As we grow older too often we lose a part of ourselves that is the inner child. It happens slowly, but suddenly life is just too serious. However, at the workplace of one of India’s leading childrenswear brand, life is anything but staid.

The new workplace and showroom of Doreme in Kolkata is bold and vibrant with a touch of whimsy and has been designed to celebrate children and their sense of wonder. The design also pays tribute to the act of making and elevates the most ubiquitous of materials to exalted heights.

The project, designed by Pooja Bihani, principal architect of Spaces and Design, and her team, is not only right on brand but inventive and original with a neon colour palette and unexpected surprises. As the space brings together the joy of creating and visual merchandising for buyers under one roof, it smashes the corporate mould.

Set within a former warehouse shell, the spatial largesse of the 334-square-metre floorplate sees curved and flowing forms aside oval workstations and, taking centre stage, a near six metre showroom table for work and display. There are minimal doors and excellent flow with few obstacles to navigate that reinforce both the expansiveness of the interior and allows visual connectivity throughout.

At the heart of the showroom is a dramatic canopy ceiling conceived to create a sunburst effect. Made from Doreme’s own fabric, the gathered lime green material emanates from a central stretch ceiling and becomes a most theatrical backdrop to the merchandise across the floor. Customised oval lighting tracks and layered lighting are integrated within the ceilings and partitions have been positioned to ensure accurate colour perception and product visibility.

Within the interior, neon greens, pinks, oranges and yellows pop on a background of white and muted grey and the palette reflects how children naturally respond to colour and the energy it stimulates.

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Fabric has been used to great effect and replaces solid partitions with layered curtaining that folds much the same as garments drape on the body. The fabric brings colour, texture and pattern to the interior but also allows light to penetrate. With few hard edges, there is easy movement between areas.

Complementing the curtains are vertical, floor-to-ceiling panels in bold, playful prints, with many manually laced and assembled by members of the design team.

References to stitching and tailoring are embedded across the built-in elements and surfaces. For example, storage units feature faces arranged in a cross-stitched pattern and oversized buttons replace handles, while half-height desk partitions are framed and laced with neon strings. Even the custom-designed hangars include punctured stress balls to add fun to an everyday item.

Transparent glass bases support workstations and table, each filled with thousands of buttons, zippers, yarns and drawstrings sourced from the brand’s own production materials. Other furnishings were selected from local markets to enhance the overall colour palette.

Freestanding caterpillar-shaped gondolas in the brand’s signature green have been designed as flexible and moveable display items, while stepped units within the showroom double as merchandising platforms and informal seating.

Across the space everyday tools of making such as buttons, threads and fabrics are given permanence, becoming markers of identity and process.

Spaces and Design was founded by Pooja Bihani is 2006 and the studio specialises in creating bespoke spaces tailored to site and the lifestyle and requirements of its clients. The Kolkata-based practice embraces the principles of Pranic Feng Shui and, while every design is visually appealing, Bihani ensures each promotes positive energy and wellbeing.

Bihani has created workplace as wonderland, where original design celebrates the world of the child and beautifully encapsulates the brand. In creating the experiential for staff and clients alike, the new workplace and showroom of Doreme is visually stunning, allowing form and function to co-exist in harmony and the inner child to be released once more.

Spaces and Design
spacesanddesign

Photography
Lokesh Dang