KINNERSLEY KENT DESIGN’S
CONCEPT FOR VICTORIA PUTS
SOCIAL HOSPITALITY AT THE
HEART OF THE EXPERIENCE
CREATING A FLEXIBLE INTERIORS IDENTITY
Rather than create one concept to be replicated in every location,
Kinnersley Kent Design developed a flexible, creative strategy for
Central Working’s interiors, grounded in spatial planning principles.
This approach creates a sense of consistency across the clubs, even
as the look and feel is tailored for each community.
At each location, space is divided into a range of flexible, functional
and interesting work areas that encourage collaboration while
providing varying levels of privacy. In place of the long corridors
typically found in office buildings, Kinnersley Kent Design tailors
the layout to create a wide variety of breakout areas, unexpected
niches and ‘hideaways’. This approach influences how members
navigate and share space, creating plenty of opportunities for
chance encounters as there is more than one way to get from A to B.
In line with Central Working’s ethos, Kinnersley Kent Design’s
concept for Victoria puts social hospitality at the heart of the
experience with a central members’ lounge and kitchen. By
planning the layout according to the overarching creative strategy,
the designers housed the 500 desks required in a way that breaks
up the vast space and creates interesting new sightlines throughout
the building, introducing outdoor views and daylight from every
angle.
Central Working Victoria is welcoming and creative, combining
high-level service with a comfortable environment that feels more
domestic than workplace. Its core colour palette is built around
sophisticated shades of blue, ensuring a seamless feel across the
old and new areas of the building without making the space too
uniform. The colour palette varies in different rooms, from greens
to greys alongside blues, helping to demark the different zones.
Accents of yellows are peppered throughout, ranging from lemon
to burnt ochre, adding personality and a stylishly eclectic feel.
The designers chose a considered mix of contemporary furniture
and lighting. Hardworking office furniture appears alongside
modern design classics, with key pieces from B&B Italia, HAY,
Moroso, & Tradition, Gubi, Normann Copenhagen, Norr11, Muuto
and Classicon.
CELEBRATING THE BUILDING’S HERITAGE
Central Working Victoria’s interior concept celebrates the
original architectural features of the Victorian industrial building,
highlighting architectural nuances by juxtaposing original features
with modern interventions.
Prior to the redesign, most of the original features were hidden
behind boards and layers of plaster. The designers took an educated
guess on what lay behind the modern walls, bringing the heritage
of the building to the fore in the concept, based on glimpses of
original brickwork and arches in glazed metro tiles which are
revealed to enhance the building’s unique character.
The materials palette underscores the building’s former industrial
use as an electricity substation while adding a refined elegance.
Materials include steel, light and dark timber, original bricks and
off-white wall tiles, brass highlights, glass, and slim black metal-
framed portals that emphasise transitions between the old and
new parts of the building.
‘Arcade B’ wallpaper from Texturae’s ‘Warp’ collection decorates
feature walls with trompe-l’oeil arches, echoing the building’s
original arches.
The members’ lounge at the heart of the building features a black
and white checkerboard floor. Distinctive and hardwearing, its
‘Victorian’ tiles enhance the building’s slightly quirky, individualistic
feel.
STUDIOLAV, a London-based studio founded by Loukas Angelou
and Vasso Asfi, collaborated with Kinnersley Kent Design and
Central Working to style the interior with a ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’
feel, drawing from both the interiors concept and the Victorian era.
The eclectic choice of artworks, plants and accessories reflects
the intriguing and often eccentric collections amassed by affluent
travellers during the Victorian period.
During the refurbishment a variety of items were excavated on
site, including books, an old water tank, and even a teddy bear
which had been hidden in the walls behind layers of plaster since
the 1990s! The stylists created a ‘Lost and Found’ display wall on
the first floor to showcase a mix of these ‘excavated’ discoveries
combined with modern day curiosities, which are displayed in bell
jars to create a playful museum aesthetic. The wall will be added to
over time with modern-day lost items, continually growing Central
Working Victoria’s own unique story and personality.
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