An interview on experience, wellbeing and long term performance.
You work across both workplace and hospitality design. What do those two sectors have in common right now?
They are both competing with home. That is the reality. People no longer have to be there, so the space has to earn their presence. Once you accept that, offices and restaurants stop being about provision and start being about experience. The question becomes simple. Why would someone choose to come here today?
Why do you think so many workplaces still feel underwhelming?
Because they are designed for efficiency first and people second. Density, desk counts and visual impact tend to dominate the conversation, while comfort and behaviour are treated as secondary. Design is often brought in too late, when many of the most important decisions have already been fixed.
What does a well designed office need to do today that it did not five or ten years ago?
It needs to feel genuinely good to be in. Not impressive. Not busy. Just comfortable. That means quieter spaces, better acoustics, softer lighting and cleaner air. People notice when an office feels calmer and easier on the senses, particularly as the day goes on. That was not always prioritised before, but it is now.
“People no longer have to be in offices or restaurants. Spaces now have to earn their presence.”
How much of your approach is driven by wellbeing and sustainability?
A lot of it, but it is built in rather than labelled. We specify low VOC lacquers on our bespoke furniture as standard, not as a sustainability add on. We use carpet tiles with no bitumen backing as a default, not as a special request. When you walk into one of our completed offices, the space simply feels fresher. It does not smell chemical or heavy, and that has a real impact on how people experience the environment.
Why do those details matter in practice?
Because people spend most of their waking hours in these spaces. If materials are working against the environment, it affects concentration, comfort and energy levels. Many of the corporates we speak to understand this now. Wellbeing is no longer just a values conversation. It is a performance one.
You have said that good restaurants and good offices solve the same problem. What do you mean by that?
Both are designed around behaviour. Restaurants think carefully about arrival, flow, sound levels, seating comfort and how long people want to stay. Offices should do the same. If you design a workplace as a static layout, it will feel flat. If you design it around how people move, focus, collaborate and pause throughout the day, it starts to feel alive.
“When you walk into a space that uses the right materials, you feel it immediately. It is calmer, fresher, and easier to be in.”
Where do clients typically underestimate the importance of design?
At the beginning. Layouts, adjacencies, ceiling heights and service routes sound technical, but they define the quality of a space long before finishes are discussed. By the time people start talking about how it looks, most of the important decisions have already been made.
What is one early decision that has the biggest long term impact?
Being honest about how the space will actually be used. Not how it is described in a brief, but how people behave day to day. Where friction might occur. Where flexibility is needed. Get that right early and the space tends to work for years rather than months.
What should businesses be thinking about now when planning a new office or hospitality space?
Longevity. Adaptability. And how the space makes people feel over time, not just on day one. Trends will always come and go, but spaces designed around people, wellbeing and quality materials tend to age well. If people choose to be there and feel better for it, the design has done its job.
“Good design is less about trends and more about getting the fundamentals right early.”
Design is not about creating spectacle. It is about shaping environments that quietly support the people within them.
When workplaces and hospitality spaces are grounded in behaviour, wellbeing and material integrity from the outset, they do more than function well, they endure.
Trends will continue to evolve, but spaces designed around clarity, longevity and how people genuinely feel in them will always remain relevant. If people choose to be there, and feel better for it, the design has done its job.
As a full service studio, Liqui Group approaches every project from concept through manufacture and delivery with that long term perspective in mind.
