Apollo

No.12, the London-based interior design practice founded by Katie Earl and Emma Rayner, has just completed work on the interior design of a new 2000 sq. ft. office space located on Old Park Lane, Mayfair.

No.12 has reconfigured the interior architecture to the entire 8th floor of the building to enable the client to make full use of the new office space and take advantage of its 270 degree panoramic views of the city spanning East, South and West overlooking vistas of Green Park and Regents Park.

The design brief required No.12 to deliver a timeless sophisticated design that would work hard as both a commercial and entertaining space.

The Old Park Lane office is comprised of a reception area, two private offices, a hot-desk area for flexible working, a board room  balcony overlooking Hyde Park, and staff amenities with a kitchen, bathroom and dining area.

The new office has been intelligently planned to function as both a full-time workspace and as an entertainment area for the firm’s domestic and international clientele.

Encouraging the connection and interaction of space, No.12 kept the environment as open plan as possible, sub-dividing areas only with crittal style glass panels, that reveal marquetry serene environment in the heart of the city with an intelligent layout combining a versatile and flexible co-working space and sophisticated entertaining area.

Inspiration

No.12 sought to abstractly link the interior design of the office with its surroundings. It looked upon the distinctly masculine setting of Mayfair’s business district, geographical references, and the panoramic backdrop, which offers changing views of the city from day to night for inspiration. From here, the design team proposed a scheme that reflects these influences in the space planning and through the careful furniture and material selection.

Materials were key in the design for the conceptually transitional office interior. Integrating light and dark material application to complement the client’s use of the space. No.12 explored how contrasting elements could connect to offer a holistically conceptual interior. No.12 devised a unique contemporary space utilising lighter materials, textures and colour in the functional day-time East-facing work space whilst incorporating darker materials in the West-facing lounge and evening entertaining areas.

Reception area and work spaces

South-facing, the office is naturally flooded with daylight. The architectural lighting used by No.12 was made bespoke for the project. Rejecting the formulaic approach to the 

typical office interior lighting strategy, custom varying lengths of brass cupped LED tube strip lights slice through the ceilings in a seemingly random arrangement.

No.12 encourages its clients to be bold with their use of materials and their application and on entering the office, a calm light-flooded reception area provides the ultimate welcome with a statement desk crafted from Statuario marble and a more contemporary finish used for the joinery – valchromat. Valchromat has also been used in the adjoining ‘hot desk’ area. Crittal style glazing sections the work spaces without compromising the open plan feel of the space design. Providing privacy when needed for both the private offices and the entertainment lounge, the smart glazing incorporates secret privalite glass which turns fully opaque at the flick of a switch.

Top of every executive wish list, the ultimate piece of office furniture in both luxury and usability, No.12 designed bespoke L-shaped desks with black matt metal fin legs, cantilever overlapping desk tops with inset leather and concealed electrical containment. 

Lounge Area and Board Room

An informal area for meetings and entertaining, the lounge space has a comfortable professional, yet luxurious residential aesthetic. Light grey suede wall panelling and satin stainless steel shelving create a timeless back drop to a refined and contemporary collection of fine art, sculptures and objects which adorn marble tables and sculptural plinths. All procured and hand selected by No.12.

A tailored selection of bespoke furniture chosen by No.12 mixes design classics from the likes of Holly Hunt, Eames and Minotti with bespoke leather and suede upholstery in a cool, calm mix of sophisticated greys and desaturated blues.

No expense was spared and every element of the interior was considered with extreme attention to detail. The need for high-tech functionality in the working environment was at the forefront of the design scheme.

Sub-dividing the lounge and the board room, a bespoke cabinet custom made from black stained veneer with a contrasting interior of white bleached veneer, houses two 50- inch back-to-back interactive TV screens that, at the touch of a concealed button are elevated through a burnished bronze metal-topped unit for both lounge and boardroom area viewing.

Bespoke, silk, cut pile rugs were designed by No.12 for the project. Originally inspired by a piece of artwork, the team explored both materiality and finish to create a grey and blue tonal pattern intersected sharply by a linear divide. A rug in two parts, it cleverly unifies the lounge and boardroom area and yet visually separates them.

The boardroom with its bespoke veneered table is decorated with an eclectic mix of masculine sculptures and monolithic objects referencing the rich history of the building and the surrounding area.

With newly obtained access during the on site build to an external balcony overlooking Hyde Park the boardroom’s design, whilst a sublimely modern workspace with a purposefully masculine edge, challenges traditional corporate and conservative styling.

The balcony gained planning submission to benefit the office with a stunning outdoor space adding an unusual and most sought-after feature with breath-taking West-facing views over Regents Park.

Entertaining Areas

Connecting the dual functionality of the space, from its light workspaces to the dark entertainment spaces, No.12 wrapped the core walls in a seamless bespoke chevron marquetry veneered panelling, unifying the space and concealing the multiple doors and cupboards. Luxurious light grey suede panelled joinery also connect both the lounge and office space.

In the entertainment areas No.12 looked to create a distinctly masculine aesthetic that at the same time retained a level of soft, subtle sophistication. For maximum impact, the bar is clad in a single slab of Zebrano marble which features a striking horizontally striated vein.

The marble, wrapping around the rear walls of the entertainment area, as well as being incorporated on work surfaces and neighbouring bespoke bar tables, is paired with burnished bronze metal fixtures and indigo blue suede leather bar stools. In contrast to the deep moody blue and green hues, decorative brass lighting from Kaia, Holly Hunt and Michael Anastassiades adds to the interiors refined and luxurious appeal.

COMMUNAL SPACES
Keeping the palette of materials concise, No.12 utilised white terrazzo in the communal kitchen maintaining the light colour palette for the daytime use spaces. The terrazzo is also wrapped under the East-facing windows offering a cantilever breakfast bar which overlooks Mayfair and the city. The bathrooms were completely reconfigured by No.12 with as much emphasis on design as the primary spaces. They are clad in large format bespoke slabs of cool grey terrazzo, with Agape font style basins and matt black sanitary ware to bring about an elegant and masculine bathroom design.