Creative Steampunk Office Design on the Cheap

Some offices shoot for the ultimate in expensive high-end furnishings, others strive to include all the amenities a twenty-something could want (from game rooms to food stocks), but few are done with such creatively reckless abandon as the 3 Rings office in (of course) San Francisco.

Everything in this office interior design is custom, from the biggest gesture to the smallest detail. There is a kind of colorful steampunk theme that runs throughout, referencing the industrial revolution in an abstract way but going far beyond any traditional aesthetic associated with a particular time period.

This complete interior features offbeat bike storage, a lounge, game room and even an entirely secret space. Playful in every way possible, it is hard to know whether this would fuel creativity or distract from everyday tasks – but would make for an amazing office either way.

“Originally, the back wall was going to host a mock submarine bridge, but Three Rings did not want to sacrifice the work space for a non-functional design element. So, we decided to make a fake ladder and ceiling hatch. The client desired a giant map on the wall, so we made a special frame for the largest one we could find. To complement the map, we installed salon-inspired picture frames on the adjacent wall.”

“In designing the space, we divided the space thematically. The work spaces are mechanically themed, with levers and electric diodes scattered about, representing an engine room and other inner workings of a ship. This screen’s design was inspired by Three Rings’ ‘Puzzle Pirates’ game and features a sunken ship, octopus and a pirate flag.”

“Pay special attention to this plain old bookshelf. The bookshelf opens up into a secret room! The secret room’s furnishings, big, plush leather sofas, were acquired used from a Craigslist poster.”

“Three Rings Design was expanding, taking over a large empty room. They needed desks, they needed a hang out space, and, as a small independent video game design company, they needed it all to be really interesting and fun. A space to gain and keep talent. A fun place that employees could feel a proud connection to. We pitched several crazy design concepts, and finally landed on a homage to Jules Verne ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea’.”

“We created underwater portholes and Engine silhouettes as space dividers, a Victorian looking pool table and a nautilus themed bar in the hang out space. Drapes were hung over the windows and decorative covers placed on the hanging florescent lights. We designed a huge ‘octopus attack’ couch and turned the bike storage area into the ‘engine room’. Decorative details were put in where ever we could fit them, and the staff of artists helped out by drawing many of the elements. We even worked with each artist to design their own desk. We created a template desk that allowed for different designs to be created out of the back and sides. The staff had a blast helping with the project, and in the end were invested and proud of the space.”