Jacqui Williams faced a challenging brief when she was nominated project manager to co-ordinate the design of a new office for the Interiors Australia Group.
While IA has remained in London House on St Georges Terrace, home to the business for six years, it has moved in to a space more than twice the size of the previous offices.
Ms Williams said the new bright and open office design was very much a reaction to the previous space, which she said was dark and dramatic.
“It was a lot more challenging to do our own office and collaborate the ideas of a creative team,” she said.
“We had a lot of think-tank sessions about what our ideas were and the responsibility and ownership of the design belongs to everyone in the office.
“Some of the main features of the office are the effective storage space, natural light, dark carpet, use of lots of white, and a bright pink door – the one thing that everyone talks about.
“We have also used organic form and artwork to soften the starkness.
“There is a balance between open space and personal space.”
Speakers have been placed in the ceiling throughout the office.
“It hasn’t even been too hard to agree on music, but we tend to settle for ambient and upbeat,” Ms Williams told WA Business News.
She said while any new office fit-out had the potential to be innovative, there was a clear trend towards open-plan offices.
“People embrace something new that excites them, but don’t always acknowledge how important environment is,” Ms Williams said.
“Offices are all about making people comfortable and happy where they work on a daily basis, and form and beauty follow from that.
“Perth, without a doubt, compares in terms of interior design to the rest of Australia, and a lot of world-class design comes from here.”
