Building Something That Belongs to the People Who Use It

There’s a particular kind of satisfaction that comes from watching an empty space slowly turn into somewhere people actually want to be. That’s exactly what we got to experience with VINCI’s new head office; a project that, from day one, felt less like a fit-out and more like a collaboration in the truest sense.

The brief was ambitious and the timeline was tight, which meant we had to trade long deliberation for sharp instincts. Decisions needed to be made quickly, communication had to stay clear, and we needed to be genuinely hands-on at every turn. Working shoulder to shoulder with the wider design team, we set out to build a furniture scheme that did more than just look good on paper, it needed to feel practical, comfortable, and unmistakably them.

Honestly, one of our favourite parts of the whole process was handing some of the decision-making over to the people who’d actually be living in the space day to day. We took staff on showroom trips across London, let them sit in (and stand at) desk mock-ups, and genuinely listened to what they had to say. There’s something refreshing about that kind of feedback loop, it keeps everyone honest, and it meant the final workspace wasn’t just a designer’s vision, but something shaped by real hands and real opinions.

Sustainability sat at the heart of it all, too. Rather than treating it as a checkbox, we spent months digging through the existing furniture inventory, piece by piece, asking: what can be saved? What can be reimagined rather than replaced? That process alone helped cut down on waste significantly, and it gave the new space a quiet thread of continuity, a sense that the office had history, not just newness.

Where new pieces were needed, we leaned on UK-based manufacturers and materials chosen with real intention, so the sustainability story ran through every layer of the project rather than sitting on the surface. What’s emerged is a workspace that feels current and welcoming, but also built to last, not a space designed to be redone in five years.

Projects like this remind us why we love the work. There’s nothing quite like watching a finished space come alive, and the response from VINCI’s team has been genuinely warming to hear. Right now, we’re back on site putting the final styling touches in place, and we can’t wait to see the office fully occupied and buzzing in the coming weeks.

It’s been a brilliant project from start to finish; one that supports collaboration, wellbeing, and the kind of everyday flexibility that makes a workplace feel like it was made for the people in it, not just around them.