Designed to be anything but the ordinary, the new office environment of leading creative agency Karmarama conveys a sense of intrigue and excitement for visitors.
Boasting the largest single floor, open plan office in the UK communications industry, the chosen interior décor was crucial to set the right tone, which is why Forbo Flooring System’s luxury, design-orientated Westbond carpet tiles were specified for the main entrance and presentation area, as well as the meeting rooms.
Project Director at bluu solutions, office interior specialists, comments: “When Karmarama approached us to design their new headquarters in London, the brief was anything but ordinary. The company had very specific ideas in terms of the environment they wanted to create and how the company brand values should be represented, which allowed for a mixture of hard work and fun, which began as soon as you first enter the building.”
Indeed, as per the client’s wishes, it was vital the entrance totally averted the expected and so a futuristic colour-changing LED light tunnel leads visitors to the main office space. To the right of the tunnel is the reception area and café, whilst on the other side, past a giant red Buddha and a life-size plastic llama, lies the town hall presentation area. This circular space, awash with screens and customized lighting (dictated by the brand colours of visiting clients), is where 393m2 of Forbo’s Westbond carpet tiles have been installed for maximum impact.
Matthew Brown, Chief Operating Officer at Karmarama, commented: “The whole interior design of Karmarama is a bit different, to say the least, and the bright coloured flooring really adds to the creative and intriguing environment we wanted to create.
“Visitors and clients are led into the office space through a colour changing LED tunnel and we didn’t want the fun to end there. Therefore, we mimicked the colour changes through the flooring, by using different colours in each meeting room and an array of shades in the circular space – helping to keep clients inspired and captivated.”
Synonymous with total flexibility and sophistication, Westbond’s luxurious yarns are blended to order and manufactured using premium quality fusion bonded tiles in an almost infinite number of colourways, with no minimum order quantity. For this installation, a mesmerising and hypnotic montage of geometric shapes made up of bright and vivid shades such as Poppy, Douglas Pink, Marine and Yellow Fever, dominates the floor space. The concept for this area was about leading clients through a stimulating and seamless experience, helping to keep the interest and focus.
For flooring installers PMH Flooring, the complex plan of the main entrance area did not mean a complicated installation. “For this project, we had a three-tile by three-tile pattern repeat to install by hand, which helped to eliminate any errors,” explains Mark Hitchin.
Additionally, Forbo’s long lasting, high slip resistant R12 rated Safestep floor was installed in the washroom areas, ensuring high performance, as well as easy cleaning and maintenance due to the PUR coating.
“This was very much a design-led project, where the chosen colours, textures and patterns formed the crux of the interior environment,” concludes Project Director at bluu solutions. “Karmarama are a leading creative agency, and so the flooring had to reflect its vibrant and artistic personality. This is where Westbond ticked all the boxes with its lively and exciting colour portfolio.”
