Norm Architects devises understated HQ for kids's way of life model Liewood
A refined palette of oak, plaster and metal defines the inside of the Liewood headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, designed by native follow Norm Architects.
The pared-back 2,200-square-metre workplace was conceived to offer prominence to Liewood’s vibrant, Scandi-style kids’s garments, toys and homeware.
“With the ambition to create a snug house with a considerably understated character, we labored to let the house acquire its significance by way of the considerate use of tactile components equivalent to textured plaster partitions and contrasting components like oakwood and metal,” defined Sofie Bak, an architect on the follow.
Employees enter the five-floor workplace by way of an ethereal light-filled foyer that’s anchored by a rounded counter, roughly washed with sandy-beige plaster.
Cone-shaped pendant lights are strung alongside the ceiling whereas outsized stone tiles are laid throughout the ground, serving to to “emphasise the grandeur” of the house.
A pre-existing staircase curves as much as the primary ground, which accommodates a showroom. This a part of the constructing previously served as a manufacturing corridor, with an enormous scale that might simply really feel empty and unwelcoming, in line with Norm Architects.
To counter this, the follow constructed what it describes as a “heat wood core” – a house-shaped oakwood quantity with built-in cabinets for showcasing Liewood’s merchandise.
Massive, plaster-coated show plinths are dotted throughout the remainder of the room. On the again is a brief flight of vast, wood stairs the place workers can sit and chat all through the day.
Extra merchandise may also be introduced right here on bespoke podiums that, because of cut-outs at their base, are capable of slot onto the steps.
The constructing’s first ground additionally accommodates The Parlour – a kitchen and eating space the place Liewood workers can get pleasure from meals collectively. It options a big travertine desk, a collection of plump gray sofas and graphic artwork items by the Danish designer Sara Martinsen.
Work areas all through the remainder of the HQ are furnished with sensible desks and storage items that match the off-white partitions, whereas assembly rooms are fronted with panes of glass to foster a way of openness.
Because the constructing’s authentic staircase did not lengthen all the best way to the fifth ground, Norm Architects put in a spiralling set of white-steel steps.
These grant entry to an area the follow refers to as The Condo: a secondary showroom designed to have a extra intimate, homely really feel.
Elsewhere, Norm Architects not too long ago took its minimalist aesthetic off-shore when designing the interiors of the Y9 crusing yacht, decked out with supple suede furnishings and wood-panelled surfaces.
The images is by Jonas Bjerre Poulsen of Norm Architects.
