“The vision for this space was to bring the joy back into the workplace,” Brooke Lloyd, Director with COX, explains. And as the lift door closes behind you with a quiet ding, the sense of delight she describes unfolds in all its grandeur in the main reception. Its magnetic pull is undeniable.

The spacious area draws you in with an eclectic palette of colours, textures and shapes that come alive against the sweeping backdrop of the City and Sydney Harbour views. A striking timber staircase in the financial technology platform’s signature shade of blue serpentines up to the level above, while the curvature of the reception desk anchors the space with a sense of arrival.

Towards the left, the playful generosity of the NaughtOne’s Percy Chairs promises a comfortable moment of respite even amidst the bustling lunchtime hour. On the right, a kaleidoscope of enclosed spaces, open neighbourhoods, nooks and intuitive workstations – some more mobile than others – stretches all the way around the floor, imbuing work with a sense of adventure.

Here, there isn’t really one way of doing things. And as Jan Penagos, Intuit’s Head of Workplace Strategy & Planning, explains, that was the idea. “We wanted to look at our work environment a little bit differently,” she says, “and provide more choice for our employees to be able to decide where and how they wanted to work.”

With the enclosed spaces integrated around the core, the circular layout’s outer perimeter is defined by a network of diverse micro-neighbourhoods that allow people to intuitively move between collaborative and focused work. “Pie-shaped clusters of Herman Miller workstations and the ergonomic Sayl and Embody task chairs create circulation space, allowing team members to choose their own adventure,” Josh Coughlan, MillerKnoll’s Senior Regional Sales Manager, describes.

Scattered across the floor-plate, the NaughtOne Pullman Focus Pods offer moments of retreat, while Herman Miller’s light, height-adjustable Passport Tables let individuals take their work wherever they go. In the atrium, the NaughtOne range fosters collaboration and allows the reception area to transform into an event space. This adaptable and layered integration, Jan adds, was key for Intuit. “MillerKnoll is a strategic partner,” she says, “and has really helped us to evolve that kit of parts.”

Brooke adds that the multifaceted palette of textures, colours and artworks reflects Intuit’s connection to the diverse APAC region, while intuitively delineating work settings and influencing behaviour. For instance, while vibrancy signals collaboration, in areas designed to elicit focus, both energy levels and saturation go down. “You will see the Herman Miller Cosm chair in a beautiful dipped-in-colour Canyon shade that also extends to the work surfaces,” Josh juxtaposes the energising interior with the library, where the NaughtOne pods upholstered in green Maharam fabrics evoke a sense of calm.

This ability to deliver variety while maintaining cohesion is what made MillerKnoll such a fitting partner for this multifaceted project. “We were able to team workspace furniture with more residential pieces, and tap into that idea of diversity and whimsy,” Brooke notes. While many workspace pieces are quite utilitarian, she adds, the depth of the collective fuses consideration for craft with joy.

For Josh, this space is proof that a workplace doesn’t have to be serious or sterile. “It can be both playful and sophisticated,” he notes, “and be somewhere you want to be.” And, based on the feedback, that’s exactly what it is: a genuine magnet. “People have really been drawn to the diversity, the fun, the joy and the colour,” Brooke enthuses. “It’s a really special space.”

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