Modern Simplicity: TOG’s Latest Workspace in Borough Yards by Studio David Thulstrup.

Studio David Thulstrup has designed the new interiors for The Office Group, a flexible office space set within London’s Borough Yards. Spanning two buildings—a former warehouse beside the railway line, and a newly developed teardrop-shaped building designed as a natural extension of the older structure, the development weaves together old and new to create an extraordinary 4,700sqm workspace.

Intending for the interior of the building to be a contemporary translation of the area outside it, Thulstrup took his initial cues from the brick arches of the railway and the green metal and glass roof of Borough market next door. The brown of the brick and the green of the glass were the starting points for the colour and material palette, translating the historic industrial aesthetic into a thoroughly modern proposition.

This is apparent from the moment of entry, when visitors are met with a double-height space containing a vast metal reception desk, and high-gloss green walls that resonate with the green from the market, emerging from the concrete floor. Zigzagging to the upper floors, the staircase sits translucent and luminous against the back wall.

“I really enjoy when I get to connect myself to somewhere that has a sense of place,” Thulstrup elaborates, “and has [a] history that I can tap into, and then extract those essences into the project.”

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In the workspaces themselves, the aesthetic softens, balancing brushed metal surfaces with tactile fabrics, abundant wooden accents, natural earth tones and relaxing, feelgood textures. Much of the lighting and furniture have been created bespoke for TOG at Borough Yards, including chairs, sofas and lamps designed by Thulstrup himself and soft furnishings featuring Raf Simmons for Kvadrat textiles.

Colours range from ambers to browns, light blues to blacks, and include different kinds of woods, creating warmth and nuance. Palettes shift subtly from space to space, from the inviting natural tones and bolder, more playful nuances of the coworking areas, to more purposeful black and light grey in some of the meeting rooms.

On the building’s façade, a neon lighting artwork cycles through the types of people one might have encountered in this neighbourhood in bygone years—from blacksmith and tailor to cutpurse and vagrant.

TOG’s goal for the space was to create an atmosphere of modern simplicity, a space that respected the rich materiality of the area while cultivating its own unique Identity. The overall effect is timeless, inviting and anchored in the location, seamlessly linking the historic and the modern.

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[Images courtesy of Studio David Thulstrup. Photography by Ben Anders.]