This Fashion Influencer's L.A. Workspace Is as Cool as Her Wardrobe

Gone are the days when you could ask someone for their job title and get a succinct answer. Today, we have successfully ditched the siloed perspective of our parent's generation. Instead of climbing one ladder on an upward trajectory, we are happily steering our careers in a myriad of directions—up, down, left, and right. One such success story is the multihyphenate Chriselle Lim of The Chriselle Factor.

On top of being a fashion stylist, lifestyle and beauty blogger, and digital influencer, Lim is also the founder of the branded content studio CINC studios and is about to launch her first clothing line, Chriselle Lim Collection. Collectively she has 2.5 million followers across YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. Oh, and did we mention she is also a mom to the gorgeous 3-year-old Chloe with another baby girl on the way? Yes, Lim is a powerhouse.

With so many projects on her plate, Lim needed a bigger space to execute the content, shoots, and videos they create daily. But it also needed to reflect the new vision and direction of the brand. She finally found this light and airy 2500-square-foot office and studio space in Los Angeles and got to work designing a creative environment for the team with interior designer Erick Garcia of Maison Trouvaille, and Lot-H Design architects. 

The end result is a simple and chic architectural style that is as practical as it is pretty. "We started from nothing," Lim tells me. "We donated or sold all of the furniture from our old studio space. Our goal was to create something that felt comfortable, collaborative, and open. We wanted to keep the palette neutral and add punches of color. We also wanted to make sure we had different spaces that would allow us to create beautiful content."

Read on to hear how Lim crafted this fashionable space for her team.

Since the old office didn't have any storage, Lim says it would oftentimes have paperwork laid out, and she knew the team didn't want to see that in the new space. "It was important to have whatever materials we needed to be accessible but look chic, so our architect made sure that we had beautiful white cabinets built-in throughout the space."

Lim partnered with Planta Nursery to bring the space to life and brighten up the monochromatic space with plenty of greenery. 

The shelf wall is one of Lim's favorite décor items, because it's chic but still functions as a storage space. "It has built-in custom cabinets we created with our designer, and the top shelves are all about aesthetics," she explains. "I love the idea of having a huge bookshelf with all my favorite decorative items on top, showcasing some of my favorite books, artwork, and pieces. This has to be my favorite part of the office, just because it's so Instagrammable. We call it 'the wall of the office.'"

The team wanted the main office area to still be an open space where everyone has a chance to discuss projects and collaborate with each other. "We created rows and sections for the different departments, so the editorial team will sit together, and the same for the video team," she says. "I usually sit out here to work because I like to be in the know and have people around me when I’m working. The desks can be rolled up and used as standing desks in case anyone wants to work while standing up."

Because they were the first tenants in this part of the building, Lim says they were able to create the space of their dreams. "We figured out how much space we wanted and built out an empty box with the architects from Lot-H," she tells me. "In the office, we built the walls, kitchen, custom cabinets, added flooring, lighting, and window treatments. In the studio, we built a cyclorama, a closet, and a soundproof editing suite."

The living room and lounge area are very simple and chic. "It's great because guests can hang out there, or my co-workers can sit there if they want to relax and take a break, or if they need a change of scenery while working on their laptops," says Lim. "Capsule Home provided us with the amazing deep blue couch and chairs, which have rosegold hardware. Everything else in the office is light and airy, so we wanted to keep the larger pieces luxe and richly colored."

Every detail in the living room makes it feel like home. Can we move in?

For Lim's office, they kept the simple and clean theme because as she tells me, "I don't use it that much. I prefer to work in the main office area. I usually use my office when I need to focus in on something or take a private call." She's "obsessed" with the art piece hanging in her office because it's a "silhouette of a person holding a child, and it looks like a painting of me holding Chloe."

With the loft-like ceiling, Lim maintained an industrial vibe for her personal office, with a very minimal style.

The biggest challenge with their old office was that it was a huge loft studio space without any dividers and no privacy. With such a collaborative team (that's growing), they realized they each needed their own space to focus. So they worked with the designer to create the glass encasement walls to divide the office so that it's separated yet open.

"It's especially great as when baby number two arrives, I can have my own separate space to balance motherhood and work at the same time," says Lim. "We still encourage everyone to leave their office doors open because we want it to be a very collaborative environment."

With a baby on the way and other employees with young bubs, they brought a portable crib into one of the offices too. 

These Herman Miller office chairs and Knoll desks were the first things Lim bought for the office. Practical and stylish. 

The conference room feels like a dining room with a huge custom-built marble table and chairs from Capsule Home. "The coolest part about this room is the corkboard wall, where we're able to create our mood boards for different projects," says Lim. "I love it because it doesn't look like the traditional brown, tacky corkboard. It's the exact same color as the walls, and it blends in, so people don't even notice that it's a corkboard until I point it out to them." Smart.

The studio is completely separate and located right across the hall from the office space, which Lim says is "really nice" because they have more space to create content and shoot videos. "We were always struggling with space in the old office because we would be using it for both shoots and office work, and would have to change out the furniture every week, which became really difficult," she says. "The studio is just a huge room to play in. We have a white cyc where we film a lot of cool lookbooks and tutorials for our clients. We also have a soundproof room where we record a lot of voiceovers for our videos and use as our glam room for hair and makeup."

Beyond all the stylish decorative items and furniture, Lim's favorite things about the space are the glass walls and the natural lighting. We couldn't agree more. Without those, the other elements wouldn't look nearly as chic.