In north-eastern Italy, in the village of San Maurizio d’Opaglio by Lake Orta, Quadrodesign, an Italian specialist in bathroom and kitchen fittings, was finally able to celebrate its 20th anniversary in style. After all, it has just moved into its new offices, which have undergone extensive renovation by architecture studio ‘studio wok’.
Interior as the first renovation phase
Quadrodesign actually celebrated its 20th anniversary last year. In that same year, the company began a series of works to restyle the company’s building, its interiors, its exterior spaces and its walls. Today, the first step of the works, the renovation of the 370 m² office space, has been completed. For this work, the architectural vision of studio wok was solicited. Studio wok knows the company’s philosophy through and through, translating it into a homely and flexible environment where the quality of the work is central.
For the restyling of his company’s headquarters, Enrico Magistro, Art Director and co-owner, together with his sister Elena, identified studio wok as the ideal team of architects: “Thanks to their innate spirit of research, this team of architects would be able to remodel the rooms and transfer the peculiarities of our young and dynamic tapware brand into the interior design. The innovative approach of Quadrodesign is interpreted by studio wok by choosing to combine noble materials with an essential, archetypal, timeless design that seamlessly connects to the company’s production. The use of simple, pure volumes and a palette composed of natural materials and neutral, warm colours is the central design theme.”
Started with renovation of two floors
The work started with the renovation of two floors. On the ground floor, the offices are located behind the entrance, transformed into a visually unified space, breaking up the typical corridor-office organization. A sequence of glass walls and the presence of four birch volumes blur this separation and allow natural light to flood the rooms. These elements, as well as acting as containers, give the rooms hierarchy and allow them to be separated through integrated sliding walls.
Walking along the corridor, one arrives at the dining room and an informal relaxation area up to a transition zone. Here, a birch volume is inserted in the under-stair to manage the separation between the production and management areas and accompanies the visitor to the spaces on the upper floor.
Open space serves as showroom
The first floor is dominated by a large open space that serves as the company’s showroom and the display of products becomes the protagonist. For this, a layout was devised that exhibits all the collections in a flexible manner and can be easily remodelled. Studio wok covered the walls that act as a backdrop with panels with a regular pattern of holes, while in the centre are four birch tables with tops divided into interchangeable panels. On the ceiling, a lighting infrastructure ensures suitable lighting for each set-up.
Next door is the meeting room, characterized by continuous windows on three sides, emphasized by a birch wood panelling which, on the short sides, takes on body and becomes a storage element. Here, a large, sculptural meeting table in black Fenix is placed. Natural light has been managed with a system of blinds with adjustable vertical bands that allow perfect regulation of the lighting throughout the working day.
Project with respect for people
Central to the whole project is respect for the people who work for the company. The entire interior is literally built around them, and the furniture and accessories play a very important, functional role in this. To make sure that everything was just right, a specialized joinery firm, Fioroni, was called in and made everything to measure. The furnishings were sourced from Manerba, Miniforms and Hay, and for the lighting the choice fell on Flos.
