Astrolabe Wines Headquaters, Blenheim.
Astrolabe decided to relocate from shared offices to a stand alone ex-residential space out in The Vines Village Complex. The house they were to move into needed a healthy dose of attention and an extensive renovation and refit.
We were comissioned to work on the interior design of the whole space which included an open plan office, Managing Directors office, Boardroom, Tasting room, Kitchen and bathroom. The brief was to modernise this character home so that it could accommodate a staff of 8 as well as a working kitchen, tasting area, boardroom and bathroom. This ‘old house’ is situation rurally and backs onto rows of grapes, which provides an excellent backdrop to ‘skyped’ national and international virtual tastings.
The overall look needed to reflect the companies branding as well as be sympathetic to the viticulture that is represents. A trio of 'greens' was chosen to accent against a chalky black (Blackwood Bay) and a bright white (Okarito).
Black and white were the staple with the accent greens linking the companies branding to the overall space. In the office area, only the black and white was used with accent colours high-lighted by interior objects. The walls were painted with a half and half effect, which was to give the room some symmetry. Initially this room lacked this as all the windows were not only different but all had varying heights. The strong black vs. white line took your eye away from the uneven walls and mix-n-match windows and immediately made it a more professional space.
In the main space which houses the boardroom and tasting spaces there needed to be continuity in such a long room (that was once 3 different rooms). This was achieved by painting the ceiling black (Blackwood Bay), one wall white (Okarito) and the other the lightest green hue (Pavillion). Each wall then gained it’s own identity and therefore did not complete with each other but was a stand alone component to the room.
The hallway and the bathroom was wallpapered in a bespoke design that reflected the bases of wine bottles and incorporated the 3 greens that was used throughout the space. Again the ceiling was ‘blacked out’ with the Blackwood Bay colour.
It’s a unique property, which provided the Astrolabe team with a space that can be used to host growers, buyers and guests. It’s multi purpose and need to be professional as well as ‘homely’.
Architect: Chris Nott Architecture and Design
Builder: Guido Bertogg
Painter: Dave Pitman
Images: Alex Fulton and Sophie Jensen
