Looks can be deceiving! Behind the modest Nelson Alexander Essendon street frontage is a pumping superoffice which occupies around 500 sqm of space.
From the start Director & Auctioneer Paul Harrison’s vision was to create a hub for the sales & rentals teams to casually meet and jumpstart cross pollination, and to remove the dungeon feel of the long narrow tenancy full of pokey offices.
Our design team worked with the challenging space to transform it into a thriving hub, opening up the real estate to maximise its potential.
The reception received a massive facelift, delivering a professional front and a highly functional layout. The whole front of house was revamped, enabling us to achieve a very generous boardroom around three times the size of their previous one & two meeting rooms. The boardroom seats up to 40 people easily with the ottomans on four sides in Laine Conforto Ample fabric, and room for more, enabling them to keep sales & rentals meetings in house, eliminating the cost of hiring rooms. It also allows them to avoid the additional current risk of coronavirus, as everything is kept in house. Check out this blog on how other positives have come out of this pandemic.
The main feature of the boardroom and meeting rooms is the carpet, which are Godfrey Hirst Retro carpet tiles in Cloud, Moonlight & Night Sky , laid in an interesting pattern to mimic plaid. The vision behind the design was to emulate an expensive custom carpet without the expense and inconvenience of custom printed broadloom. A showstopper, this design feature does not cost any extra.
Forming separate zones for different teams through furniture layout and custom joinery in Tuross Oak matt Polytec & Storm matt Polytec while not removing the vibe of an open workspace was a challenge we smashed.
In the sales area, high shelving units set out aeroplane style have formed hyperacoustic spaces where calls are dampened and not heard outside of their workzone. This ensures minimum sound distraction- the number 1 workplace complaint is around acoustics so this is a key factor to get right from the start. Acoustic screens to the splashback of each workstation in a cheery orange not only adds fun factor but introduces a soft, pinnable & absorbent surface which reduces echo and unwanted sound transfer. There is an interesting blog on acoustics here – and how it is important to get it right the first time.
In the rentals area, similar to the sales area, desk & shelving units create spaces for the teams who can spin around in their chairs for a quick chat. The shelving provides them with plenty of storage space and the generous 1800mm long desks are ideal for rentals, who often have a lot of paper files. A long bank of cupboards which house the files for around 3500 properties and their accompanying keys flank one whole side of the room, easily accessible to all the rentals staff.
Retaining the raw brick walls in the rentals space and painting it Dulux Natural White in the rest of the tenancy leant an industrial vibe to the otherwise very clean space. The unfinished ceiling adds to this, giving a touch of roughness. What design style would you like for your office?
The critical purpose of the entire transformation was to create friendly, energetic, inspiring hub for the sales and rentals teams to get together and break down barriers. A generous breakout space sprinkled with pops of orange and blue and a bright orange kitchen achieved this. Different seating options in the breakout allows people to either eat with colleagues, break off into groups or relax on the couches. We find that these spaces are often used as so much more than somewhere to eat during lunch, as people use the area to make calls and to have internal catchup meetings with other staff. The kitchen, a winning combination of Laminex Mandarin natural teamed with fresh white hardware (Carysil Granite sink & Matera knobs from Dorset & Pegasi tapware from Faucet Strommen) makes a bold statement and introduces an instant happy factor to the room. It gets a smile from everyone who sees it!
Before ICON INTERIORS transformed the building, there were three noncompliant toilets which were unpleasant to use with paper thin walls. We reworked the space to fit in two toilets and a disabled toilet, all performed to the BCA (Building Code of Australia) requirements. With one wall painted in a cheery, welcoming Dulux Sweet Mandarin orange, Dulux Sir Edmund navy blue doors and black hardware, the vastly improved toilets are a huge win for the whole team.
ICON INTERIORS loved working with Nelson Alexander! From the receptionist to the director, everyone who works here is a wonderful person. Their culture is much to be admired and has been enhanced by their new space which unites ultimate functionality & awesome looks without breaking the bank!