For my last university project, I had to design a chillax space for the MTV staff that works at the headquarters building in Camden Town, London. I begun with researching MTV. I also made a survey and then asked people who work in offices to fill in. I used the data I collected to design the space, to fit everybody's needs and to be a relaxing area to spend the break. 

The space (before) 

Outside of the headquarters building.

As I wanted the space to look alive, but not over coloured, I decided to go for a fun but organic feel, I chose soft colours and soft shapes inspired by things I saw at the borough market.

The nests on the right, inspired by ivy, were designed to provide a sense of privacy to the employees without making them claustrophobic. The seating area on the left can be used by the employees to have a cup of coffee or read a book. The bean bags sit on top of a felt rug that recalls grass.

The skylight on the roof allows enough light during daytime, and when it gets darker the bar glows along with the lamps by the wall and the lamp bulbs hanging on top of the nests. The customers can order something to eat or drink at the bar, behind which there is a living wall to makes the space look more lively.

Below are some pages from the specification document.

As many food lovers in London already know, Jamie Oliver's new shop, Recipease, just opened in Notting Hill. I decided to visit it the day after the opening, to avoid the crowd. This ploy worked to a certain point: the shop looks in fact like the kind of place that is always crowded.

The shop is split in two levels and the space is small, yet it manages to involve the customers into three activities. The first floor has a good selection of cooking equipment, as well as fresh produce and cupboard food, all Jamie's recommendations. This first section of the store works really well along with another element that lures the customers into buying. In the middle of both floors there are in fact isles, where it is possible to learn the basics of cooking through one-hour courses. On the second floor there is more cooking equipment scattered here and there and the final touch: the restaurant, where Jamie's famous dishes are served.

The design of the store follows the latest trend of mixing new and old, urban and rural, high-tech and vintage, big windows and rusted metal. It has a sort of country-home look, with tiles, wooden stools, colourful and creative decorations. The stall-like disposition of the tables gives the impression of being in a food market, within a small town. The seating areas are many and small, which allows the customers to feel as if they were in a trendy little restaurant. Or at least it does, if they can ignore the crowd and the noise.

From a “content” point of view it was nothing impressive, and it is what I expected it to be: overpriced cooking equipment, overpriced cooking courses, and overpriced food. But at the same time, you do get good quality and Jamie's face on it. It is still very inspiring for a cook to visit: there are screens around the whole shop where video-recipes are shown and you get to see people cooking exotic dishes during the cooking classes. It also seems like a good chance for somebody that would like to learn how to cook but doesn't know where to start.

Even though the location is little and the elements many, the designer did a very good job making everything fit in and creating a good space and a recognizable identity. The shop could have easily looked like a mess, but everything works out quite well. In a way it is a lot like a Jamie Oliver's recipe: many good ingredients, short time, delicious result.

When I visited Anthropologie the last time, I ran into a beautiful coral-like design that continued within the shop. I was not able to figure out from a distance what it was made out of, but looking closer it became clear: paper. I always find it very inspiring to see beautiful designs that take an ecological approach.

The corals covered part of the walls, drawing the customers through the shop. Walking through it, the theme of the sea became stronger, with more corals and cardboard waves.

Anthropologie beautiful windows and decorations can only work next to their merchandise, which also never disappoints me. It is rare, nowadays, to see a brand reflected in the design of its shop. Often the thin line between following a trend and reflecting the brand, is crossed, and this results in many shops looking the same. Jack Wills, Hollister, American Eagle and Aeropostale, follow a style that is very trendy but end up losing their identity. Anthropologie follows its unique style, coming up almost every month with innovative designs, windows and decorations that are trendy and beautiful yet holding a strong link with the brand.

In the last picture it is possible to see the cardboard waves on the top. And the beautiful woman on the right, is my mom. The photos were taken at the Kings Road branch, in London.