London Inc. May/June 2021 - 22

Upfront Workspace

THE POWER OF SPACE

Recognizing workspace as not just an amortized asset but a strategic tool for growth,
a boutique design ﬁrm aims to create environments that move people

Nicole Monich and Kelly O'Connor of Ollie Agency Inc.

KELLY O'CONNOR AND Nicole Monich are betting
that London's commercial, retail and residential tenants
are ready for a bold new approach to space design. The duo
founded their boutique architectural interiors ﬁrm, Ollie
Agency Inc., last July and are already working with some of
the city's biggest players - including Siskinds LLP, Drewlo
Holdings and Davis Martindale.
The women met when O'Connor was the interior designer
for CBRE's contemporary new headquarters in KitchenerWaterloo. Monich worked in commercial furniture sales.
" We started talking, and Kelly suggested we go into
business for ourselves, " says Monich. " Things moved pretty
quickly after that. "
Both bring more than two decades of experience to their
new venture. O'Connor's resumé includes a decade living
in Italy, where she worked as an interior and architectural designer in the commercial, retail and hospitality
industries. " That experience gave me a different perspective
22 | londonincmagazine.ca | MAY / JUNE 2021

on design, " she says. " I still take a very
European approach, which seems to
work well here. "
O'Connor later returned to school to
study architecture and urban planning
at the University of Toronto. " Being
able to combine architecture and
interior design deﬁnitely inﬂuences
the design solutions we are able to
offer, " she notes.
Monich's career in interior design
led her into commercial furniture sales
and workplace strategy, where she
developed a passion for human-centric
interior design. " I'm really interested
in how space inﬂuences behaviour and
can foster or hinder your team, " she
explains.
Monich calls their combined skills
and experience " a perfect marriage, "
so it's no surprise that the upstart Ollie
Agency was selected to work on the
new home of Siskinds LLP.
The 60,000-square-foot office space
will occupy ﬂoors 18 to 21 in one of
the twin City Centre Towers, located
at Wellington and Dundas streets,
with the law ﬁrm on track to move in
sometime this fall.
" We wanted to create a very
beautiful, timeless design that will be as relevant in 20 years
as it is today, " says O'Connor. " We've installed an interconnecting stairway between the ﬂoors, which changes the
whole dynamic of the office, and we've included some very
ﬂexible, communal spaces. The look and feel is very, very
different from anything else you'll see in town. "
London, the women note, is growing and ready for change.
" We have a lot of people moving here from Toronto, and they
are going to expect more, " O'Connor says. " I think there is a
real openness to think about doing things differently. "
And while both have been working from home during the
mandated shutdowns, neither believe that remote work
is here to stay. " People want connection, " says Monich.
" Without collaboration and a sense of belonging, what do
you have? "
In the post-Covid world, she thinks businesses will take a
more conscious approach to the experience they are trying
to create. " And design is a huge part of that. " NICOLE LAIDLER

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London Inc. May/June 2021

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