Bob’s Your Uncle, Vancouver
Design: Bob’s Your Uncle Design / Lead designers: Ada Bonini and Cheryl Broadhead
When Bob’s Your Uncle decided to move to new digs, they had two years to dream up their future workspace. Two years can be a luxury as well as a curse; in this case, that duality drove the design process. “Because we had more time, the design went through several iterations,” says Ada Bonini. “We could plan the design, think about it, then do more research. With a ‘regular’ client, the process would be more condensed.” In the end, Bonini says, the design is better for it.
The office is dominated by contrasts that while they stand out against one another manage to add a sense of cohesion to the space. Groupings of bright white workstations are divided by warm wood walls set against concrete and black steel. Pastel colours for upholstery add coziness to meeting and social spaces. To achieve this overall polish, Bonini credits group buy-in and involvement in the design process. “We did surveys to assist us on programming decisions and adjacencies, then reviewed the data as a group,” Bonini says. And while she points out that designers can be very fickle clients, “we also understand outcomes from research and educated design decisions.” The result is an office that has boosted morale by adding opportunities for teamwork and collaboration and spaces intended for hanging out and getting to know one another. Add to that the reaction from visitors. “It makes me so proud that something we designed for ourselves brings admiration from clients and suppliers,” says Bonini.
Photography by Provoke Studios