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Toronto is full of old warehouse-blocks-turned-office-spaces filled with tech, marketing and media start-ups. The buildings are remarkable, with soaring windows staring down Spadina or across Liberty Village, but the commercial units themselves are usually in need of some personality to differentiate them from the brick walls and original wood floors of their neighbours.

When Knot PR, a young public relations firm that reps clients like L’Unita Restaurant, Pimlico Design Gallery and Biko jewellery, moved in December from a shared space on Adelaide to its new home on the Esplanade, the partners knew the former lawyer’s office had good bones.

“We wanted to retain the office setting but ensure that it was comfortable enough for the long hours and daily challenges that come with working in this industry,” says Knot’s Amy Burstyn Fritz.

A main priority was creating zones that were modular and multi-use so the company has room to grow. An entryway outfitted with a tulip-style table and Eiffel chairs doubles as a meeting space and lunchroom. Staff work in an open space at compact but functional Micke desks from Ikea. And the partners’ office that Burstyn Fritz shares with the firm’s founder, Tatiana Read, features custom Corian-topped desks by Ian Busher.

“I’m big on investing in quality, timeless pieces as a foundation,” says Read, who likens designing the office to building a wardrobe. If that’s the case, then a pair of Tahir Mahmood lamps are the space’s jewellery, standout finds that work overtime to finish off its look.

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