Wise - Hidden Oasis Seating
The Initial Brief
Fintech company Wise has recently opened the doors to its new headquarters in central London. The space celebrates the company’s journey through vibrant colour, thoughtfully balanced with natural textures that bring a sense of calm and wellbeing throughout the interior.
The Design
On the ground floor, a U-shaped banquette seating area is tucked neatly into the corner, creating a welcoming yet private retreat.
Spanning an impressive 8.7m wide and 6.6m long, this bespoke joinery was designed by the architect with Wise’s employees firmly in mind. Beyond the seating itself, the existing base-build windows and a dividing wall also required careful consideration, ensuring that all vertical joints aligned seamlessly across all three elements.
This, as Project Manager Danny puts it, “arty, bold architectural expression,” features birch plywood veneer with natural wood lipping, finished with a 10% water-based lacquer. The veneer is paired with Fenix Ingo and Merino laminates, and completed with Vescom upholstery for added comfort and durability.
The Finer Details
In line with the client’s brief, integrated plant liners were incorporated within the seating structure. This was achieved while adhering to height restrictions and maintaining the strength of the framework, supported by heavy-duty sub-framing designed to withstand everyday use.
One of the more complex aspects of the project was ensuring the decor wall panelling worked harmoniously with the surrounding windows and doors, creating a cohesive and polished visual outcome. To support this process, our draughtsman produced 3D rendered drawings alongside traditional 2D technical drawings. These visualisations helped break the joinery down component by component, enhancing clarity throughout the product development lifecycle.
Watch the video below to discover the process of the build.
Now complete, this hidden oasis seating sits proudly within Wise’s hub, adding a serene and restorative feel to the space and encouraging employees to pause, relax and unwind.
We thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with Overbury and HLW on this project and are delighted with the final result.
Click here to read the full case study.