

From the outside, the offices of San Francisco game company http://www.threerings.net Three Rings Design look like any small game studio, but the building's bowels are leagues from ordinary. The company's loft, in the trendy South of Market district, has been painstakingly outfitted to resemble The Nautilus from Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The offices have an attacking octopus couch, a secret lounge hidden behind a bookcase, captain's quarters and a steampunk bike rack, plus a ton of other Victorian details. Photos courtesy of Because We Can

Daniel James is the company's CEO. And yes, he often dresses like this. He boasts that his office is like a mullet: "Business in the front and party in the back."Explains James, "Our business is in the creation of virtual settings. It seems marvelous to be able to blur the gap between the real and virtual by creating a fantasy workspace."Three Rings' Nautilus was designed, built and installed over the course of four months by Jeffrey McGrew and Jillian Northrup – the husband-and-wife team behind Oakland, California-based http://www.becausewecan.net Because We Can. Photos courtesy of Because We Can

For the Three Rings project, Because We Can referenced Victorian photo books, appearances of The Nautilus in film and, of course, Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. "We didn't want ours to be a direct copy of Disney or League of Extraordinary Gentleman," says McGrew. Photos courtesy of Because We Can

"They always wanted a giant map on the wall, so we found the largest old-style map we could find and made a special frame for it," says Northrup. To complement the map, Because We Can installed salon-inspired picture frames on the neighboring wall. Photos courtesy of Because We Can

The lounge area is primarily inspired by 20,000 Leagues. As Northrup explains, the book describes Captain Nemo looking out into the depths through giant portholes. Photos courtesy of Because We Can

Hiding around the corner is another large table for meetings or carousing. Pay special attention to the rather plain bookshelf. Photos courtesy of Because We Can

The bookshelf opens onto a secret room. Photos courtesy of Because We Can

The hidden lounge's furnishings – huge, plush leather sofas – were procured from a Craigslist poster. Photos courtesy of Because We Can

Even the in-office bike rack incorporates steampunk flair. Photos courtesy of Because We Can

Because We Can divided the space thematically. The work spaces are mechanically themed – lots of levers and electric diodes – representing the engine room and other inner workings of the ship. Photos courtesy of Because We Can

"We snuck in some electrodes and intakes that spin," says McGrew. "For the most part we were riffing off (The Nautilus) and some things are more Victorian." To complete the effect, they're adding steampunk light fixtures to hide the fluorescent lighting. Photos courtesy of Because We Can

Originally, the back wall was going to host a mock submarine bridge, but Three Rings didn't want to sacrifice the work space for a nonfunctional design element. "We decided to make a fake ladder and ceiling hatch," explains Northrup. They plan to add a sign reading: "This way to bridge: authorized personnel only." Photos courtesy of Because We Can

Pictured is one of the screens that walls off the captain's lounge from the scallywags' work space. The design was inspired by Three Rings' Puzzle Pirates game and features a pirate flag, a sunken ship and an octopus. Another screen riffs on Three Rings' Bang! Howdy. Photos courtesy of Because We Can

Here's what the empty space looked like before renovation. Originally, the office was a large space divided by narrow pillars. McGrew and Northrup had to figure out how to section off the space. The age of the building didn't help. "Nothing was level or straight," McGrew recalls. "The biggest challenge was cutting everything perfectly, but nothing (in the building) was perfect." Photos courtesy of Because We Can

Seating is provided by the plush tentacles of an attacking octopus, which look as though they are being forced into the sub from outside. Photos courtesy of Because We Can

What sort of bounty would you expect to unearth in a treasure chest? A flat-panel TV and an Xbox 360, of course. Photos courtesy of Because We Can

In addition to playful touches like the treasure chest entertainment cabinet, the designers plan to add a few chopped-off tentacles and to fasten an axe to the wall – in case there's another squid attack. Photos courtesy of Because We Can

Although Because We Can was primarily influenced by Nautilus source material, the bar came straight from McGrew's and Northrup's imaginations. The reigning design principle: It just had to be cool. Photos courtesy of Because We Can

"The bar that we made, in its full form, will not come out of the building," explains Northrup. "Everything is modular and can be dismantled." Photos courtesy of Because We Can

It wouldn't be much of a ship without a card game in the galley. There's a good chance that this deck of cards belongs to Three Rings' treasure trove of Puzzle Pirates goodies. Photos courtesy of Because We Can

McGrew and Northrup say the project was unique because they were working with a pool of artistic talent. Originally they were going to offer Three Rings' staff a choice of four different desks, but then they started receiving special requests. Photos courtesy of Because We Can

McGrew and Northrup created a template that allowed Three Rings' staffers to personalize their desk designs. The only direction provided was whether certain elements needed to be thickened for structural integrity. Photos courtesy of Because We Can

"It was very collaborative," says Northrup. "They didn't come to us and say, 'We want a Victorian submarine.' They came with, 'We want these kinds of things.' They wanted something really fantastical." Photos courtesy of Because We Can

Most components were constructed on a http://www.shopbottools.com/ ShopBot, a low-cost http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNC CNC router. McGrew likens the ShopBot to the advent of desktop publishing – suddenly you can do custom, high-end work very cheaply, and use the CNC for creative purposes. Photos courtesy of Because We Can

"There were a lot of things we had to work around," explains Northrup. "All these columns we brought into the design element so that they look structural. (Clients) are usually renting their spaces so everything has to be nonpermanent." Photos courtesy of Because We Can