Gorgeous Georgian

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The first meeting room was designed to be more formal.

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The reception area’s colour scheme contrasts with the other rooms in the listed building.

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The breakout room is filled with warm, rich colours.

SHH's office interiors for a London-based firm blend classic with contemporary for a high impact working environment.

Combining old and new can be a tricky challenge at the best of times. Combining a 200-year-old townhouse with a 21st century office could be seen as even more of a challenge. Yet that was exactly the task faced by UK architecture and design firm SHH when it took on a private office project in Manchester Square, London.

Converting a Georgian townhouse which was also protected under UK legislation as a Grade II historic building provided the designers with restrictions to work against, but also inspiration.

"The design brief was clear right from the beginning of the process, and the speed required for completion of the project didn't allow any room for change," explained Brendan Heath, SHH associate and lead designer on the project. "In simple terms, the brief had functional requirements that determined the number of offices and meeting rooms, but the aim was to design spaces that had more in common with a members' bar or gentlemen's club."

As a listed building, SHH was obliged to retain certain elements of the structure's fabric.

Matters were made easier given the interior had previously been used as an office, and SHH was requested to retain some standout details, such as the marble mosaic floor tiles in the entrance area, some marble-inlaid fireplaces, and detailed cornicing on the ceilings.

Furthermore, many of the building's historic details provided benefits to the overall design. "The spaces benefit from good natural light, with typical tall Georgian windows to the front and a double aspect thanks to a rear courtyard," said Heath. "Ceiling heights at the front of the building are also spectacular, between 3.6m and 3.8m."

Working alongside SHH was the client side design director, Zeljko Popovic. "Having worked with Popovic before on a previous residential project, we had a good existing relationship and knew that we could build on the trust gained in that first project to produce a very contemporary solution for a very design literate client. This was especially useful in view of the fast-track nature of this project," said Heath.

The scheme, which spread just over 300m², had to house five company directors, 20 administrative staff, a formal ground floor space, video conferencing room, a breakout space and a less formal meeting room. "The offices are highly compartmentalised as a result of the configuration of the existing building," said Heath.

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