Contract Magazine - March 2019 - 20

Designer
You
Should
Know
Meena
Krenek

During her 20-year career, interior designer
Meena Krenek has had the good fortune of working
at two of the nation's top architecture firms: Early
on, she spent a year at Gensler before working
at Perkins+Will for 14 years, and then returned
to Gensler in 2017 as the firm's design director
in the Atlanta office. A self-proclaimed "maverick,"
the 44-year-old commercial designer's work
has run the gamut from showrooms to theaters
to healthcare facilities and restaurants, but her
true love is corporate interiors, specifically with
a focus on creative groups, agencies, and tech
companies. "I love working with companies that
are really mission-based-either brands that
are trying to announce their mission to the world
or companies that already are big brands
with a strong culture and lots of stories to tell,"
she says. "I want to be part of projects and
communities that have meaning and purpose.
That's my driver for the future."

Meena Krenek's portfolio
includes work with Gensler
workplace projects ranging
from an incubator space for
Gensler's Atlanta office where
she works (left) to the Red
Bull Atlanta offices (bottom
right). During her time with
Perkins+Will, she worked for
a variety of clients on projects
including Shaw Contract's
showroom (bottom left).

What differentiates your design style from your
contemporaries?
I have a really strong personal brand, and I'm always
seeking ways of looking at things differently. I'm
constantly asking our clients, and my colleagues alike,
'what's next' in their world and 'why' they do the things
they do. I'm constantly thinking about what our clients
really want and what is the one thing that we can do
that can take them over the top.
What are some bigger trends or cultural shifts
in interior design that interest you right now?
Everything today is automatic, tech-friendly, and done
at the touch of a button, but recently I've seen a shift
to incorporate more analog elements in a space-
such as areas to engage with board games, puzzles
or books, or interactive tools such as writable, tackable
surfaces-that allow for creativity as well as a place
to unwind and have fun with coworkers. In our office,
we've even included an area with a Polaroid camera,
with photos of employees displayed in a creative way.
There has to be a balance between 'high' and 'low'
tech and people still inherently need and appreciate
hospitality and human interaction."
Pop-up experiences can also be used in the
workplace. Recently, we've designed pop-up pantries,
spontaneous spaces that house and display healthy
snacks at different times of the day, allowing
employees to connect with each other.

You often integrate typography and different
graphic elements into corporate interiors. What's
the thought process behind that design strategy?
It's very important to embed a story within the
architecture, and that can come in many different
forms. People are constantly asking for Instagrammable
moments, so how can we create a space that expresses
the company's mission, and leaves a message that
creates a buzz? It can come from how we interact
with the floor or the ceiling, or how we think about
dimensional branding moments within the space.
Having these bolder brand integrations within
the architecture allows the stories to be told, so even
when we designers leave the job site and turn it over
to clients, the message lives on in the space.
What were some challenges you faced in designing
the latest addition to your Atlanta office where
you work?
More and more clients want to be a part of the design
process rather than be handed a finished product.
We created an incubator space-which has mobile
furniture, monitors, and other hackable workspaces;
writable surfaces, magnetic surface walls, and amazing
coffee-to being able to co-create with our clients
early on in the design process, strengthening our
relationship and creating a cohesive design journey.
We intentionally placed the VR equipment in the space
so designers can make connections between analog
and digital, create new patterns and have the space
to formulate designs and ideas.

PHOTOGRAPHY: NIGEL MARSON (TOP AND BOTTOM LEFT); GARRETT ROWLAND (BOTTOM RIGHT)

PROFILE
Contract Magazine - March 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract Magazine - March 2019
