Bill Amberg, Founder, Bill Amberg Studio, shares his work on a recent office project and discusses the importance of making the workplace more welcoming with carefully selected materials.
Bill Amberg, Founder of Bill Amberg Studio, uses his skills in leathercraft to create bespoke pieces for residential and commercial projects. Most recently his work took him to the City of London, where he created a unique collection of furniture for the ground floor lobby space for a global law firm. Here, Bill discusses the finer details of this project.
“With the recent shift to a hybrid working model, with many splitting their time between home and the office, it is increasingly vital to make office surroundings more welcoming and interesting to attract employees back. As a result of working from home, people have become accustomed to softer surroundings, and the bold, cold office environment which once made a great statement and which was highly efficient, is now seen to lack warmth and can feel almost inhuman. For designers, it is now important to consider how design can bring back soul and humanity into office buildings through their use of materials, colour and textures. Introducing tactile elements and considering comfort, temperature, and acoustics are all becoming much more important in office design, to create a more welcoming atmosphere.
When we first took on a recent project in the City, we immediately saw that we could make the environment warmer and more welcoming. The office building is home to global law firm DLA Piper, and even though it possessed a stark elegance with its vast expanse of stone and an amazing collection of art, it lacked warmth. Our team was tasked with introducing warmth and tactile qualities into the space to provide a welcoming entry for the building, and bringing a hand-crafted element to the stone lobby, using smooth sculptural forms and warm, natural materials.
We were inspired by the impressive collection of art, ceramics and sculpture already in the building, and we used this as a reference point and took visual cues from the flowing lines and curves of some of the pieces, as well as the materials used in some of the artworks to develop the furniture pieces. We didn’t want to install traditional soft fabric chairs but wanted something in-keeping with the architectural style of the building: benches which sweep you into the space for convivial use, not long-term seating. Due to the ceramic, bronze and woodwork pieces in the collection, the idea of creating something authentic with a crafted feel was important. The benches we created are entirely hand-stitched with a polished edge, and the smooth, rich brown surface of the leather invites visitors to experience the contrasting textures against the cold stone. The significant details give the pieces a unique quality, making them additional works of art in a space already adorned with beautiful pieces.
Material choices are particularly important when it comes to designing an office space and for this project we felt it was important to move away from traditional upholstered leather and so we looked at other finishes. We used natural vegetable tanned cow hide, as opposed to traditional chrome tanned – a bold agreement from the client. The result is a chic, gallery-like space for contemplation; it is a room for waiting, looking, and thinking.
The source of the materials is becoming increasingly important in design. Leather is a byproduct of the food industry. The majority of people continue to eat meat, arguably too much, and the leather that we use comes from pasture-fed animals only. Sustainability of the material is really important to us, and when designing a large space to be occupied by many, we feel it is important that the material choices have strong eco credentials.
A final thought on ideas around creating a human environment; we are now much more conscious of the emotional welfare of staff and all employers must have an emotional responsibility towards each individual. The wellness aspect of office life is an increasingly more important factor to consider for any new office design. Many offices are introducing biophilic design to enhance mental health and happiness. For our part, we feel that using naturally dyed leather, which is authentically sourced not only introduces warm, organic textures and colours, but the natural element can play a part in creating a welcoming and intriguing atmosphere in which to return to.”
www.billamberg.com | IG: @billambergstudio
