Lessing’s Corporate Office

The new headquarters for Lessing’s Hospitality Group gives a sixth-generation, 135-year-old family business a workplace built for its next chapter. Mojo Stumer was brought in to give that legacy a headquarters to match it: a workplace that could carry the weight of the company’s history while looking, unmistakably, toward its future.

The transformation started with the building itself. What was once a former municipal space — low-ceilinged, boxed-in, and closed off — was opened up entirely. The dropped ceilings came down, exposing the original steel structure and ductwork above, and the plan was reworked around that new volume. The result is a dramatic shift in character: a cramped, dated shell reimagined as a bright, open, double-height workplace, with sightlines and daylight moving freely across the floor.

That same instinct — honoring the past while building something new — carries through the rest of the design. At reception, a sculptural stone desk framed in warm wood millwork sets a refined, contemporary tone. Just behind it, a lit glass wall displays archival photography of the company’s earliest days, so the firm’s history is present the moment visitors walk in. Vertical acoustic pillars rise floor to ceiling throughout the office, softening the exposed industrial bones of the space.

Beyond the reception sequence, the office is organized to support a range of work styles — enclosed conference rooms and private offices, informal lounges, and collaborative meeting areas — brought together with natural wood tones, comfortable seating, and lighting that keeps the space feeling warm rather than corporate.

More than a headquarters, the project reflects what Mojo Stumer was brought in to do: take a company with over a century of legacy and give it a home that looks like it belongs to the next generation.