When Nuxe Laboratories, a pioneering French brand in natural cosmetics, entrusted us with the design of their new Milan headquarters, their main requirement was to have work and representative spaces that would convey the company's values and philosophy.
For the concept of the project and the choice of furnishings and finishes we were inspired by the values of their brand, to recreate in the space that special feeling of energy, regeneration and well-being that comes from contact with nature and its elements.
In order to achieve this objective, we created a space, mainly open plan, with integrated work areas that revolve around the central reception and welcome area. This area includes a showroom dedicated to displaying Nuxe Laboratories beauty products, which add a touch of sensoriality to the users' brand experience.
To enhance the centrality of this space, we have chosen quality finishes and elegant furnishings that give the space a very homely and welcoming look: wood-effect flooring, comfortable upholstered chairs that create an intimate atmosphere, a rounded reception desk and custom-made joinery made by local artisans.
One of the most striking features is the full-height custom-made display case with a light wood and iron structure to which rounded mirrors have been integrated to recreate the effect of a beauty salon.
Biophilia is used throughout the space. A variety of potted green plants and flower boxes are integrated with full-height laminated panelling separating the various operating units from each other. This configuration creates a sort of subtle screen between the lounge and functional spaces while maintaining a certain dynamism and spatial continuity that encourages collaboration and interaction. In addition to having benefits on people's comfort and air quality, the presence of greenery creates a pleasant aesthetic effect that infuses a feeling of freshness and lightness throughout the environment.
Exposing a large part of the environment to natural light from the large windows, which mainly face the entrance area, also helps to give the office a brighter appearance.
The operational work areas are supported by wall niches for quick meetings, integrated with filing cabinets, meeting booths for activities requiring privacy and concentration, meeting rooms of various sizes and a multi-purpose break area with kitchenette.
This relaxation area has the same wood-effect finish as the welcome area and overlooks an informal flexible area used by employees for lunch breaks and as a work lounge for business conversations over coffee or convivial moments.
The choice of colours is the result of a chromatic study that proposes a palette in shades of grey, wood, green, light blue, red and burgundy, whose nuances recall the colours of the earth, plants, water and floral essences.
In the meeting rooms, representative offices and circulation routes, the warm, sober tones of the light grey carpet prevail, which becomes bright green in the open spaces to recall the company colours and the company's natural philosophy. While light blue stands out in the finishes of the lounge furniture and in the paintwork on the walls of the meeting rooms, green is often used in the details of the fixtures and operational furnishings, such as the frames of the glass walls, the operational tables or the suspended lighting fixtures. The reds can be found in the fabric of some of the designer furniture, in the soundproofing panels between the desks and in the framed prints and graphics hanging on the walls, which add a pleasant accent of colour to the entire space.
Photo credit: ©Davide Galli
