Norwest Venture Partners

Client: Principal Builders: General ContractorKBM Hogue: Furniture Dealer

After 60 years and 600+ investments, Norwest has earned a reputation for being a trusted partner to entrepreneurs, shepherding their continued growth and success. They’re one of the leading venture capital and private equity firms based in the heart of Silicon Valley, and when it came time to envision their new home in Menlo Park, they turned to Rapt Studio to guide the way.

As a complement to their San Francisco workspace, their new 30,000-square-foot site will provide Norwest with space to graciously host the entrepreneurs they support, with ample workspace for partners and staff. 

A long and layered “Avenue” greets guests upon entry. Soft seating and a fireplace lend warmth while custom artwork, artifacts, and a coffee bar complete the scene. 

Adjacent, an expansive multi-use room with glass walls can open to make space for panels, seminars, and industry talks that seat up to 150. Lounges and meeting rooms line the periphery, welcoming smaller groups to peel off and talk privately. 

Beyond, booths, sit-stand hoteling desks, and café-like seating provide space to work, while phone pods offer space to make calls.

Flanking the Avenue and buffered by the free-floating block of communal meeting rooms are individual offices that Norwest staff call their own — private, quiet, and protected from communal areas. 

Throughout, a custom art program lends tactility and warmth, while technological solutions integrate seamlessly with high-touch finishes. Materials are rich and jewel tones bring life and color. The effect is one of refined elegance and timelessness — a nod to Norwest’s legacy and an endorsement of its future. 

The office in its entirety boasts refined settings in which to focus quietly and to collaborate and socialize in-person — affirming Norwest’s commitment to fostering meaningful relationships among staff and with the leaders whom they guide and support.