The Creative Project Brief

Urban Group was engaged by Risk and Security to deliver a full commercial office fitout that would reflect the character and professionalism of their business from the moment clients stepped out of the lifts. The brief called for a workspace with genuine presence and personality, one that felt distinctive, considered and premium without relying on conventional commercial fitout solutions.

The design direction that emerged was bold and atmospheric, drawing on dark tones, rich material contrasts, and carefully layered detailing to create a space with a strong visual identity. The scope covered all areas of the tenancy, including the reception and lift lobby, boardroom, meeting rooms, open plan work areas, private offices, kitchen and breakout space, and utilities zones.

Design Directions

Our design team built the project around a palette of deep, moody tones anchored by black, dark timber and dark green, punctuated throughout by warm antique brass detailing. The result is a space with a distinctly art deco industrial character, sophisticated and atmospheric while remaining entirely functional as a working office environment.

Reception and Lift Lobby

The reception makes an immediate statement as clients arrive from the lifts. A custom reception counter finished in a striking stone-look tile sets the tone, with batten panelling applied to every wall in the reception zone and spray-painted black to create a dramatic, moody quality. Exposed black ceilings reinforced this. Antique brass channel strips were introduced to break up the panelling detail, adding warmth and a refined finishing touch. Hanging greenery behind the counter softened the palette and introduced a natural counterpoint to the hard finishes throughout.

Custom ottomans in the waiting area, polished concrete flooring, and heritage bar detailing on the glazing complete the reception experience. The same stone-look tile was carried into the lift exteriors, with brass feature lighting added to the lift surrounds to extend the design narrative into the arrival sequence itself.

Boardroom and Meeting Rooms

The boardroom continues the dark, considered palette of the reception. Dark green feature paint and dark timber finishes were balanced by a light patterned carpet, preventing the space from feeling oppressive while maintaining its atmospheric quality. Black VJ panelling with brass channel detailing features prominently, adding texture and tying the room back to the reception design language. Curtains add an unexpected softness that makes for a striking contrast against the harder finishes. All meeting rooms were finished to match the boardroom, creating consistency and coherence across the client-facing spaces of the tenancy.

Open Office and Work Areas

The open plan areas and private offices were resolved with a cleaner, more restrained approach that kept the focus on function while maintaining the material thread of the broader fitout. Timber finished workstations with light grey screens take advantage of the available natural light,, with a glazed dividing wall featuring heritage bar detailing used to subtly divide teams while preserving the openness of the floor plate. 

Kitchen and Breakout

The kitchen drew the stone-look tile through from the reception, using it for both the splashback and benchtop to maintain material continuity across the fitout. Brass detailing is carried through in the fixtures and fittings. Teal upholstery on bar stools introduces a welcome pop of colour, while tan ottomans and feature pendant lights give the breakout area a relaxed, social energy that balances the moodier tones found elsewhere in the space.

Challenges

The central challenge of this project was delivering a fitout with a genuinely distinctive and atmospheric design character without compromising the functionality and practicality a working office environment demands. Dark palettes, exposed ceilings and layered material detailing require careful calibration to avoid a result that feels heavy, unwelcoming or difficult to work in day to day.

Maintaining design consistency across a full floor plate, from the dramatic arrival sequence at the lifts through to the open plan workstations and kitchen, required a disciplined approach to material selection and detailing. With so many zones to resolve, the risk of the fitout fragmenting into disconnected spaces was real.

The bespoke nature of several key elements, including the custom reception counter, spray-painted batten walls, brass channel detailing and heritage bar glazing, also required close coordination across trades to ensure the finished result matched the design intent at every point.

The Result

The completed fitout gave Risk and Security a workspace with a genuinely distinctive identity, one that makes an immediate impression on visitors and reflects the professionalism and character of the business from the moment the lift doors open.

The art deco industrial aesthetic that runs through the project from the sophisticated and moody reception to the brass-detailed boardroom and the considered kitchen creates a cohesive, immersive environment that feels unlike a standard commercial office fitout. Every zone has its own quality and character while clearly belonging to the same design family.

The project stands as one of Urban Group’s most visually striking completed works, and a strong example of what becomes possible when a bold design brief is met with the capability, coordination and attention to detail to bring it fully to life.

Ready to create a workspace that reflects your business? Contact our team to get started.