Notion’s new San Francisco HQ is an ode to classic design

FastCompany: Ever since offices have existed, they’ve projected a certain image of the companies who build them. And in the tech space, this has usually meant a forward-looking aesthetic—Apple’s spaceship , Amazon’s geodesic domes , and Bell Labs’ mirrored complex . It’s a fitting, and often repeated, conceit for businesses that are designing the future. (Or want to be perceived as such.) [Photo: courtesy IA Interior Architects] This pattern is part of the reason why the new San Francisco headquarters of Notion , a productivity software company that pivoted to AI a few years ago , feels unexpected.

Designed by IA Interior Architects , the 100,000-square-foot space located in a circa 1907 building expresses a more historic sensibility. To wit: Its lobby is furnished with a book-matched burl reception desk, antique Persian carpets, gauzy white curtains, and an authentic Gerrit Rietveld chair . Noticeably absent? Logos and screens.

[Photo: courtesy IA Interior Architects] According to Michael McGinley, Notion’s global head of real estate, the brand and identity are reflected in the atmosphere, which is quite soothing, thanks to walls painted in Benjamin Moore Cream Froth and lighting set to 2700K—a color temperature designers typically use for hotels and homes. “It wants to celebrate the person who’s here,” says Kristoffer Tendall, design director of IA’s San Francisco studio. [Photo: courtesy IA Interior Architects] Notion’s relocation comes at an interesting time for San Francisco and the tech industry based there.

In the past, companies flocked to areas like South Beach and Mission Bay, where new development is concentrated and available floor space is large enough to accommodate growth. But overall, the AI industry has preferred to move into older buildings in historic neighborhoods, such as Jackson Square . It’s a bit anachronistic: While companies like Notion, Anthropic, and Jony Ive’s Io are shaping how we interact with the world through AI and agents, they’re doing so from architecture that reads more like the pre-digital past.

[Photo: courtesy IA Interior Architects] Working with history For Notion, a headquarters in the downtown Monadnock Building made sense logistically and culturally. Market Street hollowed out during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing the real estate market to accommodate larger leases. Its proximity to public transportation—along with a nice parking garage next door—cuts down commute times by 20 minutes on average. (The company was previously based in the Mission District.) Such a landmark building also aligns with the founders’ values: CEO Ivan Zhao, who was closely involved with the vision for the HQ, is a history buff .

“This isn’t a tech office; this is a Notion office,” McGinley says. “That’s always been Ivan’s philosophy and vision. He wants us to be a place that is dedicated to literature, to poetry, to architecture. That can still exist in an AI company, but it’s the story we tell about ourselves to ourselves, and what inspires us and what we want to think about day-to-day.

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The article discusses a significant rebranding effort through office design that reflects a company's identity, which is relevant to brand strategy professionals, though the concept of blending historic design with modern functionality is not entirely new.