Thanks to the recent successes of architecture and interior design extraordinaires PENSON, Regina Phalange has found a new home! Bought for £50 from eBay the recycled blue mannequin has a new purpose in life – to keep a watchful eye on all goings on in the brand new PENSON office.
PENSON recently relocated their team to a space in the heart of SE1 just a stone’s throw away from London’s landmark Tower Bridge. They wanted to make their new home their own and have done just that, following the age-old adage, “if you want it done right, do it yourself.”
Outside there’s plenty of space specifically for bike parking, which comes in handy considering CEO Lee rides 22 miles to and from work each day. There’s even a designated spot for one of their designers to park his 1964 Vespa.
Stepping inside, the entirely white office come lounge is sleek, modern and calming. PENSON ensure their vibrant personality shines through with their eclectic collection of furniture and trinkets, starting at the entrance area where visitors are met by a giant moose head and an ever-increasing trophy shelf displaying some of the company’s many international awards.
The main office is spacious and immaculately organized, with all members of the architecture and design teams sitting together in order to allow constant communication at every stage of the project process. Away from the tranquil desk area is a place for guests and employees alike to feel relaxed and entertained, with a huge relaxation area and a Deadgood table topped with a selection of fun gadgets, not to mention a regularly restocked sweetie jar and one of your five a day.
It’s no surprise that one of the team’s favourite features of the office is the thumping sound system, made up of Sonos wireless speakers with a communal control app on all of the employee’s computers, meaning there’s no need to scrap over whose turn it is to choose the music. This office is a shrewd party lounge – come – collaboration machine that drives fun and hard creative outputs.
For some privacy away from the open plan offices there’s the glass conference rooms with sizeable white tables, brightened up and softened by pink carpets and mismatched chairs. The completely transparent walls make it easy to still feel like you’re a part of the main room, eliminating any sense of exclusion or segregation.
PENSON have utilized the space they’ve been given, creating clear boundaries in the one room with the help of statement pieces of furniture and cleverly placed rugs. They’ve designed an incredibly highbrow working space on a shrewd budget and have managed to make an entirely white room the exact opposite of boring.
But even more than all of that, they’ve provided a master class in how to really personalize a space without being overbearing. It’s all about the subtle touches: the porcelain chicken egg pots for pens, the vintage record players recycled into clocks and Lee’s custom David Gilmour Fender guitar placed near its vintage matchless amp.
PENSON’s new home looks like it’s going to be a great fit for them. Lee Penson has always said that a spacious and relaxing environment encourages better work and, looking at the growing list of projects on the way from PENSON, it seems he’s still proving his point on a global level. Just remember, Regina is always watching.
