Distinctive and Unconventional Office Interiors | Squelette Design

Imagine being trusted with a site that had more constraints than positives while the brief demanded “distinctive and unconventional interiors”. When the architects visited the site for the first time, they found space “too gloomy”, the ceiling too low at a mere 8.6 feet and a lone fenestration at the north end overlooking a busy main road. A pragmatic office design that maintains the linear nature of the original space and builds on a dark to light gradation of material and colour palette.

Analyzing their working pattern and type of work they are involved in made it obvious how the interiors could be moulded. The client also wanted the office to be vastu compliant, and emphasized on minimum usage of hardware and fixtures. While the space had to function like any other corporate office, the design had to be informal in comparison. It is designed such that the area that received the least natural light was maintained dark, the next a little brighter, and the space that received most light was designed in a very luxurious manner. 

Within a pragmatic framework the office unfolds into a series of three consecutive divisions. From the entrance foyer one proceeds to the first section of the office that houses the reception, waiting area ; followed by the employee area; and finally, the MD’s cabin that includes a conference room. By using glass partitions, both transparent and frosted, the design connects the three zones yet lends a sense of privacy where needed.

The office design begins with a dark toned reception and gradually makes its way to a light. The monolithic reception desk here is crafted with plywood, veneer and copper that is treated with acid to give it a rusty look that’s in harmony with the copper wall adjacent to it. The transparency of glass is matched with the richness of wood and a copper finish to create a refined ambience Which separates Areas. Complementing the raw ceiling and homogeneous flooring surface, the soothing blue shade on the walls spills over from the reception into the employee area, creating a sense of continuity in the two spaces.

The interiors were moulded to give a snapshot of the company’s work, which is to manufacture capacitors. Capacitor batiks fabricated in wood are arranged in an abstract manner on a wall that cleverly hides the pantry and washroom. The wooden paneling is so crafted such that a door fits in perfectly and the groove itself acts as the handle.

The employee area, however, is made distinct with grid-like textures on the seamless storage cabinets, while built-in planters from which vines of pothos gently hang adding softness to the professional space.

The MD’s cabin enjoys a generous floor space and northern light from the only fenestration in the office. It takes the same elements, materials and colours from the rest of the office but builds a more luxe ambience. Whether it is through the natural stone that clads one of the walls or the mustard upholstery, the room has an intentionally lighter palette that the natural light further enhances.

The cabin includes a conference set-up merged within its space. The architects customized a light fixture with a wood profile that provides white, warm white and intermediate glow options. The cabin ceiling is industrial and bare whereas the ceiling over the conference area is clad in wood. The carefully crafted interiors use an amalgamation of wood, copper, glass, brass and grey stucco in different textures to create a cozy, informal office space.

MATERIALS

Floor: Ceramic tiles

Walls: Exposed plaster, metal

Ceiling: Exposed plaster

Display Units: Metal, Wood

Partitions: Metal, wood, glass

Furniture: Metal, wood

FACT FILE

Project: Office of Surya Enterprises and Varnika Components LLP

Client: Vishal Patel

Location: Ahmedabad

Area: 800 sq ft

Principal architects: Prashant Trivedi and Saumil Patel

Design team: Akanxi

Text: Carol Ferrao

Photography:  Photographix