How can we make room for luxury in the workplace?

This article first appeared in Mix Interiors #231

Primarily considered the preserve of hospitality, retail or residential, luxury is a somewhat ambiguous term when it comes to workplace design and, for our panel who have assembled at Atlas Concorde‘s Clerkenwell showroom for this Mix Roundtable, a term that is hard to define.

The meaning of luxury is evolving

 “I think it’s the contrast between the everyday and the one-off,” said Sheppard Robson’s Josh Stokes. “When you visit a hotel or restaurant, it’s a one-off experience that’s not going to be in your typical week. The workplace is somewhere you go day in, day out. There is luxury in the workplace, but we register it differently.”

For HLW’s Gavin Hughes, workplaces serve a practical purpose, arguably one that’s more about function than experience. “When it comes to hospitality and residential there has always been an emphasis on luxury design that doesn’t always extend well to workplace, where it’s all about practicality and function, and how needs can be performed in different types of spaces.” For everyone around the table, luxury is the sense of feeling ‘looked after.’ It involves exclusivity and uniqueness – not because it is addressed to a few people, but because it’s special. Recently popular terms such as ‘hotelisation’ or ‘resimercial’ have signalled a change from the strictly functional to comfortable, sensory spaces that are designed to entice people back to the office.

“There’s also a bespoke nature to luxury for me, which is really important and exciting,” said Scott Brownrigg’s Laurence Orsini. “The idea that an artisan has made something gives it a special nature and produces an environment that makes people feel special when they enter it.”

“This sort of space also benefits your mental health and increases productivity,” agreed Atlas Concorde’s Sean Kennard. “If you feel like you’ve been considered and cared for, you’ll feel better and work better.”

Although the group agree that adding anything beyond the conventional workplace infrastructure may be seen as a distraction, amenity-focused workplaces demonstrate the importance of ‘extras’ in enhancing employee productivity and crafting work environments that prioritise individual wellbeing.

“It’s a hospitality-type environment,” continued Stokes, “but not necessarily just because of hospitality finishes and materials – more that every detail has been thought of for you, so it frees up your time to be present and do the things you need to do.”

It’s a different type of luxury, agreed Orsini. “Beyond aesthetics, luxury is the ability to modify your own space – and we as designers are able to create spaces that give a little bit of modification and independence to people.”

“We’re finding that more and more,” replied Eliza Finden-Crofts, M Moser Associates. “A recent project in Paris incorporated a lot of technology for staff to adjust air conditioning, lighting, even the air quality within a space. These are luxuries you can’t see, right? The fact that you can adjust every element of your environment is so luxurious.”

“We’ve started to experiment with this too,” Orsini nodded. “A ‘tuneable’ room with your own code – the space automatically responds and adjusts the lighting, music and temperature.”

So, is the meaning of luxury now also about variety? “It’s the freedom to not only have a space that you can tune in to and make bespoke, but also having the technology to be totally nomadic and plug in to work from anywhere,” said Stokes.

For tp bennett’s Christina Christou there is a practicality to work that can’t be forgotten, and variety is key. “Not everybody is able to have that hybrid level of working – there are certain practical elements that still have to be conducted. For me it’s about balancing the different types if environments to be able to get the right level of focus and collaborative work done at the same time.”

Changing aesthetics: designers need to consider maximalism vs minimalism

 As the luxury aesthetic evolves, from ‘more is more’ maximalism to quiet luxury – particularly in the world of hospitality, where bold, personality-laden interiors are the latest trend in restaurants and hotels – does luxury always have to shout? Our panel were clear that whatever luxury means to an individual client, it’s timeless design that will endure, creating luxury spaces that last.

For Hughes there’s a difference between luxury and decadence – which, he pointed out, is a term used to describe excess and a lack of morals. Fads and trends come and go, but the tenets of luxury remain: craftsmanship, exclusivity and quality. “Luxury doesn’t have to be expensive; it doesn’t have to mean fancy materials – quality can be considered without being expensive, without being decadent.”

