Interiors studio YSG has created an office for Australian fashion brand Alémais in Sydney, designed to “make you feel like you’ve entered a galaxy of limitless imagination”.
YSG completed a full remodel of the Alémais office in Surry Hills, using warm cream shades as the backdrop while retaining some of the building’s original brick walls.
The studio wanted the 491-square-metre office to reference Alémais’ print design collaborations with artists and illustrators, drawing on mythological kingdoms, folklore and planets to decorate the space.
“[Alémais founder] Lesleigh [Jermanus] and I both share Middle Eastern heritage and a love for the cosmos and beyond, so references to mystic and divine elements are sprinkled throughout,” YSG studio director Yasmine Ghoniem told Dezeen.
“My favourite is our custom ‘eye’ dining table,” she added. “We hand-painted its embossed, pale timber, elliptical surface in pastel tones to highlight the natural woodgrain patterns.”
The space consists of a communal office space, two private offices and an open-plan kitchen that’s also used for meetings. In-built banquettes were added in the far corners and near the reception.
YSG aimed for the office’s design to be conducive to interaction and adaptation according to the daily needs of the fashion brand.
“Escapist as it may appear, the space’s efficiency is seamless,” Ghoniem said.
“The central nucleus comprises a conjoined design and pattern-making zone with dedicated storage and archival space at arm’s reach from the pattern-makers,” she added.
“The lounge-like design hang nestled within the far corner of the floorplan is where new collection ideas take flight.”
The studio worked with colours to define the different areas of the office, using bold hues for the ends of the room, and mint and plum tones for the main design spaces.
“We upholstered the entrance reception’s banquette with a vibrant tribal fabric, reminiscent of a Congolese cloth that marries tangerine chenille with rugged linen,” Ghoniem explained.
“Past the design team over in the far corner, a trippy green and blue underwater scene floats the spirit of adventure.”
To create an inspiring work environment, which the team can tailor however it wants, YSG added tools the designers can use to showcase their work and display moodboards.
“Several large custom timber frames support cork pin boards laid with inspiration images, new collection fabrics and sketches, and roam across the floorboards on casters,” Ghoniem said. “We also tucked Cozoni Knox drawer units on wheels under desks, should they need to migrate.”
Key materials in the interior include glass mosaics, shell inlay, palm reed, Calacatta Viola marble, bronze and velvet.
“Creative confidence and spirited discovery underpins our playful yet polished aesthetic for the space where myriad realms co-exist, so it was important to feature highly tactile, textural materials and compelling tones,” Ghoniem said.
Among the outer-worldly details in the space are the large, speckled globe lights in a variety of sizes and colours that hang everywhere in the office.
Custom-designed by YSG and made by local company Anomolous, the “fibreglass lunar spheres” underline the studio’s references to planets and mythology.
“They make you feel like you’ve entered a galaxy of limitless imagination from the moment you arrive,” Ghoniem said.
“With their delicious speckled tones and oversized form, they create the illusion of drawing the ceiling height down towards a more intimate human scale, which is also comforting.”
At the entrance of the Alémais office, YSG added another eye-catching detail – a mosaic mural depicting mythical flora and fauna.
“Coated with shimmering mosaics, it depicts a utopian scene of half-human and half-animal forms floating amongst fantastical fauna under a blazing sun,” Ghoniem explained.
“We built the wall to set the tone for staff, clients and guests, and to buffer the hive of activity behind it. It took about two weeks to lay the tiles with a team of four.”
The studio also added other figures throughout the space, including starfish-shaped handles on the kitchen cabinets, an eye on the kitchen wall, a snake-shaped door handle and decorative sculptures.
Other recent interiors by YSG include a cafe in Sydney with 1970s-style details and a Byron Bay home by the seaside.
The photography is by Anson Smart.
→ Continue reading at Dezeen
