Distinct shades of green, orange and blue give character to this workplace, designed by Emil Eve Architects for the production company behind TV shows including the BBC’s Doctor Foster and Netflix’s One Day.
Drama Republic gave Emil Eve the task of refurbishing its office in London’s Holborn.
The redesign gives the company a more homey workspace, combining a mid-century-inspired colour palette with textural materials including oak and fluted glass.
“This is a working office, but also needs to be pleasant for clients to visit,” said Emma Perkin, Emil Eve co-founder.
“We had to create a design that was practical but also welcoming and comfy,” she told Dezeen.
“Often workplaces have a very limited palette; we consciously introduced a mid-century mix of greens, blues and oranges against warm white walls and natural wood. The slightly muted shades mean it’s bright but still calm.”
Drama Republic’s brief called for a mix of flexible work areas, including large desks for collaborative working, meeting rooms that support video conferencing, and lounge areas where staff can take calls or read through scripts.
Emil Eve replanned the office layout to improve the flow between these different spaces.
The architects were keen to reuse existing materials and furniture where possible, so glass partitions that surrounded the previous meeting rooms were simply moved in line with the new floor plan.
A lobby was created, with new partitions designed to match the proportions of the existing ones. These were crafted from Sapele, an African hardwood with a warm reddish-brown tone.
Storage was also installed, in custom-made wall units that provide bookshelves and hidden cupboards.
“The office has really good natural light but had never been properly organised, so it felt cramped and ad-hoc,” said Perkin.
“Drama Republic didn’t want it to feel corporate, so we used our experience from residential projects to design well-considered joinery which maximised storage,” she explained.
“There were lots of cables and lights, plus big office equipment like printers; we had to find a way to tidy things away but still have them accessible.”
Custom-made work surfaces include desks with bespoke pinboard screens, as well as meeting and coffee tables.
All the chairs from before were reused, with the exception of the lobby sofa and the meeting room armchairs.
The flooring is oak in a herringbone pattern, while lighting is provided by coloured glass ceiling lights and curvy pendants.
“These are unusual specifications for an office but they work just as well and feel automatically more homey,” added Perkin.
The space is completed by framed photos and posters from Drama Republic productions, including Black Earth Rising, The Honourable Woman, Wanderlust and The Irregulars.
Perkin and her partner and Emil Eve co-founder, Ross Perkin, established their studio in 2009. Their own office is a retrofit of a brutalist building in Hackney. Last year, one of its projects won London’s Don’t Move, Improve! competition.
The photography is by Rachael Smith.
Project credits
Architect: Emil Eve Architects
Contractor: Harbour Joinery Workshop
Joinery: Harbour Joinery Workshop, Thomas Collier Studio
Paint: Edward Bulmer, Paint and Paper Library
Tiles: Mosaic Factory
Sofa and armchairs: Loaf
