Three suites in Sydney CBD designed to enhance the nature of hybrid working by providing a workplace with a residential feel and home comforts.
The evolution of hybrid working and the emergence of working in third spaces such as cafés and libraries has increased employee’s expectations of comfort in the workplace. Office trends have begun to adopt residential design features and functionalities to make employees feel at home in the workplace and allow the transition between spaces in a hybrid working environment to become seamless. “Resimercial” design provides much needed comfort to the workspace, bringing together elements from the residences, cafés, and traditional workstations that have become popular with professionals during the rise of remote working.
At 323 Castlereagh St, Sheldon designed and constructed three suites for LaSalle Investment Management with these residential features in mind. Fittingly titled the ‘coastal retreat’, ‘arthouse’, and ‘inner city loft’, the suites each have strong visual identities, capturing moments of comfort and elegance to make the spaces future-focused and stand out in the market.
THE ARTHOUSE
Suite two was inspired by an arthouse, a contemporary space that fosters creativity through bold design choices. We sought to create a dynamic suite featuring prominent tiles, black features, and strong textural elements. The palette is sophisticated and edgy, with dark colours serving as a bold backdrop for the punchy tiling, exposed ceiling, feature carpets and light fixtures.
Key spaces of this suite that take advantage of this design direction are the contemporary kitchen area, fitted with feature stone bench tops and custom joinery from Sheldon’s manufacturing division, and the curtain enclosed breakout space that can be adapted for presentations, quiet work, and informal meetings. These flexible spaces are important for companies looking to provide a wide array of modalities for their employees in a small space, as the priority of the office turns to collaboration and interaction.
THE COASTAL RETREAT
The inspiration for suite one was a coastal retreat, embodying the seaside through its soft palette with accents of clay, cream, and white. The aesthetic of the space is muted, residential, and feminine, taking advantage of natural light and splashes of biophilia. The shape of the space complements this visual identity, with elegant curves customised by Sheldon’s joinery and partitioning teams, sculpting work points that blend together to create an appealing flow throughout the office. With offices often feeling rigid in their structure, the graceful nature of this suite allows it to stand out as a workplace that prioritises wellness.
Functionally, this suite boasts an array of adaptable work points. For the size of the suite, the kitchen breakout area is intentionally generous, providing a central location with comfortable seating options for employees to socialise and relax. Collaboration opportunities, a priority within the hybrid workplace, have been made a primary focus of the suite. Small meeting rooms and breakout points such as the curtain-enclosed lounge area indicate spaces where employees can casually collaborate.
THE INNER CITY LOFT
Suite three emulates the feel of an inner-city loft, tying a complete residential feel into a workplace. Complementing the detailed textures of the porcelain herringbone tiles and teal upholstery, the colour selection for the paint and other finishes is a tranquil combination of teals, greys and whites. The subtlety of the painted surfaces provides a homey welcome to visitors and staff, asserted by the walnut joinery. Splashes of ‘Jade’ and ‘Kingfisher’ in the wall textures and seating, as well as the biophilia, bring nature into the space, further committing to tranquillity. Functionally, the space contains an array of modularity, as well as a wide range of breakout spaces. A particular highlight is the tiered seating unit created by Sheldon Manufacturing, enabling a space for presentations and casual collaboration. The diversity of spaces allows employees to move freely between work points to maximise comfort and productivity.
Project: LaSalle Investment Management
Size: 1,200 sqm
Location: Sydney, Australia
Design Studio: Sheldon
Photo Credit: Studio 33
Website: sheldon.com.au
