Contract Magazine - January/February 2017 - 55

RENDERINGS AND PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY TPG ARCHITECTURE (TWO THIS PAGE); ERIC LAIGNEL (ALL OPPOSITE)

"What distinguishes Suzette is that she
is the complete and consummate design
professional. She's very good at capturing
the essence, spirit, and soul of each and every
one of our clients, which is consistent with
the philosophy of design here at TPG."
-James G. Phillips, AIA, Founder of

Subance Ferrier's recent
TPG projects include the
New York offices for McCann
Worldgroup (opposite, top
and bottom left), completed
in 2015, and CMG Group
(opposite, bottom right),
a wholly owned unit of
Interpublic Group, completed
in 2013. Projects in progress
include the redesign of the
office for publisher John Wiley
& Sons (rendering, above
left) in Hoboken, New Jersey,
and the workplace for Weber
Shandwick/Axis (rendering,
above right) in Minneapolis.

the CEO of Havas Health. "The new office has
allowed us to very easily morph the footprint of the
agency as the client needs shift. Proximity has bred
great examples of collaboration and teamwork."
For the New York workplace of shared service
provider CMG Group completed in 2013, Subance
Ferrier focused open offices around a 20-foot-tall
wood-clad floating stair. The look reflects
innovation, but it also feels light, sculptural,
warm, and sophisticated.

A love of light, sound, and people
Besides the aforementioned fascination with
fabric, color, and material, Subance Ferrier brings
TPG Architecture
an equally intense love of sound and, even more,
light, to each project. "You need variety in your life,"
she says. "Drama and intimacy; loud and quiet;
community and escape. I get crazy about lighting;
I can sit there and look at it forever."
One past colleague who knows her creative
work extremely well is Larry Berger, who was a studio
design director at TPG until he left a year ago
the classic beauty of old Hollywood while still
for Interpublic Group, where he is now a client
maintaining a contemporary slickness and style.
of Subance Ferrier. "She understands a project's
For his company's New York office, completed in
creative aspects. But she also understands how
2015, the result is a mix of open and private offices
finished with polished stainless steel and high-resin projects have to function after the designers
leave," says Berger. "She's just so seasoned and
polyester, evoking a classic car or the magical aura
knowledgeable, and it doesn't hinder her creativity.
of a 1930s starlet. Mirrored balls hanging from the
If anything, it helps her creativity. She so easily
ceiling combine with high-end lighting fixtures by
Tom Dixon. "You walk off the elevator, and you think, comes up with solutions to problems that are logical
but still creative and able to push the envelope."
This is McCann," Subance Ferrier says. "It's strong
As a studio leader, Subance Ferrier has
and powerful yet elegant and glamorous. It's such
"demonstrated that she's much more than a designer,"
a sexy project."
Phillips says. She is both a manager and a mentor.
While McCann called for an alluring interior,
Subance Ferrier has developed bespoke approaches "Yes, the business is design, but almost more
importantly, it's about people: the people you
for other clients. In 2015, at the New York office of
engage with, both clients and other team members.
Havas Health/H4B, a healthcare communications
Suzette completely understands that. A lot of
agency, she married clear organization and clean
entry-level and junior designers have shared with
finishes with a bright burst of red and whimsical
me how much they enjoy working with Suzette
accents, like padded fabric chandeliers, digitally
and respect her guidance."
fabricated wall details, and an outdoor patio dotted
Subance Ferrier has often called upon
with resin chairs and glowing light balls. "Suzette
students at her alma mater FIT to be interns at TPG.
did an excellent job of gaining our trust in her
abilities early on and that carried over to all phases "She has reached out to me for student help,
and we have worked together to set up internship
of our three-year project," says Donna Murphy,
contract

Contract Magazine - January/February 2017

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