Resonate Interiors has created a home-away-from-home aesthetic for a new HQ in central London for a Japanese pharmaceutical company, with homely furnishings and potted plants…
Client: Shionogi
Interior designer: Resonate Interiors
Duration: Three months
Size: 604 sq m
Cost: Confidential
Words by Emily Martin
Resonate Interiors was approached by Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionogi to assist it with the design of its new offices in central London, as the result of a move from Hammersmith to Holborn. Only launching its EMEA operations in early 2012, Shionogi wanted to use the move as an opportunity to create and brand the EMEA headquarters.
The theme of circles is used throughout the interior in various guises
Pernille Stafford, managing director of Resonate Interiors, says that the practice won the job after submitting the proposal through a RFP (Request For Pricing) bid process. Responding to Shionogi's brief of creating a home-from-home environment and incorporating a personal - as opposed to a corporate - office, Resonate Interiors' scheme is a mix of modern and traditional craftsmanship offering both style and warmth. Featuring many specialist finishes, such as hand-painted Swedish curtains that act both as a sub-division of space and acoustic barrier, and twigs set in glass partitions as wall art, careful detail and consideration has been at the project's forefront.
Hand-painted Swedish curtains in the kitchen area act as an acoustic barrier while adding to the offices' homely feel
Shionogi had also specified a 'welcoming reception space', in favour of a tradition reception desk, which Resonate Interiors achieved by setting Shionogi's circular logo in to the wall as a window and framing it with polished plaster. Complete with a rug, the only other corporate identity in this area is the bespoke cushions bearing the client's logo, with Resonate Interiors opting for a natural scheme by using wide oak timber boards on floors and ceilings. Offsetting it with dark framework and smoked oak doors gives the space 'a sense of heritage and solidity', says Stafford.
Various styles of dining chairs sit around a trestle table in the kitchen space
The meeting rooms are designed as inviting and flexible spaces, with Resonate Interiors' choice of quirky details within the furniture scheme introducing the Shionogi corporate red in chairs and accessories.
A diamond-shaped 3 Form screen introduces an element of privacy between teams of workers
While office interior projects often exercise particular design highlights in reception areas, meeting areas or the main workplace itself, the hub or heart of this project is the kitchen table, which is representative of Shionogi and the firm's aspirations. With a library, snug and actual kitchen adjoining an eating space, 24 assorted chairs are set around a trestle table, with plants and fun accessories providing a sense of home. Intended as a place of interaction, reflection, and sustenance, the table is located next to an external balcony, enabling staff to enjoy rooftop views of London.
Wide oak boards for the floors and ceiling is offset with dark framework and smoked oak doors
Describing what she thinks works best in the scheme, Stafford says, it is 'the unusual design element of the circular internal window, in the reception area, which also allows for a secondary light through to the snug area. I particularly love the Swedish curtains that give the kitchen area an individual and homely feel, plus the carefully selected personal items for the library area'.
The kitchen space adds to the home-away-from-home aesthetic of the design
The work area also features some carefully thought-through details by Resonate Interiors, which uses Senator white loop leg workstations with bright yellow screens and long padded pedestals upholstered in Paul Smith fabric. 'We selected almost domestic finishes, in terms of colour and texture,' explains Stafford, with medicinal aloe vera plants dotted around to creating a family home feel. A feature diamond-shaped white screen from 3 Form lends some privacy to teams while subdividing the area.
Bespoke colours and finishes are used in the firm's Quiet rooms, which are little retreats of calm away from the hub-bub of the office space. Padded wall panelling, Arne Jacobson lights and Paul Smith fabrics provide each room with a quirky personality.
The theme of circles is used throughout the interior in various guises
Resonate Interiors says that it was fortunate to be involved in every aspect of the project, from design concept through to completion on site, selecting accessories and plants, to taking photographs of the corporate identity and large wall graphics. By delivering a scheme of individual spaces that follow a strong European aesthetic, the scheme also subtlety references Shionogi's Japanese heritage, such as with the circular window motif design in the reception area. And working within a domestic-looking environment will surely deliver a creative and innovate workforce.
