Description:

This commercial interior office project is found in one of the almost 100-year-old Parnell Blind Institute workshop buildings, an area now known as the “foundation precinct” which are a cluster of beautiful old brick buildings housing gorgeous interior furnishing businesses and a thriving local café.
The client, Cooper and Associates, is a development company specialising in high-end residential apartment buildings, headed by a passionate young director who is one of the current market leaders in this field. The project brief was to design a boutique workspace for their expanding company with a cool and characterful New York loft vibe, befitting of the industrial building and designer precinct.
Designed to be multi-use, the tenancy incorporates the professional office workspaces and a large apartment show suite display which doubles as a private function space for entertaining buyers and potential buyers and resulted in a hospitality-style flavour to the back corridor, kitchenette and bathrooms.
Using elements of residential design, comfortable soft furnishings and bespoke surfaces were selected to reflect those that would be found in the high-end apartments of Cooper and Associates clientele. The company director’s vast street art collection was to adorn all available wall space to inject shots of colour and, if not controversy, then plenty of talking points. A monochromatic colour scheme was specified to act as a subtle base; the general wall colour is a white with a hint of grey, the central spine walls feature a moody mid-toned grey as the background for the urban art gallery style walls, and the doors and windows were either painted black or manufactured in matt black powdercoat.
Old-style character was purposefully enhanced throughout the fitout by adding features and details such as; panelling to the interior doors, aluminium joinery designed in the style of old factory glazed steel doors, aged brass hardware and tapware (which will patina over time), and the office entry foyer timber flooring was bordered with an inset brass bar.
Textural and tactile finishes were selected in a nod to residential living, such as; a Venetian plastered entry foyer wall, heavy velvet curtains, large paper pendant lanterns, broadloom loop pile carpet and tan leather tub chairs in the boardroom, matt textured woodgrain finish melamine cabinetry and a leathered finish porcelain tile slab benchtop and splashback in the kitchen.
The end result has been well received, with staff more likely to be found in the office than working from home!