Going Back to Black – Vrnda Pharma Office by The Design Chapel
The Design Chapel is a young Mumbai based multidisciplinary studio founded and headed by Interior Architect Preshita Shah Gupta (B.ID) with a bachelor’s degree from the School of Design (SID) C.E.P.T, Ahmedabad. The studio specializes in commercial, residential and hospitality interiors with an experience of over 7 years in the field.
Vrnda Pharma is a pharmaceutical company which deals with clients and vendors all over the world. When the clients approached our studio, to design their newly bought office space, their brief was simple. They wanted a cool and quirky new space, which does not take itself too seriously. Their staff includes young people in the age bracket of 22 to 35 and they did not want the office to have a formal, more serious ambience. With this brief they gave us a free hand to design the space albeit within a tight budget. The idea behind the office here was to create a variety of spaces that will enable people to work in a way they want to work.
As one enters the office, he is greeted with a small reception and waiting area, which is secluded from the rest of the office with our signature rope partitions. These rope partitions allow a visual flow while still maintaining a level of privacy. A small meeting room has been made in this big alcove that the site provided which can be accessed from the waiting and reception area. This is where clients, vendors and other visitors can be entertained without them actually entering and disturbing the rest of office.
A cabin space for the Director has been carved out with glass and aluminum black powder coated partitions boosting visual transparency with the rest of the office. Long central workstation devoid of any partitions inspire flexibility in workspaces where employees need not have a fixed work station for everyday use. We really wanted to create a space shared and enjoyed equally by all the occupants of the office.
We have designed some chill out spaces with high tables and bar stools for the employees to take breaks, have some Chai pe Charcha and enjoy the view of the lush green Vikhroli hills. These high tables also provide a different work setup where people can work while standing up and thus encourage movement and a change of work desk. With offices becoming second homes, this fluidity and lack of rigidness is what we try to incorporate while designing commercial spaces. Agile working environments are truly the future.
The thing we had noticed when we first entered the bare site were the huge windows and ample amount of natural light coming in through them. This made us lean towards a more monochromatic aesthetic where we could use black without the fear of the space turning dark. We used black and light pine wood as the primary elements. Whereas the black and white houndstooth fabric, the teal chairs and sofa bring in the much needed dose of pattern and color respectively.
Darker tones or black colour creates depth, adds drama and helps offset other colours within the space. As Companies are becoming more adventurous with their spaces, black and darker hues have come to dominate office spaces. The idea with this office was to use black in the interiors but to keep the proportions controlled so as to let the workspace be bright and light filled making work a joy.
Making the most of the beautiful 11’5”ceiling height that the space provided, we decided to do away with the false ceiling and kept the ceiling exposed along with all the wiring. This gave us the freedom to use hanging light fixtures designed and customized to our spatial needs.
As the company deals internationally, the New York skyline makes its presence felt in the meeting room and director’s cabin wallpaper. The vibe of the entire office is informal and playful, a place where the employees can feel at ease and work through the long hours without a frown.
FACT FILE :
Project Name : Vrnda Pharma Office
Design Studio : The Design Chapel
Principal Designer : Preshita Shah Gupta
Design Team : Kajal Kamath, Dhvani Parekh
Project Location: Vikhroli, Mumbai
Project Area : 650 sq ft
Project Contractor : Time Work Interiors
Project Year : 2019
Photo Credits : ©Yadnyesh Joshi
Clients : Anjali Khamkar and Mandar Bhogle
