Gold Interior Space and Exhibition Design · 2022
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Office Space
by Teodora Panayotova and Max Baklayan
- A' Design Award 2022 Gold Winner in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Awarded April 15, 2022
- CLIENT: Tavex
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 35,275
- Verification code B3B7127BCF · Verify this award
About Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Office Space
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is an office interior located in Sofia, Bulgaria. The space covers 490 square meters on two levels and holds twelve rooms, including one conference room, three meeting rooms and eight offices, plus a training zone and a large common area. A six-meter island bar and kitchen, polished concrete, OSB panels, metal rails and Persian rugs create an industrial minimalist style. Custom rail lights divide the work areas without closing them. In the evening, neon and low-hanging lights turn the office into an event venue.
Teodora Panayotova and Max Baklayan's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Office Space exemplifies a significant trajectory within contemporary workplace design that seeks to dissolve traditional boundaries between professional and domestic spheres, creating environments that nurture both productivity and wellbeing through sophisticated spatial choreography and material curation. The design engages thoughtfully with the adaptive reuse movement, embracing the raw concrete structure and mechanical infrastructure as expressive elements rather than concealing them behind conventional finish systems, thereby honoring the building's industrial heritage while inscribing new programmatic narratives onto its surfaces. The chromatic strategy demonstrates particular accomplishment in its orchestration of the cobalt blue ductwork as a unifying visual thread that traverses the ceiling plane, establishing a memorable identity element that transforms purely functional mechanical distribution into an architectural gesture of considerable presence. The designers appear to draw upon both mid-century modernist traditions of structural expressionism and contemporary hospitality design sensibilities, creating a hybrid vocabulary that supports formal workplace activities while fostering the informal exchanges increasingly valued in creative professional cultures. Material selections reveal sensitivity to tactile experience and visual warmth, with the cognac leather, velvet upholstery, and traditional carpet patterns providing counterbalance to the industrial envelope, suggesting an understanding that successful workplaces must address emotional as well as functional needs. The biophilic integration through carefully positioned tropical specimens demonstrates awareness of research connecting natural elements to occupant wellbeing and cognitive performance. Glass partitions maintain visual connectivity essential to collaborative culture while acoustic separation preserves focus when required, reflecting nuanced understanding of contemporary work patterns. How might we consider the ways such environments shape not only how we work, but how we conceive of the relationship between labor and life?
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Tavex is a unique place to work at, as is their new HQ; the guiding principle is: "Work and Play – but never mix the two." Walk through the door, and you are greeted by a 6-meter island bar/kitchen dressed in black marble, tall ceilings, Persian rugs, and evergreen plants. To your right, two mirroring meeting rooms with towering glass walls. Two balcony floors accommodate offices, meeting rooms, and training facilities. Glass walls and custom lights create all the rift necessary.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The size of the office is 490 square meters, split into two levels. The top one consists of two balconies. There are 12 rooms, all fitted with quality furniture and made-to-order custom rail lights. The 12 rooms consist of – 1 large conference room with a 12-person custom walnut table and state-of-the-art multimedia, three fully-equipped meeting rooms, and eight offices. Additionally, there is a training zone and a large common area with a custom kitchen, giant bar, and a relaxation zone.
- Tags
- Work, Play, Inspire, Create, Office, Industrial, Minimalism, Interior, Unique, Bulgaria
- Production Technology
- An intelligent, inclusive space, encouraging collaboration and cohabitation. Details like the custom work-time lights create an invisible rift between the workspaces. You can isolate yet still be a part of the environment. Industrial minimalist design, polished concrete, marble imitation, OSB panels, metal rails, and Persian rugs create a break from the routine. Come 7 p.m, neon lights, low-hanging bulbs, and the LED lights across the library take you straight into an exclusive event venue.
- Design Challenge
- Tavex's previous corporate office had won two "Interior of the Year" awards. The task was to top that achievement and reflect on its growth and represent its current identity - inclusive, creative, welcoming to all people, encouraging collaboration and creativity. Industrial minimalism was a no-brainer. It inspires corporate confidence yet breaks the status quo. Subtle details and decorations that change the overall feel with the flick of a switch provide a touch of warmth.
- Project Duration
- The project started in February 2020 and finished in July 2020.The office space is located in Sofia, Bulgaria.
- Operation Flow
- The office combines two functionalities without conflict or friction between them. The "Work" side conveys trust, stability, and credibility to the business partners and simultaneously softens the routine for the employees. The "Play" side is "concealed" in plain sight, among the corporate and industrial environment until the night falls. A place that allows the employees to bond "outside" of work and enjoy some quality time after a hard day at the office.
- Research
- The ‘Design thinking’ method was utilized to solve the main problem: How do we accommodate all the employees, provide them with their necessities, maintain the overall airy feel of the space, and give it a split personality? Through communication with the people whose future work-home we were building, learning their needs and daily routine at the office, a clear plan emerged. An interior that broke all the boundaries and encouraged a free flow of ideas was born.
- Inspiration
- Tavex's new home in Sofia was designed to be a source of inspiration, not just for the management and administrative team but also for each of the employees in Bulgaria and abroad. The goal was to make all 100+ employees in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Bucharest, Belgrade, and Athens feel welcome and proud of their regional headquarters. The space needed to represent every employee of Tavex – modern, bold, and ready to challenge the present day issues with creativity and out of the box thinking.
- Image Credits
- Aleksandar Novoselski - photographer