So our second outing to scout for a new office was just a single office building. This one is in far north Dallas, and has an address directly on the Tollway. It is very convenient whether you’re driving from Frisco or from the Park Cities, but is just that: an office building. Granted, it’s an open shell of an office space, so we would gut it and build out what we want. I like all the windows.

I kinda want a funky / cool / artistic / glamorous vibe, so I would definitely start by throwing down some wood-like flooring OR staining the concrete. Dark. As dark as possible. Espresso is just barely light enough. But I don’t think these drop ceilings are able to be raised “industrial style” for less than it would cost to give up my first born child. Or so I hear. I’m going to have to explore all options as I make a decision, because as my old boss would say: “The numbers will tell you what to do”.

The space is pretty generic, so we could totally trick it out to what I want it to look like. That’s what I do for a living, right? In fact, I’ve been gathering some ideas on my Pinterest board HERE if you wanna check out some of the initial thoughts.

What I’m struggling with is the overall vibe of the building. It’s not UGLY, but it’s not NOT ugly. Does that make sense? The lobby is just kinda MEH. And the exterior is also MEH. When we have clients / potential clients / events at our space, I want the WOW factor even before clients open the door to our space. But I want to be able to afford the rent too. Small detail, right? Plus, I’m staring at another parking lot here. Or the tollway. From ground level. But ground level is convenient if we’re schlepping in client accessories and so forth, right? But I could put some gorgeous curtains up. You see some of my dilemma.

So the hunt continues. We visited some spaces with some WOW factor in the West End and Downtown Dallas areas earlier this week. Some I could eliminate that day, and some I’m still seriously considering. I’ll share those pics with you next week – and watch for a decision soon. I need to get this project moving.

What do you think? Is an office building just an office building? Or does it set the tone and expectation as you drive or walk up?

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