This junior common room had seen a lot of use, but felt very disjointed with a mismatch of furniture that had been accumulated over the years. It was definitely ready for an update!
The brief was to create a space for the students that was flexible to accommodate the various functions that are held there. It was also essential that it was functional with a balance of social and study space. Lastly, the students wanted the room to be cosy with a classy bar feel.
Outside of term time, the room is the welcome point for conference guests, so it was important that the room looked smart and inviting.
” We are delighted with the new look, thank you so much! “
Bursar, Oxford College
I think that creating a space that could be used to accommodate multiple uses was the priority in this project. Around 20 students use the space on a daily basis. However, the space had to accommodate up to 70 people at least once a week on committee days. Therefore, the furnishings needed to be easy to move and not too bulky. As a result, we installed modular arm-less units that could be used individually or grouped together to form sofas. We added drum and cube seating that are easy to move and compact enough to store neatly away. Finally, we upholstered the seats in the bay windows to add extra seating on busy days.
The room felt quite stark and uninviting, and it was important to the students that we create a warm and cosy environment. The room boasts beautiful panelling and the existing colour scheme was not showing it to its full potential. We used a neutral warm grey on the walls and introduced warm orange hues that brought out the tone of the wood. We then introduced a mixture of teals and navy blues to add some depth and bring the scheme together. We created a sophisticated look by using simple geometric fabrics, with a mix of leathers and velvets to give the ‘city centre bar’ feel.
