility is at the heart of the Hemispheres collection. By championing modularity and personalisation, the range encourages users to create individual configurations that reflect their own design tastes. With interchangeable components in five main materials – American Walnut, Bone, Smooth Nickel, Polished Chrome and Potoro Gold Marble – the pieces adapt to any interior style. “One of the great things about this collection,” says Bankston co-founder Emily Bradley, “is that there are so many variables, depending on what textures and colour palettes are chosen. It can really work in a lot of different environments.”
Interior design by Civilian. Architectural hardware by Bankston.
