A productive, well-designed office is more than a fit-out. It reflects how a company works – and what it values.
A well-designed office does several things at once. It supports focused work and easy collaboration. It gives people a reason to come in. It projects the right image to clients and prospective hires. And it stays practical to live in day after day.
The brief for 166 Tower Bridge was exactly that: a contemporary commercial interior that preserves the industrial character of the building shell – exposed concrete ceiling, original structure – while creating a space that is warm, human in scale, and genuinely pleasant to spend time in.
The result balances open-plan efficiency with considered zoning: Crittall-style glass partitions that keep the floor visually open, grey curtain dividers for acoustic flexibility, and a material palette that runs from rough concrete above to warm oak below.
WHAT Interiors works with commercial clients across London, Luton, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire – from single-floor start-up studios to large multi-floor fit-outs.
Evening atmosphere: adjustable wall lights, the terracotta shelving unit and warm oak floor balance the industrial concrete ceiling.
Office buildings with exposed structure are honest and characterful. They are also cold – literally and visually – if left to speak for themselves. The design task was to work with the rawness of the shell, not cover it, while introducing enough warmth and softness to make eight hours at a desk feel comfortable rather than austere.
The second challenge was zoning. A single open floor needs to function as a reception, open workspace, informal meeting area, private offices and a focus zone – while remaining visually legible as one coherent space rather than a collection of separate rooms.
Rather than subdividing the space with fixed walls, the design uses four layered strategies to create distinct zones that remain visually part of the same open floor.
Black Crittall-style frames enclose private offices without blocking light – the open plan reads as one space from any point.
Full-height grey linen curtains divide the informal meeting area from the main floor – acoustic and flexible, opened or closed in seconds.
Rough concrete above, warm oak below. The material shift reads as a ceiling plane and a floor plane pulling the room into a human scale.
A single open steel bookshelf in terracotta provides the one warm colour in an otherwise neutral palette – enough to anchor the room.
A good office makes people want to come in. The design is the reason.Yuri Colomiet, lead designer
The black steel frame partitions do more than separate spaces. Where they align with the building's original brick facade, they frame it as a deliberate backdrop – the industrial past of the building becomes part of the daily working view.
The workstation furniture is all-white steel: clean, functional, recessive. It lets the material story of the shell – concrete, brick, oak – read clearly rather than competing with it.
WHAT Interiors provides office interior design across the UK. Our primary areas are London, Luton, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire. We also work with clients remotely across the UK.
Our service covers space planning, concept development, material and furniture specification, lighting design, bespoke furniture design, and full project management from brief through to completion.
A typical project runs 3–6 months from initial concept to completion, depending on scope and site access. We provide a detailed project programme at the briefing stage.
Yes – we work with businesses of all sizes, from start-up studios to multi-floor commercial fit-outs. Every project begins with a free consultation to understand the brief, budget and timeline.
Whether you're relocating, refitting or starting from a shell, tell us about the brief and we'll start with a conversation.