Shay Mitchell’s Desk Is Actually an Italian 1950s Design Reissued by CB2
Plus she’s all for using these dining tables in a workspace.
Published Apr 4, 2024 1:45 PM
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Shay Mitchell doesn’t like it when her suitcase looks too pristine. “I want it to have a million scratches on it; I love when the stickers have peeled off,” says the actor and founder of luggage and lifestyle brand Béis. “I want it to look like it’s been around the globe.”
She feels the same way when it comes to furniture. Mitchell craves that worn-in, nothing-is-too-precious look. “It shows that life happened,” she says. And so, when she set out to decorate the new Béis headquarters in Los Angeles, she chose pieces that would patina beautifully over time as her staff of nearly 40 got down to business. Her search inevitably led her to CB2.
“Even if I’m not needing a space to design, I’m constantly on the [CB2] website,” says Mitchell. “Similar to Béis, it combines stylish pieces with functionality, always.” With a fresh Béis collection set to drop this month and an exciting (secret) collaboration already in the works for 2025, there was no time to waste. She called on her designer friend Chad Wood and The Plant Daddies to help bring the space to life stat. Ahead, Mitchell gives us a look inside the Béis office and reveals some of her favorite CB2 discoveries.
The Dining Table–Turned–Desk She Secretly Wants in Her Home
In the main workspace, six Aqua Virgo burl-wood dining tables form three long rows, resulting in a hot desk arrangement. The extra-long surfaces (each is a little over 8 feet) automatically set the scene for brainstorming. “That’s when the magic happens, when you’re just in that bullpen of ideas and everyone can be shooting around different thoughts,” says Mitchell. She can easily picture warm, collaborative conversations happening around them in a traditional dining room, too. “These tables are going to be brought into my home,” she says. “I love how large [they are]. I think it’s great for entertaining.”
To help warm up the industrial space’s concrete floors and red brick walls, Mitchell opted for Moon Globe pendant lamps with long brass chains overhead. “It’s like jewelry for the space,” she says.
The Reissued Italian Desk That Makes Snack Time Feel Sophisticated
With Wood’s guidance, Mitchell landed on the Portofino desk for her personal office. The piece is a vintage reissue of Gianfranco Frattini’s original design from the 1950s. (CB2 reimagined a mix of products from the famed designer and architect back in 2022, and you can still snag a ton of the pieces today.) “At first I was like, ‘Are you crazy? It’s massive.’ But it fits so perfectly, and it’s got that mid-century feel,” she says. The large creamy wool lounge chair in the corner is another find from Frattini’s throwback line.
When she’s not sifting through magazines for inspiration, you’ll find Mitchell combing through her three-tier snack drawer (not pictured) that holds all of her essential fizzy beverages, candies, chili oils, and “maybe a bottle of ranch, maybe not. It’s locked, just so I know it’s always there,” she says.
The Cozy Sofas Her Team Raves About
“When ideas are flowing, you don’t want that to be interrupted by being uncomfortable,” says Mitchell, who peppered plush couches throughout the office. In one corner, vintage pieces selected by Wood mingle with Marconi three-seater tufted sofa (another piece based on a Frattini original) and red travertine side tables for an additional hit of texture.
For the welcome area, they landed on the Hada armless leather sofa, a voluminous piece with a stainless steel frame that draws on 1970s Italian modernism. “I have a million books on Italy. [They’re] something I always pull inspiration from,” says Mitchell. There’s a common theme here, and it’s making us want to drop everything for a one-way plane ticket.
