FOCUS INTERVIEW
Paul’s, while the lighting scheme is designed
to direct one’s view to the unique Thameside
setting.
“We try to avoid the vagaries of fashion
and ensure that the things we do are all done
for a reason, which is why it’s a relatively
conservative, grown-up scheme. If you want
activity and buzz, you get that from the boxing
and the café. The workplace provides a calm
professional environment for clients and sta .”
Adds Rees: “The café and the gym are open to
the public, so people having a co ee will o en
ask about the gym. And to visit our o ice you
walk past the gym, where you might see people
working out or spot prizefighters in training.
People come in and they love it.”
DESIGN DISCIPLINE
Given the multidisciplinary nature of the
firm, what kind of tips would they give to FMs
when choosing a new look, and how can they
ensure a new space reflects an organisation’s
particular personality and culture? “Interior
design can be a misunderstood discipline,”
says Rooney. “Yes, it can be about looks, but
it should also be about ‘how does it work?’
Design is engineering made beautiful.
“You’ve almost got to park all the nice stu
and just get to the bones of, how many people
have you got? What do you want them to do?
Where do you want them to do it? What are
the mechanics required? This principle is the
same with an o ice, a restaurant, anything –
it’s the mechanics that need to come first, the
planning and the organising. From this DNA
one can develop schemes that work as well as
they look.
36 OCTOBER 2019
Rees advises against following trends, arguing that
a successful project is a result of the consultants
getting under the client’s skin, understanding what they
are all about as a brand and what their occupants want.”
“The reason why there are certain things
happening in our new o ices is as a direct
response to the space, from the direction of
the lighting to the view. This is why you’ve
got to look at every situation, every client,
every project on its own merits, and that’s
how you design it so you are answering the
building and you are answering your client.”
Rees advises against following trends,
arguing that a successful project is a result
of the consultants getting under the client’s
skin, understanding what they are all
about as a brand and what their occupants
want. “Whether it’s blue, pink, copper or
brass doesn’t matter, because once you’ve
fleshed out the concept then those answers
will come to you. But if you start applying
‘it’s going to be pink’ before you know what
you’ll do with the space, then that is interior
decoration – a di erent thing altogether –
and that is not about making things work or
making things last.”
He believes that the firm’s greatest
strength is its multidisciplinary team. “Most
project managers just project manage, most
interior designers just do ID, but we can
o er a lot of services from under one roof.”
In e ect, his consultancy can help bridge
that important gap between design and
operation.