Modern workplaces are increasingly taking their design cues from residential environments with furniture and spaces more reminiscent of homes than a traditional commercial office. The managing director of Kaplan Funds Management engaged Infinite Design, a primarily residential design firm, for Kaplan’s new office in Edgecliff, Sydney. He wanted a workplace that felt more like a high-end home, and that could become a family office in the future.

“The client appreciates good design and wanted the luxury and eclectic elegance of European design with the relaxed, casual ease of the Australian lifestyle,” says Michelle Macarounas, principal of Infinite Design. 

The workplace is located at the base of a residential tower where it opens to a courtyard to the north and has an internal window into the building lobby. Infinite Design configured client-facing areas at the entrance, private spaces towards the rear and enclosed offices on the southern side. Glazed partitions and timber-batten screens ensure all spaces remain open and light while maintaining a level of privacy, and film and sheer white curtains conceal the internal window of the boardroom to create a natural glow.

In place of a reception, Infinite Design created a sense of arrival with two custom hand-pulled silk-screen prints by Kate Banazi, which hang on the entrance wall. An informal meeting or waiting area is adjacent with Artifort chairs, a custom rug and Parachilna pendant lamps above. A curving timber batten wall inspired by Japanese screens defines the space, and the curves continue in the solid timber veneer that wraps around the core of the office, allowing for clear circulation and concealing storage behind.

The colour and material palette provide a light and warm environment in working spaces, and a more dramatic effect closer to the core. Light oak timber flooring runs throughout the open spaces with light-coloured carpet in the boardroom and offices. The kitchen has white surfaces and open brass shelves, and timber tables and desks have a naturally warm tactile feeling. Chairs are upholstered in tan leather, rich-blue and grey tones, and lighting and accessories add luxurious and metallic accents that evoke a designer home.

Artworks also contribute to the workplace looking and feeling more like a high-end home. “Artwork became an important layer in the design of the space. We commissioned a number of pieces to complement the base material and colour palette. We worked with Sophie Vander from Curatorial+Co to select a number of the key artists,” says Michelle. This includes the Kate Banazi silk-screen prints and an abstract painting by Antonia Mrljak for the client’s office.

A home should reflect its owners and a workplace should express a company’s culture and brand. At Kaplan Funds Management, Infinite Design has created a workplace that offers a comfortable, welcoming environment for employees and clients and reflects the client’s love of good design.

Photography by Prue Ruscoe. Builder: Project One.

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