Joany: We Deserve Health

Los Angeles, California, USA 2018

Fuelled by their belief that all people deserve quality healthcare, Christine Carrillo and Helen Lee founded JOANY, formally known as Impact Health, in 2015. Two years later they moved onto the 26th floor of The Bloc's office tower in downtown Los Angeles, and asked Kelly to make it feel like home. Creating an environment that felt healthy and full of vitality became the core of the project, aligning with Kelly's belief that our external environment has the potential to greatly enhance the quality of our life and inner world.

Much like Joan of Arc, the company's icon, Carrillo exhibits a fierceness and fearlessness in her approach to business that inspired Kelly to suggest some unconventional ideas during the design process. For the entrance, she pitched the Growroom, a spherical garden that empowers people to grow food, as a statement to make a vibrant first impression.

The feminine and punchy color palette needed to be balanced by plenty of natural elements, so Kelly teamed up with Casey McCafferty of CBM Woodworks for fine custom millwork and Megan Sosik from TwoFurnish for fun, modern furniture. Artist Jose Carrillo created custom street art where white walls begged for color brand identity.

It was clear early on that this company was destined for hypergrowth, and the space needed to flex accordingly. Spaces for teams and individuals to work needed to be maximized, but the office also needed plenty of secluded outlets and special spaces to make the environment feel unique and cozy. Kelly chose workstations by Mash Studios for their universality in quality and accessibility, arranging them throughout the space.

Designing an environment to hold space for success also meant designing for the inevitable overwhelm that comes with rapid growth. Carrillo made it clear that the team also needed a quiet space, which she initially called a "Cry Room."  She shared that sometimes she'd have a tough or upsetting call or meeting and would need to break down and cry. Kelly loved that she wanted to give people a safe space for that. The vision was born to transform an old file room into a library and meditation room complete with HUSH Pods by London based Freyja Sewell, where tears could flow in private.

A final piece of design significant to the culture of JOANY came through honoring heroes and heroines, like Joan of Arc, in all meeting spaces. Celebrating characteristics of activism, passion, determination, and persistence through imagery and biographies of diverse people who have walked brave paths was a way to align what the company aims to create with its physical space.

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Photos by Wundr Studio