An industrial loft aesthetic
Size: 32,000 sq ft.
Location: Toronto, Canada
Step inside a loft apartment-inspired head office space for app developers in downtown Toronto.
Corelogic needed a new head office that combined its three existing workspaces. The team had a very specific look and feel to their current location, which they wanted to continue in their new headquarters. Challenge: accepted.
Achieving an industrial loft aesthetic in a new build space
Corelogic wanted to consolidate its teams. Its existing offices had an eclectic and industrial feel. The quirky vibe included lots of Mooi pieces as well as paintings by a local graffiti artist. It felt very urban, modern and edgy. The team wanted to bring this vision, and the feelings it inspired, into the new space too.
This was achieved through a number of design and furniture features, including:
– The furniture was sourced from a variety of suppliers to create an eclectic mix, so it didn’t look like office furniture and added to the ‘loft-style’ look and feel
– Tektura brick wall coverings were shipped over from the UK to create a faux brick wall in place of the ‘sterile’ new build look
– The entire workspace’s carpets were replaced with concrete-effect LVT to give a really bold, industrial look
Creating a 'wow' factor
Part of the project’s aim was to create an immediate impact that would be felt by visitors as soon as the lift doors opened.
The new space in downtown Toronto was within a huge high rise building so there were challenges with creating a continuation of Corelogic’s existing interior design as the spaces were so different. Plus, being a tenant in the building meant there were limits to what structural work could be carried out within the space.
Despite being unable to rip up floors, remove plasterboard or knock down columns, the team were able to still completely transform the workspace through a series of clever design decisions.
Creative use of budget
We couldn’t source all the furniture we wanted in Canada so shipped a lot over from the UK. This sounds like a more expensive option but by pre-planning and programming it made financial sense. We were able to fill the same shipping container with imported furniture from multiple manufacturers.
We incorporated a lot of other furniture from Canadian manufacturers – which is quirky and good quality. By using different suppliers we were able to achieve an eclectic style – and remain within budget.
