Step Into the Speakeasy

Conference rooms tend to follow a predictable script. This one was designed to disregard it. The Speakeasy is Ateliers Jacob’s conference room in name only. In practice, it is something closer to an invitation—to a particular mood, a particular era, a particular kind of conversation that happens when a space makes you want to linger. The concept was not arbitrary. Conceived as a speakeasy, the space draws directly from the history of the building itself; an 1800s structure marked by exposed brick and a palpable sense of time. Rather than working against the building’s past, the design leans into it. The result is immersive, moody and unapologetically atmospheric, less like a meeting room than a place to gather.

Defined by Its Undertones

Here, color sets the tone. A dusky mauve lacquer, deepened by grey and black undertones, gives the space both weight and subtlety. Enveloping and layered, difficult to name precisely, it becomes the defining gesture of the space. Inspired by Benjamin Moore’s 2025 Color of the Year, Cinnamon Slate, it holds the room without overpowering it, with everything else calibrated to give it space.

Lighting was chosen with the same attention to balance. The chandelier by Luminaires Authentik introduces a contemporary counterpoint. Its Scandinavian design and modern structure offset the heavy mouldings and dramatic lacquer, while its warm, slightly brown tone blends into the palette and deepens the dusky atmosphere. The lighting is not uniform, but layered, allowing shadows and reflections to shape its depth.