Balgores Estate Agents, Hornchurch

The brief:

Returning client Balgores came to MPL Interiors with a very definitive brief. It wanted to revamp its brand to become more relevant and upmarket. The starting point was changing its interior accent from silver to gold for a more luxe look, although there was a desire to retain the distinctive Balgores corporate blue. This Hornchurch branch was to become the blueprint for further office refurbishments, with wholesale changes both inside and out.

Our approach:

The MPL design team inherited a working Balgores office, so all efforts could focus on the aesthetic update and specification of new fittings. A plan to replace all of the existing chrome elements, such as lighting fittings and ironmongery, was a large part of this project. The designers were also given license to continue the golden theme into the wider office redecoration.

Going for gold

The branch’s two private offices encapsulate how the golden touch has been applied. When designing the Crittall-style glass partitions, the design team eschewed the usual black bars and custom-ordered a gold powder-coated treatment instead. The warm golden hue of the feature wallpaper echoes this look, and there are smart, black office chairs with gold supports – a shiny version for the staff chairs and matt gold legs for the client chairs. Gold has travelled to the façade as well, with MPL changing the old white fascia text to gold at the Hornchurch site, and at two other Balgores branches.

Honey honey

The warmth of gold has been reflected in the choice of flooring, wall decoration and accessories. Honey tones have been picked up from the metal and incorporated into the choice of LVT (luxury vinyl tiles), while a caramel-coloured carpet features to the rear of the office. There’s also a hammered-metal coffee table and golden smoked glass orb light pendants in the client waiting area, matt gold picture frames and brushed gold light fittings with white opaque shades for a softly diffused ambient light.

Taking shape

Pattern and form has also played its part in this office. As well as the wood-effect, parquet-style LVT being laid in a herringbone pattern, two complementary wooden slat decorative panels were installed, with the batons forming a neat chevron detail. In addition is a feature wall, decorated with a hexagonal-print, textured wallpaper, which upholds the Balgores blue and brings extra tactile richness to the interior.

Additional elements:

MPL specified and supplied all of the office furniture, updated the lighting, power and data supplies, reconfigured the cloakroom area, installed a new kitchen to yield more usable space, created a storage and print area, and installed new blue-framed, cable-strung window display pockets. The team also installed a framed living moss picture, with the plants dyed a matching Balgores blue.