Rap Interiors delivers a modern, flexible design for Albion Fine Foods’ brand-new warehouse and office premises in Dartford, Kent
Albion Fine Foods, which supplies produce and ingredients to the catering industry in London and the South East, has recently relocated its warehouse and offices from Tonbridge to a brand-new industrial unit in Dartford.
The client approached award-winning workplace design agency Rap Interiors, based in Maidstone, to carry out the industrial fit-out project. The expertise of Rap’s interior designers and project managers was required to develop the existing layout and execute the works within the new premises whilst meeting Albion’s budget.
Overall, Rap fitted out 900m2 of space, however, the premises also includes a vast additional warehouse area. The designated spaces sit alongside the main warehouse and include staff washrooms, a large breakout area, a tea point, a servery and a commercial tasting kitchen on the ground floor. Meanwhile, the first floor features another tea point, meeting rooms, a boardroom and a large open-plan office.
The client, Albion Fine Foods, sought a bright, fresh and modern space for staff to work in. It needed to be versatile and create an impressive experience for the staff, as well as attract potential new clients when they visit the commercial tasting kitchen at the far end of the ground floor. The relocation of the company posed some hesitation among staff due to their longer journeys to work. To counteract this, an inviting workspace and a sense of staff wellbeing within the interior design was a top priority.
Rap Interiors commenced work on the project in October 2022 and it was completed within seven months, in April 2023. “The journey from initial site survey to project completion was seamless, made all the easier by working with our fantastic clients Harry and Nikki from Albion Fine Foods,” explains Martyn Pilcher, co-owner and director of Rap Interiors. “The project was successfully completed on time and on budget, and has received fantastic feedback.”
Rap interior designer Aimee Beazleigh added: “From the moment I heard about the project, I was excited to share my thoughts and ideas. Working alongside the client to suit their budget and requirements, we were able to create a beautiful yet practical space that both Rap and the client were extremely pleased with.”
Through a variety of furniture solutions, the ground floor offers staff flexible dining and relaxation spaces; whether it be high poseur tables or comfy soft seating options, the client has provided their workforce with ample breakout spaces to suit all.
Zoning of this impressive space has been further enhanced with carefully selected pendant lighting, which softens the industrial feel. With practicality and cleanliness in mind, a lot of the furniture finishes were specified in faux leather or polypropylene to provide wipeable and easy-to-clean surfaces.
Below a large external window, Rap created a raised bespoke platform area to house relaxed banquet seating and coffee tables. The platform, combined with the surrounding bar stools and poseur tables, creates a versatile variation of heights. This approach has added additional visual impact to what is an open-plan dining space.
On either side of the raised platform, dividing panels have been placed, made from recycled metal, plexiglass and troughs for foliage containment. Incorporating biophilic elements within the workspace is an ever-growing trend within the commercial sectors. The wellbeing benefits of incorporating the natural world within building designs have long since been recorded to improve occupant happiness and productivity.
There is an expanse of glazing which the client and Rap’s interior designers were keen to utilise to its full potential. Natural light floods this space and so when the dark wood luxury vinyl flooring and warm mustard tones, picked up in the soft seating elements, are combined with the external greenery, a peaceful and mindful space is achieved for staff to unwind in during their downtime.
Albion Fine Foods’ corporate colour is a fresh mint green, and references to this can be seen throughout the design. Rap chose to pair it with complimentary mustard and grey tones within the furniture finishes. The palette created not only references to the natural world, but remains on-brand for the client. The corporate colour can be seen on a larger scale on both sides of the breakout space in perfect symmetry. To one end there is the large angled painted wall, leading the eye towards the warehouse side of the development, and to the other is a bespoke kitchen servery in a mirrored position.
Rap Interiors installed a dedicated tea point within the breakout space for staff who may wish to bring in and prepare their own food. The tea point boasts industrial touches throughout, such as the concrete effect splashback and worktops and the bespoke wall-mounted metal mesh cage. To complement the raw material elements of the design, the designers installed kee klamp style legs on either side of the tea point for the bespoke poseur bars, which overlook the industrial warehouse beyond. These aforementioned features tie in seamlessly with the freshly sprayed exposed ceiling and subsequent ducting at high level, which keep the space feeling light and open.
Albion Fine Foods regularly invites existing and potential clients to sample their products and menus so needed a space that offered clients a positive and stimulating experience. Commercial-grade kitchen equipment with white wall tiles keeps this space looking crisp and professional, while also ensuring ease of maintenance and cleanliness is achieved. Corporate identity can be appreciated not only within the frosted manifestation to the crittal glass partition, but also in the elegant green stools which stand in stark contrast to the modern anthracite wood effect worktop tasting bar.
When Albion Fine Foods approached the Rap Interiors team, they did not have any clear designs for the ground-floor washroom spaces. The interior design experts reviewed the existing facilities to the first floor and were able to replicate the designs to bring continuity across the two floors. Additional features, such as the benching and lockers, give the client’s workforce a space to store their personal belonging when on shift, and the showers offer employees extra facilities when at work.
The first floor already contained a well-proportioned tea point, however, there was no seating available for employees. Rap installed a new poseur bar and dining space that overlooks the greenery beyond. Although small, the impact for staff is substantial.
The boardroom and meeting rooms have been created using crittal glass partitioning with frosting at eye level to achieve necessary privacy. The glass partitions create a modern corridor and walkway leading through to the main open-plan office space. Each room has specific names given by the client, which are created in the manifestation on the glass doors in a vertical orientation creating a feature on the entrance to each room.
The boardroom consists of a large barrel-shaped bespoke table and includes integrated power, eye-catching chairs and has been finished in corporate representative fabric. The feature Acupanel wall accommodates a recessed screen and sound bar, which in turn, creates a focal point within the room.
The meeting rooms have been planned with a fresh and modern aesthetic in mind, however, both offer a different staff experience. In one meeting space, the occupants can conduct a more ‘conventional’ conversation at desk height. Meanwhile, the second space offers a more collaborative design with the poseur high stools and table. The space boasts unique identification via the seating colours, and continuity is maintained across the rooms with the table worktop finishes.
Staff are guided to their new office space via a walkway featuring wood slats and their company logo on a stand-off Perspex sign. The Rap designers worked with the client to maximise the desk capacity of this floor through detailed space planning while still retaining the all-important break away zones.
The Rap Interiors team procured a variety of furniture solutions at varying heights to offer staff flexible working points and enable collaborative get-togethers. More private virtual meeting booths offer hybrid working solutions. The variety of furniture installed throughout the space has expertly created visual zones and is further aided by feature pendant light positions above collaboration tables.
Bespoke storage and smart lockers have been placed within the office space as individual pedestals would not be appropriate due to the shift work nature of the client’s business. The units are finished with planter tops and corporate-coloured door fronts.
Within the building’s main entrance at ground level and to the first-floor lobby space, the designers have created two small meeting points. Seating and tables that match those seen throughout the project have been placed and further enhance the continuity between floors.
The project was delivered successfully and within the client’s intended budget and timeframe, and the staff at Albion Fine Foods now have a fresh, modern office to enjoy. There is communal breakout space to relax in during downtimes, clean washrooms with ample lockers to support the needs of those within the warehouse side of their operation, and meeting rooms and a commercial kitchen that promise visitors a top-quality experience.
The fit-out Rap Interiors has provided has made Albion Fine Foods’ brand-new space functional and inviting for employees and clients alike. The interior design and choice of furniture echo the natural elements seen in the external environment while at the same time using pops of colour to reflect the corporate branding. Staff are provided with a flexible workspace – something that is ever important in 2023 as employers and employees adapt to new ways of working.
