Upstairs, a workroom provides space for Sroka and his team to spread out.
Tucked into a tree-lined office park in Upper Georgetown, Sroka Design Incorporated occupies a two-story space previously belonging to designer Victor Shargai—for whom, coincidentally, Sroka worked in the 1980s. When Sroka began scouting a DC location for his firm in 2012, Shargai’s office was available; recalling the space, Sroka jumped at it.
Largely untouched, the office was ready for a major renovation. Sroka located the public spaces—reception area, conference room and kitchen—on the ground floor while he and his staff of eight situated their offices upstairs. “The hosting areas should be where people come in,” Sroka explains.
The first step was to open up the back of the office to a walled garden that lets in light. “You couldn’t see the garden at all before,” he recalls. “And the bathroom was right at the entrance. We moved it out of the way.”
Upstairs, light-filled offices border an efficient resource library/workroom housing scores of fabric and wallpaper samples, wood swatches and more. “What I like is that this gave us a chance to rethink how we do everything,” Sroka comments. “We’ve streamlined our organization.”
At the entry, a Caracole desk welcomes visitors and a custom banquette lines one wall. Suede upholstery clads the reception area walls and a frosted-glass barn door opens to the conference room. “I wanted it to feel friendly, like walking into a home,” Sroka says. Everyone is welcome—including canine friends. Sroka’s fearful dog, Lucky, occupies a basket under his desk. It is as stylish as his master’s office.