Case Study
Old Street – Churchill House
This exciting central-London project, in Old Street’s Tech City hub, saw Crown Interiors transform two 4,000 sq.ft floor plates into an attractive CAT A+ tenant proposition designed to appeal to wide range of potential tenants leading to successful lettings and a building sale in a short timeframe.
Our brief was to design and build two fast-track quick-lease floor plates whilst considering the retention of elements of the previous fit-out. We made effective use of the existing space, and have incorporated features that enhance wellbeing in addition to enabling collaboration and flexible working.
Sustainability, cost and time were key drivers in the fit-out and all objectives were met by our highly skilled design and delivery team.
We had 4,078 sq.ft to work with on the 4th floor. Our first task was neutralising the colour scheme – the previous tenant had a very specific fit out, and we wanted a much cleaner background palette.
We blended pockets of flexible working space with relaxing breakout zones, installing booths for solo work and one-to-ones, as well as collaborative hot-desk areas. Furniture is instrumental in facilitating flexible working, so we ensured there was a diverse mix of seating, desks and table styles. We also decided to reduce the number of meeting rooms, which we felt were disproportionate to the overall space.
The kitchen area of every office is important socially and for wellbeing, and we wanted to create a space that would encourage people to break away from work at key times. So we upgraded and enhanced the existing facilities, choosing a concrete-effect worktop with terrazzo tiled splashback to complement the exposed beams and columns. We used planting to enhance the environment, and transformed a very ordinary bench into a comfortable and visually appealing laptop station.
Furniture is always integral to our designs, not an afterthought or add-on. Working with UK furniture manufacturers, our design team developed a detailed furniture specification that would deliver our desired aesthetic and ambience. Comfort, functionality and flexibility were central to our choices. We opted for a blend of sit-stand desking, simple benching and quality operator chairs. We used a mixture of casual meeting furniture in the smaller rooms, and more traditional, formal setups in the larger meeting rooms – to provide a variety of options and solutions.
We developed a colour palette that would tie in with the existing finishes, concrete soffit, suspended lighting and so on – but added a modern ‘pop’ of colour to lift the monochrome.
The emphasis was more on design than refurbishment for this 4000sq ft space. The brief was largely to enhance the appeal of this floorplate, to assist with marketing. As well as carrying out general decoration and relamping light fittings, we looked at the most effective ways to enhance the floor’s existing features.
The key selling point was a centrally located tea point with a large island. We decided to really maximise this, installing a new waterfall worktop. This – combined with the replacement of wall units with open shelving – created a stunning centrepiece. As with residential, the kitchen is now the central hub of many offices, so incredibly important.
We were thrilled to create a working environment that ticked all the boxes for the client, while prioritising wellbeing . We delivered this project during the Covid pandemic, so strict health and safety guidelines governed the build from start to finish. And our team completed work in around 10 weeks – on time and within budget – leading to a very happy client.
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