THISS Studio takes "strict approach to material reuse" in flexible office
Architecture practice THISS Studio avoided contract furniture when designing this London office, instead opting to use reclaimed materials sourced second-hand or found on-site.
The open-plan interior, based in a former industrial building in Shoreditch, was devised by THISS Studio to act as both an office and creative space for Salt, an independent PR studio that closely collaborated on the design.
The interior has a neutral colour palette, with metallic hardware offset by warm creams, browns and beiges, and doesn't have a fixed meeting room.
Instead, the functionality of work, meeting and breakout areas is defined by the use of a pair of large, mobile tables, one 3.6 meters in length and the other 2.3 meters.
These were fashioned by the studio using old steel catering surfaces purchased on eBay and crowned with a top made from leftover cork edged with white American oak.
"We salvaged remnant pieces of wood and a scrap roll of cork for the desk and meeting tables," Celeste Bolte, founding director of Salt, told Dezeen.
The addition of castor wheels on the end of the legs allows the tables to be moved as needed, meaning that they can be used as a communal desk and lunch table by day, and moved out of the way to turn the space into a mixed-use venue for talks, events and photography shoots after hours.
As well as the tables, the stainless steel bookcases also originally had a very different purpose. Now housing the company's media collection, they used to serve as butchers' shelves before being purchased from Gumtree for the project.
As well as creating an original scheme and keeping costs down, using existing materials and second-hand furnishings allowed THISS Studio to avoid relying on commercial contract furniture.
Mass-produced furnishings are typically less robust and have a greater negative environmental impact than repurposed pieces, according to the studio.
"The constraints actually became opportunities – introducing productive friction that sparked creativity and innovation, rather than assuming all materials were readily available," said THISS Studio.
The skeleton of the former kitchen was reused instead of being replaced entirely, with old cabinet fronts and a kitchen sink given away online to be reused elsewhere.
Only two new cabinets needed to be added, with the kitchen unified by fronts made from chocolate brown Valchromat sheeting, a material made from recycled softwood fibres.
"The key challenge of taking such a strict approach to material reuse is that the design must be adaptive to what's available," said Salt.
"Designing in this way required a flexible vision, as well as time and patience for sourcing and a little bit of good luck."
With no internal walls, the space's various areas are separated by a sheer patchwork curtain created by textile designer Georgia Bosson, which she made from end-of-roll linen.
This is hung from one of the structural steel beams, which, along with the columns, were picked out in a terracotta red colour, replacing the austere black finish they were previously painted in.
"From second-hand and inherited materials, the studio has been shaped by what could be sourced at the time," said Salt.
"As a result, Salt HQ is inherently unique with an authenticity and depth that could not have been replicated with entirely new materials."
Other workplace interiors recently published on Dezeen include a Cologne workspace kitted out with iconic furniture pieces and a plant-stuffed office in Germany.
The photography is by Felix Speller.
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