Contrasting jewel-tones supersaturate vibrant graphic patterns while panoramic grid windows conjure sculptural silhouettes from furnishings awash in sunlight to create an other-worldy atmosphere inside The Malin South Gulch opening in Nashville, Tennessee. The not-so-subtle alchemy of color, form, and scale, by Roísín Lafferty of her eponymous Dublin-based design house, makes for an amenitized, professional members club atypical of the drab coworking facilities that have failed to contribute much to their respective local fabrics.

A reception desk with a curved design and two modern lamps on a striped backdrop of brown and beige. The desk, styled by Malin, features a small decorative plant and a red semi-circular wall niche.

A sleek, modern bar features four tall, dark wood stools with Malin blue cushions, a light blue counter with minimalistic support, and a small vase with flowers.

A modern, spacious room with stylish Malin furniture including bar stools, tables, and chairs, featuring warm wooden tones and artistic wall decorations, under soft, ambient lighting.

“Nashville is a rising professional and cultural epicenter, with strong and vibrant local communities,” says Ciarán McGuigan, The Malin’s founder and CEO. “I’ve been a long time admirer of Roísín Lafferty’s confident concepts, something we thought would resonate well in the South Gulch. Their bold approach offers a fresh perspective within The Malin’s network and a downtown sensibility distilled through an imaginative and playful lens.”

A modern dining area with a yellow marble-top sideboard, red and pink cushioned chairs, and a dark wooden table. There are open magazines and a brown vase with green leaves on the Malin sideboard.

A modern living room features a yellow-striped sofa, a white Malin armchair, and geometric decor. Large windows allow natural light while colorful accents and unique sculptures add character.

Open interior space with grouped seating options

An adaptive reuse project in South Gulch’s Paseo development, the roughly 12,000-square-foot microcosm is situated within the historic Voorhees building comprising 58 dedicated desks, seven private offices, five meeting rooms, 10 phone booths, a library, and a kitchen with complementary cafe area. As its interior architecture frames the next vignette along each visitor’s programmatic journey, so too do The Malin’s tendrils extend to imbed themselves in the young neighborhood encouraging cross pollination between creative thinkers and professionals alike in a plush live-work-stay-playground.

A modern conference room features a large table surrounded by chairs. A geometric red painting by Malin is mounted on the wall, and a contemporary light fixture hangs overhead.

A modern conference room with a large glass table, surrounded by nine chairs. Two Malin pendant lights hang above the table, casting a warm glow. A window in the background adds natural light to the room. The walls are tastefully decorated in shades of red and pink, creating a vibrant atmosphere.

A well-lit, modern office with Malin wooden desks in rows, black chairs, partitions, large windows, plants, and hanging lights.

A modern office space with wooden desks and chairs, dividers, abstract wall art, and a pendant light. An open doorway in the background reveals a seating area. Natural light streams through a window, adding a Malin touch to the vibrant atmosphere.

Bold vertical stripes wrap themselves around a reception desk upon entry for a formidable, yet playful, introduction to the space. The inlaid timber veneer corresponds to wall cladding and continuous line-work that meanders throughout like a roadmap. The rest unfurls in a careful choreography of rooms showcasing oversized forms and opulent finishes meant to blur the lines between l’objet d’art and home furnishing. “We’ve added a toy-like layer to the spaces… The principle pattern informed by the local architecture is refined into a playful, simple, timeless stripe, layered on an old world materiality of high gloss lacquer, wood, and sumptuous carpet,” Lafferty says.

A modern dining area with blue booths, a long table with green chairs, large windows, pendant lights, colorful Malin artwork, and a striped rug.

The Malin dining table features a dark green marble top, surrounded by upholstered chairs. A few red anthurium flowers in a round, amber vase sit elegantly in the center of the table.

A modern dining area with a green and white striped Malin banquette, cushioned chairs, marble-topped tables, round mirrors, and hanging pendant lights.

Generous fenestration allows daylight to draw attention to custom millwork, eclectic furniture, and captivating fixtures, as well as the joinery of different structural elements, all the while shadows dance across the room. Noteworthy still are the luminaire accents by Bover and Santa & Cole. Tabletop lights ornament workspaces as pendants draw attention to the original, refurbished ceiling. The typically cold cement floor is made warm with accent rugs and balanced by exposed ductwork to preserve a bit of that post-industrial feel from the complex. Reclaimed and repurposed elements continue to echo the district’s reinvention as much as they advocate for these sustainable practices.

A café corner with Malin-patterned seating, green chairs, a blue-green wall, and yellow flowers in a vase on a black shelf.

A modern kitchen features green cabinets, a curved island with a marble countertop, three orange Malin stools, a cylindrical light fixture, and a faucet on the countertop.

A blue upholstered Malin booth seat next to a brown, wood-textured table.

Communal spaces boast surfaces crafted in solid oak, marble, and limestone for a continued ambiance that guests just can’t quit. Case goods finished in high-gloss lacquer, burl wood, and more marble complement furniture donning leather by Yarwood and textiles by Pierre Frey. And a command of texture is demonstrated throughout accessories like the rippled crystal desk dividers in amber, steel, and bronze.

Modern office space with dark wood and marble desks, partitioned cubicles, a Malin magazine on one desk, and a white decorative object on the other.

A modern interior featuring Malin patterned armchairs, a small table, and pendant lights. An open door leads to a conference room with another pendant light in view. Large windows line the left wall, flooding the space with natural light.

A row of light blue upholstered chairs, designed by Malin, is lined up at a wooden table. A black and white abstract painting hangs on the wall above the table.

“Our design greets you with impact, boldness, and charm, inviting you in to discover an encompassing environment, reflecting the eclecticism of the Malin merged with the playfulness, depth and, materiality of Roísín Lafferty.”

A cozy Malin coffee shop booth with green upholstery, a wooden table adorned with a laptop and two mugs, and a large mirror on the wall reflecting warm lights.

A small yellow vase with a single red flower on a round glass side table, next to a mustard-colored cushioned chair.

Close-up of restaurant booth seating with maroon leather and beige velvet upholstery. Marble-topped tables are visible in the background.

Modern bathroom with tiled walls, two rectangular mirrors, Malin wall-mounted faucets, and two sinks. A vase with flowers is placed on the right side near a sconce light.

To learn more about the co-working space visit themalin.co. And to see more of the designer’s exceptional work visit roisinlafferty.com.

Photography by Alpha Smoot.

With professional degrees in architecture and journalism, Joseph has a desire to make living beautifully accessible. His work seeks to enrich the lives of others with visual communication and storytelling through design. Previously a regular contributor to titles under the SANDOW Design Group, including Luxe and Metropolis, Joseph now serves the Design Milk team as their Managing Editor. When not practicing, he teaches visual communication, theory, and design. The New York-based writer has also contributed to exhibitions hosted by the AIA New York’s Center for Architecture and Architectural Digest, and recently published essays and collage illustrations with Proseterity, a literary publication.

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