When leading Australian real estate group LJ Hooker moved into a new development in Willoughby, the team took it as an opportunity to create a different kind of workspace.
Located on Sydney’s lower north shore, the new office needed to redefine the conventional real estate sales environment. Local design studio Prospace was engaged to create a new workplace, taking design cues from the luxurious properties that were selling in the area.
Moving away from typical features such as brightly lit signage and property boards covering the windows, Prospace’s design focused on materials and textures to meet the client’s brief.
The floor-to-ceiling window frames in black steel were left unobstructed to allow natural light to flood the interior space. The meeting room located at the front of the office is encased in curved glass and has the appearance of a welcoming lounge room, filled with dark cabinetry, luxurious teal velvet sofas and homely touches of plants and candles.
The boardroom on the other side of the office evokes the sense of a dining room rather than a corporate space, with a large black wooden table, grey chairs and striking gold pendant lighting adding personality to the usually formal space.
The materials palette includes raw honed stone, fabric wallpaper, hand-cut leather panelling, slatted timber ceiling and an abundance of greenery, all coming together to create a welcoming and inspiring place of work.
The choice of appliances also played an important role in the overall design. Prospace Australia director Dan Eagles described the specification of the Zip HydroTap in the kitchen as ‘non-negotiable’: HydroTap minimised the amount of tapware on the kitchen benchtop while also ‘providing quick and easy service for guests and the team’.
The HydroTap in Matte Black also fits in with the overall design and blends in with the stone top and splashback, while providing instant, filtered still, sparkling or boiling water on tap.
More than a year later, the workspace looks as fresh as the first day of moving in – a testament to considered design, thoughtfully-specified fixtures and fittings, and thinking beyond the norm.
