An Inventive Beauty Company’s Equally Smart Headquarters

CANTONI DESIGNER BONNIE SLY USES INGENUITY AND DESIGN KNOW-HOW TO GIVE LEADING BEAUTY GURUS FUNCTIONAL, ALLURING OFFICES.

Designed By: Bonnie Sly 
Photos By: Chad Mellon

Glance at cosmetics from many of the industry’s top brands—Rodan + Fields, Shiseido, Fresh, Estée Lauder, Josie Maran, Kate Somerville, The Honest Company, and Moon Juice, to name a few—and you’ll see the work of Irvine, California-based product development company SeaCliff Beauty. Vonda Simon and her husband, Scott, are the award-winning visionaries behind the company’s work, which includes everything from state-of-the-art formulation and packaging to marketing.

Aesthetics play a crucial role in their business, so having headquarter offices as sophisticated, edgy, and on-trend as their ideas was integral. After purchasing office space in two separate buildings—one soon after the other—they browsed Cantoni. “I knew I wanted to decorate our offices with the look and feel of what I saw when I walked through the door,” Vonda says, adding that she instantly clicked with Cantoni designer Bonnie Sly. “From the minute we met, I knew she understood my vision.”

That vision included fully furnishing and decorating both buildings in a way that was inviting and functional for the team and high-end clientele while also speaking to their brand and each building’s distinct style. SeaCliff Beauty 1 lent itself to a more feminine vibe with arched, low-drop ceilings and curvy architecture; SeaCliff Beauty 2, meanwhile, has a more modern, industrial loft feel, which Bonnie capitalized on with a “strong, comfortable, powerful but approachable look,” she says. “The Simons are highly creative and innovative, and they needed cutting-edge modern design with a feminine vibe—a ‘boss babe’ feel.”

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Given that the “lobby makes the first impression,” Vonda says, they communicated their aesthetic right at entry. Curvy building one’s lobby holds a pair of fashion-forward Oscar chairs special ordered in white leather and the seamlessly extendable ceramic and glass Myflower cocktail table to mirror the surroundings. In the second building, a pair of sumptuous cognac leather Margot chairs by Gamma surround the versatile Billy Keramik coffee table and Cassius cocktail table—also featuring an extendable ceramic and glass top—to reflect the lofty vibe. “The furniture in both entries is unique and beautiful,” Vonda says.

They also designed the personal offices of every team member, from furnishings to art, and devised adequate, and beautifully arranged, co-mingling spaces. The Simons wanted to enable their employees to “engage in separate conversations outside of their own offices,” Vonda says, while also offering plenty of space for incoming guests. “It changes the feel of a day when employees can convene in a more casual, laidback setting.”

To that end, Bonnie and Vonda cleverly integrated comfortable sectionals in beautiful Italian leathers and luxe fabrics with bar tables and powerful statement artwork to create various sophisticated, modern, and inviting lounge areas for anything from small intimate meetings to large events. In the downstairs lounge area in SeaCliff Beauty 2, for instance, they maximized the large open space to create two conversational areas. The refined and contemporary sectional and sleek industrial Rod armchairs surrounding the interlocking Ring cocktail tables offer guests and staff a place to relax and sit comfortably, while the lightweight concrete Provence bar tables and laser-cut Italian leather Guapa bar stools give them the option to stand and admire the surrounding striking artwork, like the limited edition “Found You” by artist Alain Delvoye—one of Bonnie’s favorites for its bold colors and playfulness. Many of Vonda’s favorite items hang on the walls, too. “The gorgeous artwork fits perfectly in certain spaces within the buildings and gives the office a unique, trendy vibe that fits our beauty business perfectly,” she says.

They also paid close attention to detail in the conference areas. One of Vonda’s most prized furnishings is the sleek glass Quasar table, which features a sophisticated extension mechanism in a polished chrome finish that is as functional as it is exciting to watch. “It is a piece of art,” Vonda says. “I cannot stop staring at all the gorgeous pieces. They make me feel like I am working at home with their comfort and beauty.”

Bonnie also thoughtfully designed both Vonda and Scott’s executive offices to reflect their personalities and create inspiring, productive environments. She special ordered a desk in a smoke grey walnut finish with a black caviar glass top for both spaces, for its elegant yet functional design, like concealed wire management. She interwove special details, like a pair of Malerba’s bold yellow Red Carpet armchairs, which car enthusiast Scott lovingly refers to as his “Ferrari chairs,” and royal blue nubuck leather Loft chairs by Gamma in Vonda’s office.

Scott and Vonda couldn’t be happier with the end result. “Bonnie took our office layout and went room by room choosing the look and feel of each space,” Vonda says. “She was so talented at knowing which Cantoni pieces would fit, and she was such a pleasure to work with. We can’t wait to purchase another property to work with Cantoni on.”

Bonnie has an equal admiration for the “inspiring, fashionable” couple, she says. “Sometimes you meet people and feel that instant connection—you understand their vision so clearly that as you work together on the project it becomes almost personal in a way, Their excitement is your excitement and when their space becomes everything they imagined, you feel it, too.”

Bonnie took our office layout and went room by room choosing the look of each space. She was so talented at knowing which pieces would fit and was a pleasure to work with.

— Vonda Simon, SeaCliff Beauty Founder

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