One of our recent and most favourite Bibby + Brady projects was the new office design of My Valuer. The valuation business, owned by husband and wife, Andrew and Jody White, has grown from strength to strength, and with two added valuers they quickly outgrew their old premises. The new office was huge in comparison, but it needed a lot of work!
The first thing to address was the floor plan. A couple of interior walls needed to come down to open up the staff breakout area at the back of the building. The smaller rooms were allocated to a kitchen, bathroom, boardroom, storage, and one large room was to be rented out as an office. The rest of the office space was to remain open plan.
We had to keep in mind that in the next few years more valuers are likely to join the team, and electrics needed to be put in place early on for future desks.
We broke the space up into four main areas - the entrance/waiting area; the main office workspace; the staff breakout area/informal meeting space; and the board room. The most important thing with large open plan spaces is to create zones. We used paint colour on the wall to help differentiate all the areas, working with the My Valuer logo colours of black, blue and white.
Smoky blue walls and a large Armadillo rug mark the waiting area, while the main office walls are a fresh white.
We chose to bring the outdoor wood cladding inside onto the boardroom exterior wall. The doors are colour coded with all the My Valuer doors being painted in a vibrant blue, and behind the green door is the office which is rented out.
A dark charcoal wall inside the boardroom highlights the work of a local photographer. The boardroom table is surrounded by chairs in the company colours. There's room for more desks on the far side of the office, and one wall is waiting for the perfect piece of art.
At first Andrew and Jody weren't sure about painting the entire back of the office in dark charcoal, but they were so fantastic and put their trust in Dael and I. We love the result, it helps to zone the breakout area where the staff come together to discuss work and to relax. Andrew designed the leaner table himself. The sofas also provide a spot for informal client meetings.
We, at Bibby + Brady, love working on commercial interior projects. Your surroundings can have a profound impact in you, sometimes more than you realise. When people love the space in which they work, they'll want to be there, and they'll be inspired in their work. If you'd like our help with your work place, we'd love to hear from you.
The first thing to address was the floor plan. A couple of interior walls needed to come down to open up the staff breakout area at the back of the building. The smaller rooms were allocated to a kitchen, bathroom, boardroom, storage, and one large room was to be rented out as an office. The rest of the office space was to remain open plan.
We had to keep in mind that in the next few years more valuers are likely to join the team, and electrics needed to be put in place early on for future desks.
We broke the space up into four main areas - the entrance/waiting area; the main office workspace; the staff breakout area/informal meeting space; and the board room. The most important thing with large open plan spaces is to create zones. We used paint colour on the wall to help differentiate all the areas, working with the My Valuer logo colours of black, blue and white.
Smoky blue walls and a large Armadillo rug mark the waiting area, while the main office walls are a fresh white.
We chose to bring the outdoor wood cladding inside onto the boardroom exterior wall. The doors are colour coded with all the My Valuer doors being painted in a vibrant blue, and behind the green door is the office which is rented out.
A dark charcoal wall inside the boardroom highlights the work of a local photographer. The boardroom table is surrounded by chairs in the company colours. There's room for more desks on the far side of the office, and one wall is waiting for the perfect piece of art.
At first Andrew and Jody weren't sure about painting the entire back of the office in dark charcoal, but they were so fantastic and put their trust in Dael and I. We love the result, it helps to zone the breakout area where the staff come together to discuss work and to relax. Andrew designed the leaner table himself. The sofas also provide a spot for informal client meetings.
We, at Bibby + Brady, love working on commercial interior projects. Your surroundings can have a profound impact in you, sometimes more than you realise. When people love the space in which they work, they'll want to be there, and they'll be inspired in their work. If you'd like our help with your work place, we'd love to hear from you.