In 2022, X-Design reimagined WildBrain’s Toronto headquarters to better support hybrid work, collaboration and flexibility. The space introduced a mix of shared workstations, quiet focus areas and vibrant, brand-driven environments designed around the needs of a creative team.
When WildBrain later acquired House of Cool, the workplace needed to evolve again.
Our team returned to integrate a new 5,000 sq. ft. House of Cool studio into the existing workplace.
The design needed to feel connected to WildBrain while still giving House of Cool a distinct presence of its own. Custom artwork, colour and visual details helped define that identity, while maintaining a sense of continuity across the larger office.
Rather than treating the addition as a separate space, the goal was to create one cohesive environment with room for both brands to feel represented.
For animation and production teams, the workplace needs to support a wide range of working styles, from focused editing to informal collaboration. Editing suites were upgraded to better support production workflows, with improvements to acoustics and lighting helping create more comfortable and focused environments. Flexible work areas and shared spaces give teams room to move between individual work and collaboration throughout the day. The result is a space that feels playful and creative, but also highly functional.
The project is a reminder that workplaces are rarely static. Teams grow, organizations change and the way people use space continues to shift. Good workplace design needs to be able to respond to that. By building on the original WildBrain headquarters rather than starting over, the new House of Cool studio became a natural extension of the existing workplace: cohesive, adaptable and designed around the people using it. A workplace built not just for how the team works today, but for where they go next.