Lively and Dynamic: Nice-Style Refurbishment

The new office for the local branch of PropertyGuru pushes the envelope on the conventions of design for corporate environments.

Where the stereotypical work environment entails drab and sterile expanses segregated by unfriendly partitions, Nice-Style Refurbishment imbues this office with a casual vibe that stretches the conventional workplace to the modern age of shared spaces, flexi-time, and remote working.

The expected partitions of traditional bullpens are replaced with implicit borders expressed in architectural finishes, transparent glass curtain walls, and lighting fixtures streaking across the dark ceiling in defiant angles.

In lieu of the expected reception desk, this office instead presents visitors with a formal seating arrangement, equipped with a television in the manner of a stereotypical living room. The receiving lounge is located at the centre of a trio of spaces that have been individually designed for employees to relax or partake in casual discussions, resulting in an artery where visitors and unwinding employees would inevitably be found mingling and interacting with each other.

Domestic Style: Both operative and recreational areas of this office are rendered in the manner of modern homes – with bold colours, potted greenery, and playful angles to demonstrate the focus of this establishment.

An unexpected indoor garden is hosted on the other side of a speckled grey wall in the receiving lounge – while a casual discussion space occupies an alcove situated across a walkway rendered as a garden path. A more casual lounge arrangement – the employees’ recreational space, is sequestered behind the wall of greenery at the front of the office.

The pantry occupies a generous length of windows normally reserved for executive corner offices, the view of the urban skyline preserved with the use of lightweight countertops and bar-height stools in front of the full-height windows. A playfully geometric wire partition separates the raised floor of the recreational lounge from the simulated garden pathway, enabling sunlight to further enhance the yellow discussion space.

The veins of stone in the laminated flooring continue in an angular pathway through the more operative areas of the office, turning to pristine expanses of white that rely less on vertical partitions, and more on architectural finishes or lighting fixtures to signal transitions between spaces. The rest of the discussion spaces are necessarily walled off, with lengths of walls bearing stylised motifs or additional storage options.

Lively Accents: A handful of vividly coloured spaces are tucked into various corners around the office to counter the distinctly neutral palette.

Throughout the office, angular lines appear in frosting on glass curtain walls and lengths of fluorescent lighting across the ceilings, with the motifs and fixture arrangements being occasionally applied in inverse to demarcate and provide a discernable measure of monochromatic contrast between adjacent spaces.

Where the ceiling accompanying the simulated garden path is rendered in white and streaked with carbon-coated lighting fixtures, the individual areas connected to this circular route typically feature a black background – with white fluorescent tubes showing the extents of the spaces in lieu of overt partitions.

Stylised Barriers: The few vertical partitions that occur in this office are stylised industrial partitions that provide each recreational space with a casual vibe.

The Power to Deliver

With a diverse team of highly skilled and vastly experienced interior professionals, Nice Style is able to offer unique and innovative design solutions for any type of premises: be it bedroom, kitchen, living area or the hallway, the bar, restrooms, waiting areas, dining areas, or even a commercial setup in a corporate building. By providing the entire range of project support – from design consultation, to procurement, budget management, delivery, and installation, homeowners will surely have peace of mind during project delivery, as Nice Style is the ultimate one-stop interior solution firm.

From left to right: Quinnie Khor, Khor Yan, Adeline Chin, and Anne Ng
Venue: GoldenHome Kitchen @ Glenmarie
Kitchen Appliances: Teka Küchentechnik Malaysia
Photographer: Gavin Yam