Community walls, large lounge sets, inviting reception desk, communal tables and an island refreshment station with a soft scheme of muted blue and green tones deliver an inviting and relaxed community space.
This calming palette is carried over to the furniture, which naturally played an important role within the scheme. ‘We were inspired very early on by the Moroso Redondo armchair and its wave-like padded upholstery. This was a key piece for us as it really resonated with the scheme we were looking to deliver,’ says Katie. ‘We wanted the furniture to be aspirational pieces, yet comfortable and relaxed, not unlike what you would expect in a hotel lobby – so residents felt this was a special space, just for them.’
‘In all of our properties, we look at the materiality and palette of what we use in the interiors,’ Kayleigh Millington, Group Head of Interiors, tells us. ‘Our scheme on Embankment is on the site of a former railway, so we integrated timber, steel and brick, whereas Riverside looks at the more organic ebb and flow of the water and colours.
‘We’re also taking a bit of a bold move (which came from focus groups) and the secure line isn’t the front door, but at the lift lobby – so we open the whole ground floor amenity to the wider community. We want them to come in and use the coworking spaces and lounges, and work with the residents to shape the life of the space.’