Fairfield Estate Agents, Watford

The brief:

With a shiny new brand already in place at its other offices, repeat client Fairfield Estate Agents asked MPL Interiors’ shop fitters to design, specify and install a contemporary look at its Watford branch. As well as revamping the interior design, the agency wanted to reconfigure the private space behind the office’s partition wall and tweak the exterior.

Our approach:

When we are asked to create a new space layout and install new lighting features, the planning stage becomes the most crucial. A site survey allowed the MPL team to evaluate the current set-up and take measurements in preparation for a set of highly-detailed technical drawings.

Once on site, we started by stripping out the existing contents to prepare for a full refurbishment, removing Fairfield’s old branding and furniture ready for the revamp.

Light it up

A number of new lighting features were requested by the client and the planning stage allowed us to channel away all the wiring needed during the first fix for a sleek, seamless finish. New light features include a number of wall-mounted, stretch-canvas light boxes, halo-lit wall logos, drop pendant lights, LED lit cable-hung display pockets, desk modesty panel lights, overhead task lighting, external signage lighting and new feature ceiling lights.

The latter were facilitated by the installation of a new drop bulkhead ceiling. This allowed us to run two sets of ambient LED lights – one set on the very perimeter of the ceiling and another in the middle recess.

Amplifying colour branding

Fairfield Estate Agents has a very strong brand and our refit allowed us to customise the space with maximum impact. The main partition wall was painted a colour-matched blue, and is offset with the brand’s signature red and white in the form of a wall-mounted, halo-lit logo. These colours were also reflected in the front-of-house, with fun primary-coloured furniture and a blue carpet creating a customer zone, as well as on the desk modesty panel customisations.

Tactile walls

The client was keen to add a residential feel to the office and we did this with a number of different wall treatments. Wallpaper was applied to the front-of-house area and exposed brickwork panels to the rear – with both areas featuring panelling on the bottom half of the walls. We also brought over timber slat detailing from MPL’s other Fairfield office refurbishment, cladding the doors of a storage cupboard to add another layer of interest.

Space invaders

The Fairfield team came to MPL unhappy with the arrangement of their back office space, so our new layout allowed for an overhaul. As well as bringing the main partition wall forwards a little, we reorganised the kitchen and WC placement, created additional storage, installed a new rear door and provided a new comms unit.

Additional elements

MPL built new storage cupboards, installed air conditioning and designed a new shop front, which included the repositioning of the front door.

If you would like to discuss a new retail design or workplace layout with the MPL team, please get in touch.