With a flair for fashion and love of art, Compass Land & Title owners and founders, Phil and Valerie Yost, designed the new St. Petersburg office together. Rather than a stuffy and conservative law office feel, the Yost’s inspiration was to create a gallery experience with local artists and make the space interesting.
Compass Land & Title recently celebrated their colorful new 4,000 square foot office in downtown St. Petersburg, located on Central Avenue on the 4th Floor of the First Central Tower, with a ribbon cutting and celebration with champagne and bites by Il Ritorno and ASIE Pan-Asian, for clients and friends. Chamber of Commerce President Chris Steinocher welcomed the guests and cut the ribbon.
A colorful installation of glass art by Zen Glass adorns the entry way as a greeting to clients. Inspired by Chihuly’s work at the Morean Arts Center, the artists at Zen Glass created a reef as a focal point at the entrance. On the adjacent wall is a surf board created by Greg Noll, a pioneer of surfing who surfed on the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii. It is said that he rode what many believe to be the largest wave surfed in December, 1969. “I surfed when I was younger and now a hobbyist,” says Yost. “It’s how I stay in touch with my youth.”
The walls are painted with bright colors of yellow, green and pink. The break room has a mural of flamingos. “It’s a shout out to the heritage and colorful birds at Sunken Gardens,” said Phil Yost. Large metal letters spelling out Compass adorns another wall next to the reception desk. The back-lit panel in the conference room was salvaged from the now-closed Z-Grille restaurant, and a vinyl octopus is etched on the glass.
Yost says that one of the biggest purchases anyone will ever make is the purchase of a home and he wanted to create a WOW experience for his clients. “Plus, it is an excuse to collect more art,” Phil says with a laugh. M
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