Interior as mirror of the soul

How do you make a concrete shell look trendy?

That was the question for the to Amos Beech interior design team for the creation of the office interior for Mobile Marketing Ltd. With the core business of the company as a starting point, they designed an interior that seamlessly matches the identity of it’s webdevelopers. 

Mobile Marketing Ltd. is part of the The Media Group, which supports customers with marketing activities through social and mobile networks. Until mid-2012 the company was housed in Falkirk, where also the offices of the interior design company Amos Beech are located. Following the expiry of the lease, director Gavin Anderson was or the look out for relocation options. “The property we were in was actually somewhat too large and the staff were spread over four floors. Not very practical and not contributiong to the team buyilding either. In addition to that, the business park in Falkirk did not exactly have the cool look that suits our innovative business. And finally, the property was poorly connectedby public transport.”

Workplace consultancy

However a building in Sighthill Edinburgh ticked all the boxes and made Anderson decided that moving to the capital was the right descsion. The site is in close proximity to Edinburgh College and Naper University, so ideally located to attract talented staff. There was a wee little problem however: “The building was just an empty concrete shell and awaiting the creation of fully equiped office spaces . I knew one thing: that is not I want to be doing myself!.” Google has brought Anderson in contact with workplace consultants Sam James and design manager Fiona Rennick of Amos Beech, also doing most of their projects in Edinburgh. We hit it off right away: “I had the feeling that they understood right away what we were looking for. They listened carefully to what we thought and asked us many, many questions.” The requirements of Mobile Marketing Ltd. were that all employees were to be located on just the one floor, designed and decorated in line with the new corporate branding and matching the character of the company. 

Using photos of the existing property Amos Beech involved the employees of Mobile Marketing Ltd. in the interior design and the space planning as well. “Where should the screens be positioned and do you really need all those printers? How do you want to work, in which groups? Who needs workplave where you can concentrate? That way we wanted the Interior to create a tool for the employees, “explains James.

On the innerside of the office building, three blocks offce desks are located with a central printing area. The meeting room is separated with really plants. Tall cabinets act as separation from the more noisy members of the creative team.” The pursued an open space and we combined that with elements such as cabinets so employees can walk around it. There is also only one printing area, so they need to walk to get there,which is goor for health and contact between colleagues.” 

Office Fit Out

Because of the modest budget, the new office was fitted out in such a way that little alterations were necessary. “We reused the doors to save money and reused the existing black leather chairs as well. The existing black and silver cabinets were featured with accents in the company colour, pink. ” In terms of office furniture we went for the most neutral. “White tables from Samuel Bruce to complement the image. The ratio between the legs and the table is just right. Plus a nice little button for the table height adjustability of the table.” To the creative character of the internet company is reflected in the interior, and comes back in carpet, wallpaper, chairs in the cafeteria and in the lights located above the conference tables. The meeting room is quieter in terms of carpet, with fewer bulbs and more grey. The shadow side of the property have more colour. With more bulbs you get a nicer floor. 

Interior design

Definitely worth mentioning are the scrum signs. The employees of Mobile Marketing Ltd. work on projects in multidisciplinary, self-managing teams. The day kicks off with a standing meeting.where the various projects are discussed. “Sam and Fiona showed a lot of interest in what we do and how we work. They came up with the scrum board on wheels so it is easy to move, with space for post-its. Fellow competitors all react with: what cool! “says Anderson. Amos Beech are convinced that a positive first impression of an office building will contribute to customer and staff loyalty alike. “The more personal you can make an interior for a company, the stronger it will contribute to the identity of the client. The interior design has to fit the company, it reflects their identity: a fun, cool company with a good atmosphere. “

Anderson has already got several compliments from customers about his offices and the employees are happy with their new workplace as well. Everyone agrees that this it is a finer place to work!