Following the success of our St Swithin’s Lane project, LaSalle Investment Management brought The Vawdrey House in again to refurbish the reception and atrium of another of their portfolio, a Grade II listed building on London Bridge.
Without any structural changes, we have totally reimagined the space, giving it a dramatic and opulent feel, with a nod to the historic façade outside.
Grade II Listed
Reception & atrium refurbishment
280 sq m
Architecture
Interior design
Signage & branding
Furniture & accessories
'The new reception and atrium brilliantly connect the historic listed facade of this prime location building to its contemporary CAT A floors fronting the river.'
The listed façade is a strong feature on the bridge, with the popular London Grind restaurant occupying one half, but the heritage feel did not extend inside and the previous office reception was feeling tired.
LaSalle saw the potential being wasted in the huge space, within a stones throw of Borough Market, and asked us to overhaul the interior and entrance to give it a presence more suited to the location, and to sit alongside the newly refurbished tenanted floors on the river side of the building.
Previously clad from top to toe in limestone, the space was huge and although the atrium was top lit with daylight, the actual reception area, set below the office floors above, felt much darker by contrast, and lacked atmosphere.
On entering, the doors have been refurbished with black framework and new signage externally, teamed with a new set of full height sliding steel-framed Jansen inner doors, referencing the fenestration design of the original sash windows outside.
The new lobby created within, is painted in deep blue-black paint and punctuated with bronze railroad lanterns.
A hint of the Orient Express pervades the reception desk with its high gloss panelling, Carrara marble counter top and dramatic brass overhead framework. Tan leather banquette seating, with little marble bistro tables, offers visitors a place to perch while waiting or taking calls, beneath the soft glow of Tom Dixon wall lights and backed by a smoky duck-egg blue panelled wall.
The main lounge area is luxuriously enveloped within a ‘booth’ of rust linen drapery. Candy coloured velvet chairs nestle on liquorice striped circular rug. This creates a cosy seating area within this cavernous space.
The curved wall has been given a smooth coat of polished concrete providing a suede-rich backdrop to the pops of colour.
The atrium, once bland and distant, now reaches out to you as you enter – with rich inky blue painted panelling. A bespoke semi-circular panel detail provides another nod to exotic travel with a slight Art Deco vibe. Black and white floor tiles work with the liquorice rug and rustic oak planks to break up the large floor space into distinct zones. With the fabulous concentric squares design in the atrium providing striking impact when viewed from all the way up the building.
Bespoke manifestations on the atrium glazing echo the semi-circular panelling design, and bespoke laser cut brass signage completes the exclusive feel.
'Providing a portal from old to new, these spaces offer more than just a transition, they have become a setting in their own right.'
