{"id":270722,"date":"2025-12-15T13:48:27","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T18:48:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/?post_type=id_project&p=270722"},"modified":"2025-12-16T16:19:57","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T21:19:57","slug":"panic-portland-office-by-osmose-design","status":"publish","type":"id_project","link":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/projects\/panic-portland-office-by-osmose-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Explore A Retro-Inspired Workplace With A Curated 80s Vibe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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For the office kitchen, the team channeled Carl\u2019s Jr.’s White panels planned as menu boards give the space a somewhat surreal and eerie effect. The floor tiles from Summitville Strata Tile were chosen to closely match the flooring at Carl\u2019s Jr..<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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December 15, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n

Words: <\/span>Jennifer Lagdameo<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photography: <\/span>Courtesy of Osmose Design<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Explore A Retro-Inspired Workplace With A Curated 80s Vibe<\/h1>\n\n\n

Design inspiration came from a myriad of sources for the new downtown Portland office space for Panic<\/a>, Mac app developer and co-designer of Playdate<\/a>, a canary yellow, design-forward video game console. \u201cWe have had an ongoing conversation around what a retro tech aesthetic could look like,\u201d explains owner and interior designer of Osmose Design<\/a>, Andee Hess, who also designed the firm\u2019s prior office 10 years ago. \u201cThey wanted the space to tell stories. As app developers and gamers, they are very much about the Easter egg, and wanted to bring that tongue-in-cheek layer to the aesthetic. With that in mind, we started to build a story together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story is a fantastical narrative of the company\u2019s history, influenced by a collection of real and fabricated memories. The entrance to the office is inspired by 1980s mall architecture, specifically, the JCPenney’s at a suburban Portland locale. The curved brown brick reception area features artificial ferns and a faux rock speaker broadcasting a curated \u201c80s lobby mix\u201d to set the tone. Just off the entrance, a room clad in prefabricated raked concrete panels was designed as a Brutalist bunker to host an introductory video to the company, inspired by modern pre-show intro experiences at amusement park rides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Osmose Design Tailors This Portland Workplace With Old-School Flair<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The brick-covered reception area plays with materials to create a sense of nostalgia and set the tone. An artist came on site to etch Panic\u2019s logo into the Belden brick. It is a handcrafted artisanal approach that remains one of Hess\u2019s favorite pieces of the project. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The designer and client chose to keep the existing exposed concrete floors, adding four concrete cylinders with custom inset acrylic light shields to create a \u201cteleportation pad\u201d (referencing both Star Trek<\/em> and a Space Shuttle launch). \u201cKind of a surreal nod to things that you can\u2019t quite put your finger on,\u201d says Hess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employee-focused highlights include break rooms with fake skylights, game testing rooms, and a conversation pit-inspired stadium stair seating area that serves as a spot for employees to gather\u2014<\/strong>or just step away from their desks. This space, and the entire office, has been \u201crun through a nicotine filter,\u201d a concept that helped direct the overall color palette and enhance this nostalgia-evoking environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walk Through Panic’s Far Out Office By Osmose Design<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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The beveled hanging acoustic cloud is wrapped with an oatmeal colored \u201cnicotine-tinged\u201d felt material by Turf and designed to feel like a concrete slab architectural feature. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The Stadium Stairs support employee gatherings and provide a place for employees to step away from their desks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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For the office kitchen, the team channeled Carl\u2019s Jr.’s White panels planned as menu boards give the space a somewhat surreal and eerie effect. The floor tiles from Summitville Strata Tile were chosen to closely match the flooring at Carl\u2019s Jr..<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Just off the entrance, a Brutalist bunker-like room clad in prefabricated gray concrete panels by Concrete LCDA is designed to host an introductory video to the company, similar to the pre-show intro experience videos before amusement park rides. The mirrored ceilings are an homage to 1980s mall computer stores. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The chevron graphic is picked up from their previous office and is part of the company\u2019s branding. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Four concrete cylinders form a \u201cteleportation pad\u201d a reference to Star Trek<\/em> or a Space Shuttle launch and feature custom inset acrylic light shields. The lights are programmable and as a playful atmosphere-adding element, were once programmed with a glitch, \u201cto feel like you are warming up for a launch,\u201d says Hess. At the back, a stack of purple cans in a cove is another Easter egg; a fake beverage from one of Panic\u2019s games. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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A powder-coated curved wall leads to the bathrooms.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n