Keen to ensure that every element of the reconfigured space was fit for purpose, and that the design met the needs and tastes of the company and its team, Jeanette, together with the BNP Paribas Moves & Changes team, implemented a trial period which provided employees with an opportunity to try and test furniture pieces before they were selected. She explains, "After everything was installed in the trial area, ready to be viewed and tested by the employees, we left post-it notes for people to provide feedback. At the end of every working day, we collected the notes and grouped them, counted the ‘pros and cons’ for every item, and the collection of post-it notes became the foundation stones to our current furniture library"
Installation
BNP Paribas, London
The London headquarters of French international banking group, BNP Paribas, underwent an extensive refurbishment, led by Jeanette Abrahamsen of IntArc Design who selected a range of Camira textiles to feature across the newly refreshed campus.
Originally completed in 1997, the 47,500m² building designed by The Whinney Mackay-Lewis Partnership provided luxurious and flexible facilities, including state-of-the-art dealing floors and high-quality amenities. However, with a traditional ‘desk and meeting room’ layout, there was a desire to embrace an agile working methodology, introducing break out spaces and flexible furniture, and creating a workspace filled with informal meeting areas and relaxed seating areas.
Fabrics featured: Blazer, Corrosion, Craggan Flax, Era, Kyoto, Main Line Flax, Oceanic, Oxygen, Sonus Etch, Synergy, Vita, Yoredale, Zap.
Led by Jeanette Abrahamsen, IntArc Design created a new look and feel for the workspace that can be rolled out across BNPP's sites.
With a working relationship that stretches back to 2006, when it came to creating a new look and feel for the company's London HQ, Jeanette was the natural choice for BNP Paribas. Commenting on the project, Jeanette said, "Having worked with BNP Paribas for so many years, I was delighted to lead the design and deliver the project in close collaboration with the in-house BNP Paribas Moves & Changes team. Creating something bespoke for the client is definitely a rewarding experience, and we worked hard to deliver a space that was new, fresh and invigorating."
Filled with usable, welcoming seating areas, employees can collaborate and catch up in comfort.
"A resimercial theme, with a substantial weight on biophilia, brought the comfort of home into the office."
Commenting on the inclusion of large, living plants within the space, Jeanette said, "Being Scandinavian, I’ve always been very close to nature, and it was important to me to try and bring nature into the interior - even more so after the pandemic; as people were slowly starting to return back to the office, I wanted them to feel calm, comforted and relaxed. A resimercial feel, with a substantial weight on biophilia, brought the comfort of home into the office." The use of soft, natural textiles, such as Yoredale, Blazer and Main Line Flax, beautifully complements this theme, and introduces texture and tactility to the office.
A refreshed colour palette introduces a pop of energy.
Whilst incorporating the original scheme of white, grey and blue, additional tones and colours were introduced - notably green, orange and red - to create individual identities across floors, as well as bringing energy and vibrancy to the interior. A selection of fabrics, including Era, Blazer and Craggan Flax, were colour matched to the RAL colours, 9016 Traffic White, 7045 Telegrey, 5009 Azure Blue, 2012, Salmon Orange and 1007 Daffodil Yellow to create a scheme that is pared back, with touches of brighter tones. As Jeanette explains "The colour scheme is a muted one. Yet, it provides a pop of bold contrast colours to energise people who use the space. In combination with geometric and scenery prints, the combination overall gives the interior a very different look than the “average corporate office”. Not only does fabric provide texture and interest, but in terms of acoustic properties, the fabric plays an important role in providing a function that’s purposeful and needed."
"A multifunctional furniture series acts as a fun icebreaker; encouraging people to collaborate to create the set-up they require."
With a pronounced focus on creating a workspace which harbours collaboration, Jeanette introduced a variety of furniture pieces to facilitate this, as she explains "Having important meetings can be daunting at the best of times, but having an icebreaker in the interior aims to loosen up the conversation. As part of my projects, I have been fortunate enough to be able to create my own furniture range and test them within the space. A multifunctional furniture series which acts as a fun icebreaker; HEX, BLOX and WORX encourage people to collaborate to create the set-up they require."
Fabric Gallery
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