At Prithvi Developers’ office in Raipur, intelligent space planning, clever detailing, and a sophisticated material palette come together to create a new template for corporate interior design.
Designing for any space requires discipline, creativity, knowledge and aesthetics. But when the space in question is a developer’s compact office, aesthetics take on a whole new meaning.
The client wanted a reception with seating, a small meeting room, director’s cabin, manager’s cabin, a pantry, a washroom and most importantly, plenty of storage for the entire office. “For this project, the whole idea was to streamline and give a more organised look to the office by aesthetically and skilfully segregating the space into different functional pockets,” states the team from Open Atelier Mumbai. “After extensive research, we meticulously drafted a plan of ‘a box inside a box mechanism’ wherein all the cabins were raised by 6” from the existing floor and finished in a single texture to represent a box inserted within an exterior/outer shell.”
A remarkable feature is the clean segregation of spaces across the 2 flooring options. Xylos Real wood flooring has been used in the reception and meeting room areas, while grey vitrified tiles has been used in the cabins, lending them a sophisticated edge.
The other smart feature in this office is the use of material for the director’s desk, manager’s desk and the meeting table. It is made up of locally-available real wood and finished in matt melamine polish. “One can also admire the use of 3mm Neolith material used as a finishing material for the entire pantry and cabin storages,” adds the team. “The compact space (380 sq. ft. carpet area) didn’t hampered our creativity. We have skilfully handled the long list of client’s requirement without making the space look cluttered.”
Apart from the cabins, the other most important areas like the reception and meeting rooms have also been aesthetically designed to reflect the client’s status without compromising on the available space. Plenty of light colours, especially white, have been used to enhance the size of each area. As a contrast, the laminates and flooring have been kept darker, though in some areas the use of lighter vitrified tiles create a cooler mood. The use of direct and indirect lights give off soothing reflections and light up the entire office.
Like in every office, one of the most important needs is storage space. “We have designed in-built storage spaces that merge end-to-end with the wall and the panelling around the wall. We did not want the storage to standout, but instead appear a part of the wall panelling, hence we kept it subtle,” explains the team.
Breaking away from the trend of displaying them at the reception area, the developer’s projects can be viewed through an interesting pixelated art of buildings which are stencilled on the walls of the directors’ and managers’ cabins, representing the developers’ experience and quality of work.
Exhibiting masterful restraint in material palette and colour scheme, this office brings a timeless, understated elegance to this compact space. What is most striking is the skill with which the team has developed a contextual solution of ‘a box inside a box’ mechanism, imparting a new identity to the office, while at the same time creating a free-flowing and refreshing vibe. “This is a model office that can be replicated in different cities as the developer starts diversifying his business,” concludes the team.
