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Breaking tradition: A law firm with a workspace that is anything but conventional

16 May 2023

MC is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest litigation firm, by far. Five times as big as its nearest rival. That might lead anyone to presume five times as lawyer-like — a bit slower maybe, more cumbersome, wall to wall clones and even a tad stuffy? Far from it, and with shades like Resene Bright Spark and Resene Smitten, this design team are proving that colour can liven any workspace.

Brand and design agency, Saturday Creative, defined MC a refreshed brand identity with a non-binary brand, very apt for a young firm attuned to a generation of contemporary thinkers bursting with social awareness, attitude and individuality.

The strategic proposition for the MC brand is ‘credible audacity’, inviting expression not only of MC’s larger than life, radical and wide spectrum of colourful leadership, but also its serious 100+ year credibility, no-compromise integrity and stance on the things that matter. This focus runs through MC’s brand DNA with two distinct colour palettes – ‘credible’ and ‘audacious’ – being fundamental to the brand’s voice and its intonation.

Colour assists the brand in how it dials between different intensities of audacity and credibility to suit any conversation with any audience. Hence visually, there are two palettes comprising an all-inclusive 12-colour system to support the two typefaces, and a voice that stands for what is right, and stands against what is not.  

While online and in conventional media colours are paired in a balanced approach, MC’s new office space allowed the use of both colour palettes to full effect. The greenness of native bush provides the earthy canvas which is balanced by bursts of colour – like the birds in a forest of green – to create a spectrum of sound, mood, opinion and contemporary artistic expression.  

MC saw the need for an inviting hospitality environment as companies across the globe urged staff to return to the office after lockdowns. The brief called on Burning Red Design to work with Saturday’s brand colour palette to deliver a space that would equal any café on Ponsonby Road or Cuba Street, and incorporate a strong emphasis on celebrating contemporary Aotearoa. Burning Red Design sought to create a flexible and vibrant social hub of a cafe, and a staff kitchen, where MC’s 250+ litigators and other staff could come together to relax or re-energise – whether for a quick morning barista made coffee, small staff gatherings or grand social functions. This is the beating heart of a workplace unlike any other law firm.

Within Te Kāuta (the café area) lie multiple zones, from comfortable banquettes boasting sumptuous seating and playful mural art, to café-side leaners perfect for a quick chat over a coffee, to a sleek-yet-functional staff kitchen area. The project represents an integrated in-house hospitality space able to fulfil the diverse needs of MC staff in a multi-purpose, dynamic environment.

Collaboration between Saturday Creative, Burning Red Design and Jasmax saw Te Kāuta and the greater office complex share MC’s bold new visual identity. MC placed a strong emphasis on the space being for their people, and the brief called for a space where staff feel a sense of belonging, as well as visually representing MC's bold and adventurous spirit.

Vibrant artwork depicting native flora and fauna, such as the regal figure of a tūī, adorn the walls of the café space. The murals, commissioned by Saturday and painted by local contemporary artists Charles and Janine Williams, proudly celebrate Aotearoa’s natural environment - from before the arrival of the first waka on our shores up until the present day.

Bright, bold Resene Lumbersider Low Sheen was used for the murals, drawing on MC’s colour palette, to connect the firm to this pristine world and challenge this generation to pass on to our tamariki and mokopuna more of the land, sea, water and air in its pre-human state. The contemporary kaokao design denotes strength and protection as we journey towards the future, thankful for opportunities and connection. Traditional designs, with a modern twist, rich blues and greens depicting millennia-old ancestors of the tūī. Orange and yellow tones evoke excitement, energy, warmth, inquiry, adventure and fun, inviting the viewer to engage and interact playfully with the work.

The mural consists of many bright and vivid shades including Resene Smoke Tree, Resene Smitten, Resene Half Turbo, Resene Roadster, Resene Candy Floss, Resene Vibe, Resene Belladonna, Resene Tulip Tree, Resene Bardot, Resene Bright Spark and Resene Red Berry.

The skirting to the mural wall and exits is painted in Resene Nero, a dark shade that was used to hide wear and tear, as well as frame the colourful space.

The brief explicitly called for living greenery to be used in the space rather than fake plastic plants, despite the additional labour required to include and maintain them. Burning Red Design needed to find a way to incorporate verdant accents of flora into Te Kāuta in a manner which suited both the space's design and the care requirements of the plants.  

