Operating from its base in County Durham, Danesmoor Group is a fifth generation, dynamic, independent group of businesses specialising in the supply of products and services to the KBB industry – Kitchen, Bedroom and Bathroom sectors. Having established its position as a market-leading supplier of worksurfaces and furnishings, the company required a space that reflected its expertise and prioritised employee wellbeing and experience. Working alongside its contractors, Danesmoor Group appointed Interface to refurbish its office space into an energising, inspiring space for all employees.
Danesmoor Group needed to ensure the office truly represented its brand and identity as the space would be used to welcome clients and contractors. Being a supplier of luxury kitchens and bedroom furniture, it was essential for Danesmoor Group that its base was equally as impressive as the products it sells.
As a family-run business with a close-knit team, Danesmoor Group wanted its new office to inspire and support its employees, as well as reflect its brand and ongoing commitment to sustainability.
Flooring would play a crucial role in the design of the new office space, and it was key that specified products complimented the wider design scheme, which featured Danesmoor Group’s brand colours of dark blue and black throughout the space.
Practical, yet personalised, design
For Danesmoor Group, a key part of strengthening brand identity throughout the space was providing a more luxurious look and feel that would also stand the test of time. The space needed durable and hardwearing products that remained sleek, professional, and aligned with brand colours. To achieve this, the grey shades of Ebony, Haze and Shell were selected from Interface’s Works Effect collection for a border around the main workfloor to create interest from the subtle design of the Works Element tiles used across the space. The textured design of these tiles makes them an ideal option for areas of high footfall as they can hide wear and tear and therefore stand the test of time without the need for regular replacement.
Pastel shades of Interface’s Works Effect range in Mint, Adrift, Cactus and Canyon were specified for the directors’ offices which are situated around main workfloor, help introducing colour into the main workfloor to create a more inspiring and brighter space. Beyond visual appeal, the coloured tiles support wayfinding too, separating these private offices from the rest of the workspace.
Focusing on employee experience
Danesmoor Group wanted to provide distinction between the central workspace and breakout areas to highlight the provision of separate areas that could support the working preferences of employees. It was also key to highlight the recreational areas throughout the office space and make use of zoning to ensure employees could distinguish between such areas.
For the main walkways and meeting rooms, LVT tiles from Level Set collection were selected in ‘Natural Woodgrains’ to introduce biophilic elements into the space, as well offering durability and slip resistance in these high traffic areas, thanks to the Ceramor+ coating. The lighter tone of the tiles complements the dividing screens placed throughout the space, and also matched much of the existing office furniture to avoid the need for unnecessary replacement and waste.
Breakout areas feature a unique herringbone design using the Brushed Lines LVT collection in four shades of blue, Deep Cobalt, Teal Oxide, Celadon and Arbella, to introduce interest to the space and create separation from the workfloors and walkways, while meeting performance expectations for another high traffic space.
To prioritise comfort and provide a space where its employees could work in a way that suits them, acoustics was a key consideration for this project. Interface’s LVT also comes with SoundChoice™ backing as standard, which significantly reduces impact sound across the working environment. The sound absorption features of the LVT are perfect for areas of focus and support the varying cognitive and sensory needs of individuals, as some employees work best in low stimulation environments.
Commenting on the design scheme, Donna Dent, concept designer at Interface said: “Danesmoor Group were keen to put its employees at the heart of this space and wanted to avoid a corporate, dull design scheme. The wooden and blue tones of the LVT tiles were selected to introduce warmth and character to the breakout spaces, making a clear separation between spaces for focus work, collaboration and socialising, while the Works Effect collection lowers the carbon footprint of the space through the CQuest™Bio backing and its unique textured design hides wear and tear, ensuring the product can stand the test of time.”
Prioritising sustainability
Danesmoor Group’s new office space needed to reflect its sustainability initiatives, which is why the team chose to work with Interface – a global leader in sustainable manufacturing. To help achieve its vision, Interface opted for the Work Effects and Works Elements collections for the Danesmoor Group’s HQ, both of which contain over 60% recycled and biobased content. The LVT Level Set and Brushed Lines collections chosen for use also contain 39% recycled content.
Reflecting on the finished space, Graeme Smith, Head of Retail and Commercial Design at Danesmoor Group commented: “We wanted to ensure that our most important stakeholders, our employees, would fully benefit from time spent in the office and ultimately, provide them with a welcoming working environment. Interface’s design and sustainability expertise played a key role in enhancing the design scheme for the space, and it’s reassuring to know that the flooring is directly contributing to our internal sustainability goals.”
“By creating a space that is true to our brand and identity, and benefits our office-based employees, we’re confident that our new office acts a strong reflection of Danesmoor Group as a market leader in the KBB sector.”
Project Details
Project Name: Danesmore Group
Photographer: Dave Charnley