StackMob's Sunny San Francisco Office is Just Like Home

StackMob’s 9,200-square-foot office in San Francisco’s SOMA district is bright, open and comfortable; almost like an apartment. That is, if your 26 roommates were busy cranking out a next-gen development platform for mobile app developers. For interior designer Hannah Ruskin, StackMob represents her first major office redesign.

Luke Stangel

Photo credit: James Tensuan

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Open Spaces

Designed by Hannah Ruskin

In mid-2011 with $7.5 million in venture capital in the bank, the rapidly growing StackMob team began shopping around for a bigger office in San Francisco.

They were looking for an office that had enough space for them to host technology meetups, rent out co-working desks to fellow entrepreneurs, and comfortably handle future expansion. They decided on 841 8th Street, the former home of the San Francisco branch of product design firm LUNAR.

StackMob brought in Hannah Ruskin from Oakland-based Swell Spaces to design the office. A construction crew tore down a wall separating two adjoining buildings, installed Brazilian teak flooring, and built two conference rooms, bathrooms and a custom kitchen.
Photo credit: James Tensuan

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Natural Lighting

Designed by Hannah Ruskin

Two of the building’s original skylights provide much of the office’s natural light. These skylights were weatherized to make sure the office didn’t cook in the summer or freeze in the winter. Construction workers painted the exposed ductwork and metal bracing a uniform shade of gray.
Photo credit: James Tensuan

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Sit, Stand, Run

Designed by Hannah Ruskin

StackMob’s 26 employees are given the option of sitting at a traditional desk or a standing desk. So far, four employees have opted for standing desks. CEO Ty Amell has a hydraulic desk, so he can transition from sitting to standing relatively easily.

StackMob also has a treadmill desk, just in case standing isn’t radical enough. This desk allows workers to walk slowly while typing away at their laptops or talking on the phone.
Photo credit: James Tensuan

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Lunch and Mustaches

Designed by Hannah Ruskin

StackMob’s custom kitchen feels like home. The dual stainless refrigerators are covered with photos of employees wearing fake mustaches. A floating, custom metal-top bar compliments a classic wooden kitchen table with up-cycled railroad ties for legs. The dishwasher, stove and Miele espresso machine set this kitchen apart from the usual micro-kitchens found at startups in San Francisco.