Top Interior Designs: Offices

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Location: North 55
Design: Bluehaus

Even the business cards for Dubai-based creative agency North 55 are free from corporate pomp.

The back of each card is different – the company’s employees are free to fill the space with the graphic of their choice.

It is this kind of emphasis on personal expression and creative freedom, unfettered by over-restrictive brand standards, that characterises the North 55 offices. An independent print and online design agency with some 16 members of staff, North 55 had been operating out of Dubai Media City since 2000 before deciding to invest in its own space in Grosvenor Business Tower.

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Having secured its own premises, North 55’s owners were keen to invest in an interior that would communicate its creative flair. “We wanted to do something a little more fun; something brighter, a little more creative,” said Craig Falconer, creative partner, North 55.

“The last thing we wanted was a standard, modular office or a cookie-cutter solution. If your interior doesn’t reflect your personality, it’s hard to sell yourself as a creative agency,” he continued.

Falconer and his partner worked closely with Dubai-based interior design firm Bluehaus to translate the North 55 ethos into a funky workspace. “They had an idea, right from the beginning, of what they wanted. A lot of people say creatives working with creatives is tough, but I think in this case, we actually made a good team,” said partner, Bluehaus, Ben Corrigan.

From the very outset, the message is clear – this is no ordinary, run-of-the-mill interior and no ordinary, run-of-the mill company. The reception area is dominated by a handful of very strong, visually-striking design statements: a Smeg fridge emblazoned with the Union Jack; funky light fixtures; and an exposed brickwork wall with ‘North 55’ graffitied across it. “The graffiti was a really nice touch,” said Corrigan. “They commissioned it from a guy in Canada. The old brickwork was another idea of theirs. They wanted to have that feel of maybe a backstreet London practice.”

From the reception, a rainbow arch leads into an informal seating area that looks straight into the main office. Falconer was keen to avoid the sterility of a ‘dentist-style’ waiting room. “We have no problem with clients coming in and seeing what we do. It was important that they were ushered into a seating area that overlooks the working area. The clients are part of what goes on in this office,” he explained.

This emphasis on transparency is reiterated in the extremely open-plan design of the main office area. “There is a real sense of openness. We wanted to make it very open plan because of the way the work flows. We have a very fluid, borderless work flow,” Falconer said.

“We also have a fairly flat management structure; everyone is entitled to a strong opinion. This is reflected in the space. Nobody is vying for the corner office. I cringe when I go into offices where your rank is defined by your furniture.”

Next page: Majid Al Futtaim Headquarters and Woods Bagot