Planters were used to create lush islands of living foliage throughout the hospitality space, but finding suitable greenery for the upper circular timber cladding of the barista space proved a challenge. This mindful decision to imbed organic plant life over artificial greenery results in a living, breathing environment that offers MC staff the restorative benefits of working, socialising and resting while immersed in nature.  

To extend on the natural colours and features, the staff kitchen cupboards, the oak timber dowel detailing to joinery elements and the timber slat detailing and veneer linings to banquette seating are all coated in Resene Aquaclear waterborne satin urethane varnish to offer a visually appealing, easy clean surface and help protect against wear and tear.

The open ceiling was painted in Resene Triple Tana, an interesting stony grey and a contrasting colour that doesn’t pull away from the vibrant shades in the café. The upper bulkhead and structural beams were painted in Resene Enamacryl waterborne enamel paint tinted to a deep black, Resene Nero, a shade chosen to blend into the background within the cafe structure.

As with most projects, they do not go without their challenges, and one task here that stemmed from the brief was that the cafe needed to appear busy, buzzing and inviting, even if there was no one present in it. Naturally, colour had a huge part to play in keeping the energy high, even when the space was empty.

Te Kāuta is the most audacious space in the office, and so the audacious colour palette has splashes of vibrant warm and bold tones, contrasting against the calming neutrality of natural materials and greenery, cultivating the ideal environment for a rejuvenating break or meaningful kōrero. 

The efforts put into this project by Burning Red Design and Saturday Creative did not go unnoticed, winning the design team the Resene Total Colour Commercial Interior Office Colour Maestro Award in the Resene Total Colour Awards 2022. The judges said: “This lively, fun and exciting social space is an unexpected colourful treat in a corporate office. Whether experiencing the space individually as a retreat from a traditional workstation or as a social core to share with colleagues, the colour treatment is immediately invigorating and energising. The perfect pick-me-up palette.”

interior designer Burning Red Design www.burningreddesign.co.nz

colour selection Saturday Creative www.saturday.nz

mural artists Charles and Janine Williams www.charlesjaninewilliams.com

images Jono Parker www.jonoparker.com

Anything but cumbersome or ordinary, this law firm’s café and workspace oozes colour and creativity. The wall mural is painted in Resene Alabaster, Resene Nero, Resene Smoke Tree, Resene Smitten, Resene Half Turbo, Resene Roadster, Resene Black, Resene Candy Floss, Resene Vibe, Resene Alert Tan, Resene Belladonna, Resene Tulip Tree, Resene Bardot, Resene Bright Spark and Resene Red Berry. Timber details finished in Resene Aquaclear satin waterborne urethane varnish and skirting painted in Resene Nero.

The bright and vibrant shades of the wall mural pop against the dramatic black, making this bustling café an engaging space. The staff kitchen cupboards are finished in Resene Aquaclear satin waterborne urethane varnish, the ceiling is painted in Resene Triple Tana and skirting and upper bulkhead in Resene Nero.

Vivid mural shades in Resene Bright Spark, Resene Smoke Tree, Resene Nero and Resene Tulip Tree complement the living greenery in the space. The timber slat detailing and veneer linings to the banquette seating are finished in Resene Aquaclear satin waterborne urethane varnish, for a smooth and appealing look.

Comfy seating in bright yellow with red accents reflect the vibrant mural shades of Resene Smoke Tree, Resene Smitten, Resene Half Turbo, Resene Roadster, Resene Candy Floss, Resene Vibe, Resene Alert Tan, Resene Belladonna, Resene Tulip Tree, Resene Bardot, Resene Bright Spark and Resene Red Berry. The timber slat detailing and veneer linings to the banquette seating are finished in Resene Aquaclear satin waterborne urethane varnish.

The welcoming and inviting entrance to the café and workspace includes seating outside that mirrors the energetic shades within. The black shades of Resene Nero frame the space making it feel like a cosy haven despite the bright shades adorning the walls. The ceiling is painted in Resene Triple Tana.

 

Lush greenery helps to bring this space alive and complement the pops of bold furniture colours and the mural painted in Resene Smoke Tree, Resene Smitten, Resene Half Turbo, Resene Roadster, Resene Candy Floss, Resene Vibe, Resene Alert Tan, Resene Belladonna, Resene Tulip Tree, Resene Bardot, Resene Bright Spark and Resene Red Berry. 

Published: 16 May 2023