“Part of luxury is design that you can’t explain, but which just feels right,” Orsini replied. “I remember doing four or five prototypes for a leather pull handle, with different stitching details on the side. We asked people to test how it felt in their hands. Something you’d never see, like the feeling of a car door when it shuts. Quiet and thoughtful quality is the ultimate luxury.”

“Although you could argue maximalism has always created a wow factor that can reflect a brand’s personality really well,” countered Christou, “it comes down to the organisation and their culture. It can be a bold use of colour and layering fabrics and materials. At the end of the day, luxury means different things to different people.”

“An example that springs to mind is post World War I. We saw the roaring 20s; a time of celebration and creativity,” agreed Orsini. “As the luxury market recovers from COVID we’re seeing a golden age. People are wanting more; to be excited and removed a little from reality.”

Luxury and sustainability can coexist, if approached thoughtfully

 Squire and Partners’ Alice Aldous recalled a recent project from the studio at 78 St James’ – an example of making a space feel aesthetically luxurious within strict sustainability boundaries. Made up of two parts – a Grade II* listed Victorian structure and a contemporary architectural addition – the property is now a multi-functional workspace with modern, luxe amenities, showing the possibilities that adaptive reuse offers and the power of giving existing luxury design new life.

“[That project] was all about staying true to those spaces and bringing them back to life,” she noted. “One half is minimal with quite a typically ‘modern luxury’ feel and the other is more opulent. We used bouclé, velvet and tapestry fabrics. It was a great way of preserving history but also giving a luxury feel to spaces without the cost or environmental impact.”

“There’s nothing more luxurious than history,” noted Stokes, “and if you can go into a building and you can read the past of that building, it makes it feel so permanent and timeless.”

Orisini agreed. “This is a perfect example of why there should be a longevity to our designs. In the future we can think about what we can add while leaving a lot of what is there. Some of these materials that we consider luxurious, such as porcelain and stone, are just really hardwearing and timeless.”

Mindsets must change to value materials differently, said Christou. “There’s so much out there now, with reclaimed timbers and the like, that still has that sustainability narrative and brings a different sense of luxury.”

Finden-Crofts noted that there are different mindsets culturally and what the UK and wider Europe might see as luxury is different elsewhere. “A lot of our Asian clients are asking for the more archetypal luxury, with lots of bookmatch and marble, no matter the environmental cost. The sense of sustainability is not yet as front of mind as it is in the West, and it’s up to us to educate.”

Luxury can be democratic

Luxury is often defined by a blend of aspiration and exclusivity – and a price tag out of reach for many. Can introducing luxury design into the office work against creating a modern, more egalitarian working culture?

“In some ways, luxurious is an uncomfortable word,” said Stokes, “in the context of world events.” Christou agreed: “I think historically luxury has been associated with intimidating, unapproachable spaces, exclusive to client areas or executives. We’re starting to see a shift to luxury spaces based on retaining talent and giving all staff the best experience possible.”

Luxury to one company is also very different to luxury for another, noted Hughes, and companies are starting to prioritise individual ‘luxuries’ over luxury writ large. “There’s a shift towards the democratisation of the workplace and valuing your team. We are working on a project which has a top floor terrace for staff. Traditionally it would have been an event space for entertaining clients, but now the number one priority is staff wellbeing.”

“Clients want a translation of the aspiration of their brand,” said Orsini, “and if it’s asset managers, then typical luxurious design feels more appropriate. But there are some service companies where it feels very inappropriate to be expressing any form of luxury – even something that is very cost effective. You have to be very careful how you express that design because there may be criticism from staff or clients. This is why luxury can be tricky in the workplace.”

“It’s interesting that we spend so much time and money on lobby and reception design, when it’s a transient space that you walk through,” said Stokes, who agreed that clients are now willing to spend more money on the areas people are use most of the day.

“Luxury can be expensive,” added Kennard, “but retaining staff with quality, authentic design is priceless.”

It’s also a generational thing, said Hughes, and companies are adapting to meet their needs – these are critical consumers, who care deeply about social and environmental sustainability. “The ‘democratisation’ of luxury has led younger generations to view luxury differently – they aren’t concerned with ‘stuff ’ as much as older generations and it’s a seamless experience they want; something unique that is tailored to them.”