Float Studio

Adeptly avoiding the clichés so commonly associated with office design for start-ups, Float Studio instead creates spaces that capture each company’s founding essence—all on a tight budget.

- Anne Quito

 For a young practice, New York–based Float Studio has built a substantial reputation for being a kind of design sage for start-ups. Emerging companies rely on designers Brad Sherman and Nina Etnier’s acuity for creating workspaces befitting their brand and their budget.

Sherman’s education in start-up culture came by way of a short stint manning the front desk at a busy co-working space in Manhattan. “The people I met at General Assembly were aging out of the typical co-working model,” recalls Sherman, who has a master’s degree in sustainable architecture. “They were growing substantially and looking for spaces of their own but were very scared by the prospect of spending a ton of money on it. I realized that there was a need for architects of start-up spaces in the design world.”

Before Float, Etnier was steeped in the world of high-end residential and commercial design. With a degree in visual media and marketing and a graduate diploma in interior spatial design, she possesses a broad skill set that’s well suited for the types of design challenges Float tackles.