Nestled within the vibrant Carnaby Street, the Carnaby Club – Shaftesbury HQ stands as a dedicated space, seamlessly intertwining entertainment, hospitality, and co-working. The interior design takes inspiration from the iconic fashion heritage of Carnaby Street, resulting in an engaging blend of bold design and functional spaces.

Where Design Meets Sustainable Intention

At the heart of the Carnaby Club project lies a creative exploration of the street’s legacy. We caught up with the lead designer of the project, Associate Architect Jessica Hillam of Buckley Gray Yeoman, to discuss how she captured the street’s familiar character, along with the clients brief.

“We began with looking at the client’s core values and aspirations for the project, as well as how they were looking to use the space. For example, we tracked a typical day for staff to help inform furniture choices and looked at the type of office activity, length of meetings and type of guests to gain a deeper understanding of the values and message the client was trying to project.

“We chose eclectic furniture that allows users to change the configuration of a space according to taste or needs, rather than re-fitting or ripping out materials to cause further waste. Originality is important to us and we wanted to ensure that we ignored any passing design trends and instead facilitate alternative layouts and uses, therefore making the originality of the offices’ layout and appearance everlasting. We were also interested in modular furniture systems where possible to allow future flexibility.”

Jessica’s intention is further evident in the selection of tactile materials and textiles, paired with bespoke, thoughtfully chosen design elements. Throughout the project, there is a clear emphasis to embrace natural materials and tones, highlighting the sustainable principals of the refurbishment and Buckley Gray Yeoman’s ethos.

Selecting Materials with Purpose

“The design reflects a commitment from both us as designers and our client to create an office space that is for the long term and can outlast changes of tenants or working habits by embracing two key flexible design approaches: Space planning and product sustainability.

We wanted our client to ‘buy best, buy once’ so we focused on hard-wearing quality and natural materials, with some recycled and recyclable-content products used throughout. Examples are the textile fabrics on key furniture pieces which are recycled, whilst others use virgin materials such as 100% cotton or wool so they can be recyclable after use. Elsewhere, recycled PET felt acoustic panels are used on the ceiling for acoustic control across the open plan workspace, whilst there is extensive use of FSC-approved timber throughout.”

A Hybrid Workspace for the Post-Pandemic Era

Stepping into the main office floor of the Carnaby Club, one immediately senses a departure from conventional corporate settings. The space is an insight into the evolving landscape of work – a hybrid workplace that embraces the challenges and opportunities presented by the post-pandemic era. Here, the goal was to break free from traditional corporate aesthetics and create an environment that was relaxed, flexible and warm.

The heart of this transformation lies in the meticulous selection of furniture, fabrics, and textures. These elements, thoughtfully chosen, ensure a relaxed yet efficient setting for both work and leisure. One of the prominent aspects of this design is its adaptability — the spaces can be rearranged and repurposed, allowing seamless transitions between work, events, and meetings.

The recognition garnered by the Carnaby Club, particularly its Project of the Year award at Mixology23, attests to its success. Jessica Hillam comments – “The project’s various award wins and shortlisting’s is testament to a genuinely successful collaboration as a team who together worked to articulate a clear and shared vision for a very people-orientated and carefully planned office space. The client remained closely involved throughout the design process through a series of workshops and comprehensive sampling to allow us to develop a design reflecting a much deeper understanding of their ethos, working styles and personality as a company. This clear and consistent design development process then resulted in a scheme of overall high quality that delivered their needs.”

Aligning with Core Values and Aspirations

Icons A&D Consultant Dani Henderson & Project Coordinator Hollie Corley worked with Jessica to choose fabrics, materials and finishes that gave the project a unique identity.

Jessica notes, “We really enjoy working with Icons because the team is very ‘on hand’, always available and advising us of useful things to know about the pieces that would affect the user experience – really going that extra mile! Also, I valued their frank advice when it came to product selection for an intended purpose, for example choosing the correct fabric with the ideal composition of materials for the Bank Sofa System to live a long and happy life!”

Additionally, Icons’ time was allocated to providing technical drawings, advice on cable management, and features such as screen dividers and power integration. The team worked with Jessica to ensure the tables were well suited to the space and would provide functional workspaces for the client, Shaftesbury HQ.

“As always, clear communication and drawings were provided for the bespoke tables in the scheme to communicate early (well before ordering) how the table would work with the desired componentry and where a detail was not advised this was also clearly communicated. All in all, working with Icons feels like a partnership which has ensured I often return to the brand.”  – concludes Jessica.