Ben Johnson Interiors were approached by Knight Frank to improve the tenant offering within Earl Grey House, Newcastle, for their client Schroders. We invited local designers, Design North, to collaborate on the project due to their vast design experience and knowledge of Grey Street. The brief was to reimagine the interior space of Earl Grey House into a functional and chic Business Lounge/Shared Collaboration Space.
Located in the centre of Newcastle, Earl Grey House is a Grade II listed building, forming part of one of the most historically celebrated streets in the city. The redesign of the interior space had to be considerate of the historic fabric of the building, both retaining and working with the historic elements. Internally, the client was looking for something contemporary, which would optimise productivity and create an exceptional and desirable office space.

The Ben Johnson Interiors delivery team got to work stripping the space back to its concrete shell. The exposed soffit was retained and painted dark blue to maintain the ceiling height and industrial feel. The lounge has limited natural light, so the designer selected warm materials such as timber to frame and divide spaces, with contrasting industrial finishes such as the exposed services and Crittall-style glazing to allow light to permeate through the space. Concrete paint was used to frame the space below the painted blue soffit, creating an interesting border feature on the exposed columns. Feature lighting and acoustic baffles were utilised throughout the scheme to define areas, soften the environment, and improve acoustics. The lounge was zoned to create multiple levels of enclosure and privacy for various working conditions: quiet spaces for private meetings and team calls, semi-private spaces for informal meetings, and open-plan kitchen areas for social interaction. The zones were created through a mixture of partitioning with Crittall-style doors and a bespoke timber pergola, which was a key central joinery feature within the design. The open plan included a bistro-style kitchen with a complementary coffee machine, designed to encourage tenants to meet and interact. The space also has the potential to be used as an event space, with media walls installed throughout the facility. All meeting rooms are bookable through the tenant website or via a localised iPad outside each room, which clearly shows if the meeting rooms are in use or reserved. Zoning was further achieved through carefully selected lighting, feature flooring, and furniture. Rich but calming shades of blue were chosen for soft furnishings and accents of colour throughout the interior.

The Finished Project

Grey Street has a chic new Business Lounge/Shared Collaboration Space to rival any other. The lounge is cleverly linked to the existing reception through a timber tunnel with integrated feature lighting, which directs the occupiers into the business lounge — a lovely visual cue that it is open and ready for business. A great space to attract and retain future occupiers.