The New Framehouse Office Makes Concrete And Metal Look Stylish
Guided by the idea that “simplicity is beauty” that defines them as well as their clients, the Plusminusarchitects team renovated a two-story building with the purpose of making it suitable to become an office. The building is located in Bratislava, Slovakia and the interior space measures a total of 145 square meters.
It was transformed into an office for Framehouse, a postproduction studio. The architects established their firm back in 2004 and although they’re a small team they create interesting and inspiring projects. They specialize in architecture, interior design and urban planning and this makes the team flexible. Their projects are usually defined by simplicity and creativity.
The renovation of the building was completed in 2016. The office occupies two floors, with the lower floor being situated at floor level. It’s quite small compared to the upper level. Down here, the reception area can be found. A company’s logo is displayed on the wall behind it. The reception desk is sculptural and simple, being made of concrete.
A staircase leads to the upper level where the workstations as well as a series of other spaces are situated. But the staircase itself is an interesting attraction for the office. It has a simple and sculptural design and is complemented by an eye-catching metal structure which serves a double purpose. On one hand, it’s a handrail for the staircase. On the other hand, it doubles as a shelving unit for a variety of things.
The staircase is one of the elements designed to stand out without being too bold or striking. The architects and the clients agreed that the best coruse of action was to create something simple and clean with industrial flair and some edgy charm. In order to obtain this unique combo they selected wood, concrete and metal as the main materials for the renovation.
These three materials are displayed in a variety of forms. For example, the reception desk is made entirely of concrete and there’s also a smaller concrete and wood desk on the upper level. The staircase module is made of wood and metal and the rest of the desks and decor elements feature the same type of combinations.
A wood and glass divider separates the workstations from the more casual areas such as the showroom area for clients or the small lounge space that stands on a platform. On the other side of the divider there’s a small meeting space which is occasionally used as a coffee station. It even has a custom storage wall unit.
There’s a really nice balance throughout the office which is established between all the materials used in the renovation as well as between all the different functions which are combined and mixed and matched.