No Office is a minimalist office space located in Berlin, Germany, designed by LOEHR for of Unicorns&Lions. It does not feel like an office when you enter the new rooms of the Berlin- based digital innovation company of Unicorns&Lions. Their studio, located on an upper floor of the neo-brutalistic LOBE block in Berlin-Wedding, is reminiscent of a loft. For the first time, LOEHR is also responsible for the interior design. The concept is based on color-blocking and surface materiality to code the functional areas – a subtle and emotional subdivision of the otherwise open space.
The unit that is the home of of Unicorns&Lions is shaped as an open “L” when viewed in the floor plan. By the concept, it is divided into five zones: A workspace, the entrance area, lounge, kitchen and dining area. The raw surfaces of the building are contrasted with strong colors and high-quality, natural materials. These color and material fields code the individual functional areas. Intuitively, the design of these areas is based on favorite places and common areas of spacious apartments.
The interior design concept is the result of an intensive and joint dialogue in which the requirements for working methods, experience and habits of of Unicorns&Lions formed the basic criteria for the design. Proposed solutions were systematically tested with models and then transformed into a viable final concept. Interdisciplinary exchange and in-depth involvement of the client in creative and compositional decisions form the basis for a methodology that LOEHR is convincingly using for its CREATIVE SERVICES. Applied in this way, the result is architecture that profoundly reflects the culture and character of the client. When entering the studio – which is possible mainly by elevator – you are standing in a generous entrance zone. This area also works as a junction and a storage space. Opposite the entrance door a floor-to-ceiling bespoke shelf with sliding doors that are made from birch plywood offers space for various utensils.
To the left, the workspace extends to the north. It is furnished with two chain-linked ENO tables that form a large-format workbench. Up to ten people work here – room-high windows provide a direct view to the neighborhood across the street. ENO’s recessed underframe offers maximum legroom, while the integrated cable management provides convenient access to power supply and data lines. For seating, LOEHR designers chose the light-looking Physix office chair from Vitra. The entrance zone can be separated with two pastel yellow curtains to create a buffer zone. In addition the textile also improves acoustics. To the south, a space spanning two axes opens up. First, there is a low seating landscape made of the Rope modular sofa from Danish manufacturer Normann Copenhagen. It is a customized version dressed in Kvadrat’s moss-green Vidar fabric, which is also used in LOEHR’s own upholstered furniture EUCLIDES and PLATO.
The next colour block is just a few steps away: the kitchen is made of a terracotta-coloured functional unit which is installed below the massive concrete counter pre-installed by the architects. LOEHR designed bespoke metal shelving, custom-fit cabinets and metal handles, all tinted in the same earthen tone. The dining area in front of the kitchen is furnished with a long oak table by manufacturer e15. The seating, also in oiled oak finish, consists of two FABER benches by LOEHR as well as two chairs by Hans. J. Wegner. This area has the atmosphere of a casual eat-in kitchen. No wonder the people working at of Unicorns&Lions feel very much at home here.
