Visma Software Office Krakow
New Visma Software office at the heart of Krakow designed by The Design Group
Brightness, simplicity, minimalism, and a pinch of refined aesthetics – the easiest way to portray the Scandinavian interior design. The new office of the Polish branch of the Visma brand has also been arranged following this theme. Yet in this design, being the responsibility of The Design Group, there are as many Scandinavian inspirations as there are original variations of them.
Visma is a Norwegian company delivering software and digital services for business, with over 200 offices around the world including Poland. The Visma Software office is based in the new High5ive office complex, also known as the Krakow business center, situated near the main railway station and Galeria Krakowska.
Let’s keep it Nordic Cool
Norwegian Visma has nearly perfectly mastered consistent communication of its activities, incorporating their own product design language called Nordic Cool – describing Visma’s approach to communication in three words: clear, refined, and reduced. Nordic Cool has become the main principle organizing the layout of the Krakow office.
„Nordic Cool has become our guide to the creative search for architectural solutions for the Visma Krakow office. As such, we weren’t expected to go into some colorful frenzy. To this effect, light wood, shades of gray and blue, materials such as concrete or stone, prevail in the office space” says Architect Konrad Krusiewicz, founder of The Design Group.
„We started with a material color combination. The space was supposed to be calm, devoid of bright colors and bold textures. Nevertheless, it was clear that this balanced interior needed something that would become a hallmark of the Krakow branch of Visma” points out Architect Martyna Smętek of The Design Group.
„Although this is an open space, we endeavored to split it. We separated the individual teams from each other with curtains, rooms and smaller chill rooms, where employees can have a moment of relax during the working day” says Martyna Smętek, architect of The Design Group responsible for the office concept.
The client approved The Design Group’s design brief nearly immediately. Although their aim was to maintain the interior style in the Scandinavian beat, they agreed to the solutions put forward by the Warsaw design office, even though they break this tide.
The Inspiring Logo
The power of the original solutions resonates already in the desk arrangement. The counter, decorated with glass reinforced with black mesh, catches the eye. Just above it, there is a spectacular „circle” lighting. The lamp model has been selected to match the recurring interior shapes. At the reception desk, there are also elements made of architectural concrete and the so-called living walls.
Still, the impressive glazing separating subsequent zones of space remains the highlight of the Krakow office. The glass walls resembling stained-glass windows feature grey muntin bars, and those as well as the glass-wooden decorative panels on the walls, refer by their shape to the Visma logo. There are zero-and-one strings on some of them – an obvious reference to the binary system, the basis of the programming code. These specific decorations made of numbers are an original concept by The Design Group. The whole arrangement is crowned by a gray ceiling making the design timeless, with photo wallpapers alluding to Norway with a calm, mountainous tenor.
„Recently, Scandinavian style has become one of the most popular design trends. We had that yearning to move away from the beaten track and produce a variation on it. We would call this design „Scandinavian style with flair”, or „with more drive” to it. We have succeeded in creating a remarkable, unconventional space that, at the same time, offers great conditions for safe and effective work” sums up Architect Martyna Smętek.
„We are delighted that we have been given full confidence by our client. All of our design suggestions and the move away from the regular Scandinavian style were promptly approved. The glazing and grey muntin bars idea received particular recognition” adds Konrad Krusiewicz, CEO of The Design Group.
