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On February 7, 2005, Sony hosted a party to celebrate the grand opening of their new Design Center in Los Angeles, which joins several other such centers located around the world. With around 14,000 square feet of floor space, the Design Center is divided into several sections, including a large open work space with desks and movable dividers as well as several simulated living areas to see how new product designs fit into normal rooms.

The primary design concept of the facility is Japanese minimalism, with mostly white walls, concrete floors, and cedar wood accents. Here are some photos taken at the event:

There are several small conference rooms in the main work area that are designed to look like the wood-box "cups" that are often used to drink cold sake. A door in the side of the box pushes inward to allow people in.

Inside the sake-box rooms, the walls are covered in magnetic white-board material, allowing ideas to be drawn and other items to be affixed to the walls for the duration of a project.

The main conference room is located in another, larger sake box.

This simulated living room helps designers see how products will fit into real rooms.

The Design Center has open ceilings, revealing the ductwork and pipes. White walls allow images to be projected onto them.

The countertop in the kitchen area has real grass growing on its surface; more grass is "planted" on the floor, bringing a sense of the outside indoors.

In the main hallway of the Design Center, new products are on display on another bed of real grass.

Sony's QRIO robot entertained guests at the grand opening of the Design Center LA.