The fun side to interior design is the freedom to create something that is unexpected, beautiful and useful.
Recycling isn’t just a matter of improving your green credentials; by reusing existing materials within your office and salvaging them, you can create a workplace interior that is practical, unique and encourages people to interact with the space in a whole new way.
Giving ordinary objects and materials a new lease of life requires creativity and an intuitive eye. When it is done properly, the results can be astounding.
With Recycle Week 2015 coming up between the 22nd-28th June, the expert team at London based office design and build company www.peldonrose.com take a look at three office interiors where they placed recycled products at their heart!
Friends of the Earth, The Printworks, London
When they decided to move offices back in 2014, Friends of the Earth didn’t just want to create a positive, forward thinking working environment, they also wanted it to have a low environmental impact.
That ethos is clear from the moment you walk in to the building: the first thing you are met with is a cardboard reception desk, and recycled cardboard for lighting features which are not only environmentally friendly, but stylish.
The natural environment shines through the entire office, which includes an iceberg meeting room, moss walls and a tree house for informal meetings.
It’s a brilliant example of office concept falling in line with company ethos, with results that create an enjoyable, productive working environment.
Google HQ, London
Google’s London headquarters are a 160,000 square foot development that combines cutting-edge design and the inventive use of materials to create a unique office environment.
It features an authentic London Route-master bus (complete with working bells, seats and poles) as a meeting space. By cleverly recycling the iconic London bus, not as a stunt but as a practical installation, the office has both a sense of purpose and belonging.
This has also been achieved in a breakout area, where you will find a coffee table in the form of an upturned bath tub. It’s not just any old bath; it is the very bath that Douglas Adams sat in when writing A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
It is British, fun and practical – a great example of creative recycling that fits with the space in which it lives.
JustGiving, Southwark, London
Thriftiness was key to the design of JustGiving’s new office. This wasn’t a restriction, but a license to be creative.
The office has a natural, airy feel that is open and collaborative. Its design incorporates the reuse of existing floor tiles as wall treatments, acoustic panels and one-off furniture pieces. Doing this creates an instant sense of belonging for both the corporation and the people who are part of it.
The natural flow of the whole office is supported by the multifunctional feel. There are semi-built structures, hideouts and huts that feel organic. The result is an office that is social, purposeful and inspiring – qualities at the heart of the JustGiving company ethos.
