We started our Delhi operations in Nov 2015, though finding the place was a little difficult but we managed to find a nice quiet basement, armed with functional furniture and an internet connection, we got started. Though we liked our cozy new office, we soon realised that it had terrible cellular and internet network and after months of trying to get it fixed, trying different options we decided to move out, since then checking for signal strength and internet connectivity at a place has topped our list of checklist :).
As almost all of our Design team operates from Delhi, it was natural for it to be inspired from good design studios and design in general. Our major source of inspiration was our neighbourhood coffee shop Blue Tokai, often taking breaks at the coffee shop we liked their space very much for its functionality and offbeat design / interiors.
After couple of discussions, we had a broad idea of things and vibe we wanted in our new place. These discussions allowed for a good checklist of things, things like natural light or an open area were important to us. With a comprehensive list came the tedious task of hunting for a place, it took us almost 2 months to find a place that offered what we wanted and was in our budget and we locked it down immediately. We started office setup project with a 3D Model of the office and figuring what goes where?
Once we had a clear picture of how we wanted our office to look like, we went on a hunting spree for lights. Lighting up a place makes a huge difference in creating a soothing ambience. So, we went on to explore an array of options for lights in light markets around Delhi, and finally picked up a variety from Khan market - tracking lights, ceiling surface lights, a suspended light, table and floor lamps, and some really cool hanging lamps. Staying true to our inspiration we chose a colour combination of White, Cool Grey, Earthy Brown and a hint of Black for the interiors. So we decided to have all our lights have a black body.
We spent some time in researching about the furniture we wanted for our office space and we realised that getting the right type of furniture is quite a tedious task. We wanted the furniture to look contemporary, with all comfortable features and which also suited our office space and interiors so we had to be clear about certain questions like - “How much amount of money were we going to allocate for the furniture?” “What type of chair or desks will we be needing for the office?” We finally settled on having custom made furnitures from Kirti Nagar in Delhi. Two long, white tables were added to the main office area and for the cafeteria separate set of wooden table and chairs was set up. For a more comfortable working experience we’ve included two bean bags as well. Any office space cannot be complete without having a little space for spending quality time reading books. We have a set up our own little library in the office with a stylish book shelf where we can take some time out of the busy schedule and just relax for a while.
Talking about comfort, it is also important to have proper air conditioning especially in a comparatively hotter place like Delhi. Our office has a split air conditioning system since we have three different work areas. One is the main workspace and the other two are conference rooms.
It is sometimes likely to happen that some of your ideas won’t get the chance to be executed. For us as well, there were a few ideas that did not take shape because of various reasons like keeping a cost limit, time constraints, availability in the city, etc. But we were quite happy with the way everything had turned out.
Cafeteria
We did not want to separate our workspace and cafeteria by creating walls all around. Instead, the two different kinds of flooring does the job for us, by creating a visual difference. The cafeteria has wooden flooring which makes it look like a completely different section from the workspace which has carpet tiles flooring.
Most of the time we are seen lying on the oh so comfortable carpet (thanks to Money Bhaiya who keeps it clean all the time).
When we meet at lunch break or anytime during the day, it is a matter of a lot of fun! We catch up about everything apart from work. It is a place where we laugh, talk and connect with each other. We definitely don’t miss out on the chance to pull Manoj’s leg. Aren’t these little moments of joy we share with each other that make office less boring and more homely?
The Reading area
Having a cozy, isolated space for a person who loves to read or for the one who just wants to spend some alone time is what the reading area is all about. It surely helps us get our energy and motivation back.
We are a team of motivated people who like to compare work to an adventurous journey where we daily explore so many things and learn something everyday. Sometimes, we have a lot of work pressure, and the reading area gives us a respite from the restlessness of the day. It acts as a zen space for us to calm our minds down. No one would deny the fact that such breaks are really important to meet deadlines.
The reading area gives us the opportunity to think and grow with a peaceful mind and come up with effective solutions because sticking to the laptops the entire day, does not help to find the solution always..
And don’t forget the comfort of the bean bags!
Plants all around
‘GO GREEN’ because that’s the need of the hour and we unfailingly follow that.
From the workstations to the balcony, there are plants kept in beautiful white pots. They not only add the green to our palette, but also make our space fresh and clean.
Designers’ cabin
This is ideally the brainstorming room where we discuss and create products and services with prolonged discussions and iterations. We’ve enhanced the look of this area by placing colour co-ordinated chairs and a round table. To make it more designer-like and artsy there stands an easel with a white board and a black board as we love using chalks!
Balcony
When we feel like taking a glimpse of nature we go outside in the balcony where we have put up hanging plants and four chairs. We can sit and relax while we take a good sip of coffee with the nature.
We do have our fun benefits of working here such as:
Our all time stocked up fridge makes every hour enjoyable, and Happy hour is not the only hour we enjoy.
When we are too lazy to travel back home after work or just want to take our mind off the work, we like to let our fellow mates showcase their talent and entertain us with some good music. Jaideep and Zango sir lighten up the mood in the office by playing some beautiful music on flute (which Jaideep carries everyday in his bag) and guitar.
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What we sincerely believe in, is the fact that the mood of a workspace certainly plays an important role in defining the efficiency, productivity and creativity of a person working there. The words ‘fun’ and ‘work’ don’t have to be antonymous because we can always have fun while we work. And we do have a lot of fun here!
We have been extremely focused while getting this studio built from scratch. It is quite a challenge because you have to keep in mind all the possible setbacks that may arise while setting up a place. But sometimes it is necessary to decide what’s best for us and hence, we also had to reject a few ideas.
P.S. - We certainly have missed out a few things here and there (like we sometimes laugh about how a fully equipped office does not have a power outlet in the conference room). We plan to complete the final look and feel, by the end of the third quarter this year.
However, we have very well managed to put up a workspace that we already love.
From the lights to the furniture, from the reading space to the cafeteria; everything looks perfect. And we’re sure you can’t wait for the pictures of our new office to come.
Kudos to the team!