Office for a small teamOffice for a small team

A team of twenty needed an office where people can both concentrate and come together. A pure open plan would not work: too many calls, too much time spent with samples and drawings.

I dropped the reception desk and put a large kitchen with a shared table by the entrance — this is where guests are welcomed and lunch happens. Behind it is the main workspace with desks along the windows, two meeting rooms and three phone booths. A sample shelf runs the full length of the blank wall.

Acoustics are handled by the materials: felt panels on the ceiling, carpet in the work area, oak slats over absorbent backing in the meeting rooms. The colours are restrained — graphite, olive, natural oak. Light at the desks is neutral and even; in the shared areas it is warmer and set lower.

Finishing work is under way: partitions and services are installed, and the bespoke furniture is in production.

Materials

• oak veneer and slats
• acoustic felt
• carpet tiles
• microcement
• powder-coated steel