Habito
Office fit out for start-up looking to reinvent through tech
Aldgate East, E1
15,927 sq ft
Encourage collaboration and communication
Support variety of workplace settings
Drive creativity
Office design to support fast paced growth
Tech start up Habito got in touch with Trifle* as they were acquiring additional workspace to meet their fast paced growth.
Such was the rate of growth that during the course of the project, they continued to hire booth increasing the size of the project and the space required. It meant that we needed to be responsive to their needs and react quickly to a changing brief.
The existing office was characterful with an almost residential feel and whilst they wanted to retain some of that warmth, they had invested in new branding which needed to be incorporated. Our goal was to design the space with the revised branding, retaining personality whilst making a modern, agile and fresh space for them.
We planned the space so every inch could have a function, with a huge open plan cafe / social space that could be the heart of the company. Lounge areas were added for more relaxed, informal meetings and new work benches were included along with a collaborative hub. We unified the workstations and desking to bring cohesion and added in extra vital meeting rooms throughout.
Key to the workspace strategy was having the ability to easily adapt and flex the space with the changing needs of the business.
Working with building team at Copper Projects, we delivered a workspace to take Habito into the future.
Early illustration of simple-to-achieve wall treatments for collaboration in the office space
Interior design for a tech start up
Habito was a relatively new company with huge ambition. Their goal was to completely reinvent the mortgage market and ‘to rebuild the mortgage industry around the customer’.
Their drive, ambition and values centre around empathy, bravery, building better and being responsible, which became key pillars in the design scheme we created for them. However we also needed to be mindful of their budget. They were growing quickly but they didn’t want to lose their start-up drive and so the design was purposely simple but characterful.
The chosen design scheme was unpolished, guerilla-like but with ‘home-like’ moments.
We were conscious to make pragmatic decisions. The space they were moving into had an raised access floor which would usually be covered with carpet tiles or vinyl but we decided to leave these exposed as they were in good condition. We focused on using affordable materials like ply to great effect in bespoke joinery solutions.
The furniture used was a mix of existing and new and we were conscious to reuse as much as possible both to reduce waste and to be conscious of budget.
A flexible and agile workspace for hard work, collaboration and socialising
It was important to Habito to have a variety of flexible working spaces and an area where the whole company could come together to meet, gather and work informally. These spaces were weaved throughout the space planning and design strategy.
The company eat lunch together every day, prepared by an external catering company, so facilitating this was really important. This daily moment allowed for both socialising and down time in the midst of a busy day for the teams.
This sense of community runs strong in the company and so it was intrinsic to the flow and design of the space to create the perfect gathering space.
Throughout this project we had to be extremely savvy with the budget, as with any start-up. We utilised decking to create the bench seating in the cafe space which was then filled with cushions for extra comfort. We were able to achieve a quality finish in all areas of the new office and a great home for this thriving tech company.
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