Revitalising a two-storey art deco terrace, this uplifting workplace for branding and marketing agency, 21-19, supports the company’s collaborative spirit. Through increased light access, a restrained approach to materiality and form, and a reverence for the past, the design bolsters 21-19’s work practices, while reflecting the company’s warmly inclusive culture.

The site’s urban shopfront presence is preserved as a client sunroom, with a ‘second skin’ of reeded glass buffering light and sound to the boardroom beyond. Here, the raw materials of the terrace are juxtaposed by natural and blackened oak cabinetry. A rear stairwell, saturated in a blush hue, accentuates the transition to the principal workspace above.

Carefully detailed desk modules, finished with timber cable inserts, a tapered edge detail and rubberised desktop, create a series of tailored work settings. New skylights filter natural light to boost mood and wellbeing, while a continuous run of cabinetry offers a visual display of the team’s current curiosities and works in progress.