Office During the Day, Party During the Night – Combined in One Space

This week’s instalment of Project of the Week series features joined office and night venue designs by 2021 SBID Awards Finalists Teodora Panayotova & Max Baklayan.

The designers received one of the most unusual briefs for Tavex’s new home Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde – to transform one space to incorporate two areas that completely contradict each other. The challenging project was a great success with the team achieving outstanding results upon completion of the brief.

What was the client’s brief? 

The clients’ desire was to create a two-purpose space – a functional, convenient office during the day and a party venue in the evenings, but without the need to actually move anything around. This puzzle made the brief irresistible to the designers.

What inspired the design of the project?

The space itself created many challenges due to its position on the ground floor and the single space layout. However, it was simultaneously the biggest inspiration. “From the moment we set foot in the office, it screamed at us – Industrial Minimalism.” Teodora Panayotova says that as a designer, she could not ignore the scream.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

The office presented two problems – one was obviously the duality of its purpose, the two could not be further away on the spectrum. The second was the fact they needed to increase the office area by about 150 square meters, yet keep everything airy and minimal. Since the space is on the first floor, with no panoramic views and no full day of sunlight, nothing was walled off, and only glass, OSB, and metal rails were used. We are particularly proud of the two balconies on each side of the office and the tall ceiling in the middle of the office, interrupted only by the mirroring meeting rooms with floor-to-ceiling glass walls.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

The project’s highlight is the 6-meter marble bar that greets you when you walk into the office. With just a flick of the switch, the purpose of the bar changes instantly. It is the place where you get your morning cup of coffee, your 5 o’clock tea in the afternoon, and a sip of London Dry after 7.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

Teodora sincerely believes that what they created here is unique. Countless offices have game rooms, pool tables, relaxing zones, and lots of areas for different purposes. This project incorporates two of the most opposite use cases possible. It does so in a single space, without one interfering with the other. It contains everything that an office needs and so much more yet stays true to the industrial minimalism the designers set off to achieve.

Questions answered by Teodora Panayotova, Interior Designer, Teodora Panayotova & Max Baklayan.