Having worked on a number of industrial buildings for Medequip Assistive Technology Ltd, we were tasked with an interior design brief to refurbish the staff canteen as part of remodelling of their Coventry depot. The canteen needed to be highly functional, as you would expect, while also creating a pleasant space for colleagues that added to the positive experience of working at the company. All without adding excessive cost!
We first started with switching up the colours. Choosing a more exciting and considered colour scheme from the same manufacturer ranges for flooring and wall colours, instantly elevated the scheme for little cost difference. Using the principles of biophilia, we specified a muted green pallet with natural tones, which added warmth, and teamed this with natural oak and slate finishes. Not only does this invoke a calm and relaxing ambience, but it’s also a timeless colour scheme rather than a trend-led pallet so has real longevity.
Naturally, there were challenges along the way. Sections of the walls were damaged on strip out, so we created a solution to finish the walls in a different way and due to a re-prioritisation of budgets, the real timber finishes had to be swapped for wood effect materials on some furniture items. However, we were able to source very convincing alternatives that are hard to distinguish from the real thing and do not compromise the scheme in any way.
The refurbishment was delivered on budget with minimal disruption. The objective of creating an appealing and relaxing space was realised and the client was very happy with the outcome.
Accreditations: BA (Hons) Architectural Venue Design & Digital Innovation
Skills: Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Autodesk CAD, Computer Generated Images (CGI), Enscape, Project Management, SketchUp, V-Ray
About Sophie
Sophie is an interiors specialist who brings a range of complementary skills to Farrar Bamforth that both enhance the work we already do and create exciting new opportunities that build on our architectural work. Sophie has wide experience across hospitality, retail, and corporate sectors and believes her greatest strength is understanding end users and designing around their various needs. Specific areas of interest include colour theory and biophilia in terms of the impact they can make in the built environment.
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In Sophie’s opinion, the best thing you can top toast with is cheese and there are strict rules of engagement: the ratio of toast to cheese must be 50:50, the cheese must be strong, and it should be melted to bubble point.
In her spare time, Sophie enjoys a country walk with the dog and the dog always insists on stopping off at a pub or two along the way. She also loves a creative project, seeing something through from design to realisation, ranging from creating wedding stationery to building garden furniture.
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About Eddie
Eddie loves the technical side of architecture, solving problems and getting into the detail. Eddie joined us in 2024 having been in the industry for 2 ½ years prior to that, working predominantly on large scale industrial and retail projects. He has experience implementing BIM protocols on multi-disciplinary projects.
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In his spare time, Eddie plays basketball for a local league team and is in a perpetual cycle of house renovations (or at least it seems like it!). His toast topping of choice is simply butter.
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Accreditations: BSc (Hons) Architectural Technology, ICIOB – Incorporated Chartered Institute of Building, CIAT affiliate
Skills: Autodesk CAD, project management, specification writing, contract administration, principal designer, knowledge of building regulations, energy performance of buildings, designing for neurodiversity.
About Tony
Tony is the Big Dog of Farrar Bamforth Architecture. Starting his career here in 1999, he acquired the business and became Managing Director in 2018. Tony loves process driven buildings; creating buildings that can make a positive impact on business performance and people’s lives. Tony takes an intuitive approach to architecture and can often be found in buildings waving his hands around to indicate where rooms should go. He’s also a ‘fixer’; solving problems and dealing with the difficult issues others would rather delegate. Think ‘Mr Wolf’ in Pulp Fiction but with building regulations rather than dead bodies.
In his many years with the company, his favourite project so far has been Berendsen Laundry in Durham. A £5million build and £5million fit-out, Tony was involved from start to finish and enjoyed the perfect combination of interesting job, great client, and good team of contractors and consultants.
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Tony’s favourite toast topping is two rashers of bacon, brown sauce, and another slice of toast. That’s a sandwich Tony (there’s always one 🙄). When not standing in buildings waving his arms around, he can often be found at heavy metal or Adam Ant concerts, supporting Wakefield Trinity, playing touch rugby, or watching bad car chase movies. Though not, apparently, the Fast and the Furious (too bad).
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As interior designers, our primary job, before any aesthetic considerations, is to ensure that the space works well for its intended purpose and space planning is at the heart of that. Our expertise lies in making the scheme flow well; ensuring that furniture and infrastructure is positioned in an ergonomically smart way so that people can move around the space comfortably and efficiently. Not only will this ultimately ensure that the finished space works well, but it’s also an early process that informs feasibility studies and allows unnecessary investment to be avoided.
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Artistic visuals help to show the concepts in a meaningful way. They are a visual representation of the proposed scheme and could be digital or hand drawn. Among other things, they allow you to see design ideas in context, help with scale, and see the relationship between different furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E).Not only do artistic visuals allow you to envision the ideas, but they are also an opportunity to explore options and make changes before any significant investment in design work, saving fees and time.
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Furniture, fixtures and equipment, or FF&E, is as it sounds: sourcing the furnishings for the scheme. This can encompass loose furniture and equipment, designing bespoke fixed furniture, designing wall and mid floor features, and joinery for the space. We work with a range of suppliers and manufacturers to keep up to date with current products, materials, trends, pricing, and availability.
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Where the design concept is the creative, the drawing package is the substance. The drawing package consists of a series of construction level detail and specification that ensures that the delivered scheme is the design you signed off made real with no nasty surprises. This is a collaborative process involving all stakeholders.
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Furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) schedules basically dot the ‘i’s and cross the ‘t’s of the FF&E specifications. The process ensures that the items have the right finishes, are ordered in the right quantities, and are directed to the right locations. They also control the budget and ensure that manufacturers and suppliers provide accurate quotes.
×Being asked to do a project like this is a great example of proving ourselves on other projects, such as Medequip’s Bedford Depot, and being trusted to deliver on other more specialised schemes. While technically falling under the category of an industrial building, the principles of this kind of space relate to any workplace environment, as we’ve demonstrated with our own office refurbishment. To discuss your interior design project, contact Sophie Clarkson at sophie@farrarbamforth.co.uk or call 01484 424008 where any member of the team will be pleased to help you.
