The new office of graphic design studio Bureau Borsche in Munich, Germany, is a complete contrast to their prominent portfolio. While the latter is an immense universe of diverse forms, colours, textures, and patterns, the former is a monochromatic starkness of ice grey aluminium and atmospheric white light.

Designed and completed in 2020 by architecture and lighting design studio Gonzalez Haase AAS, this minimalist project is the renovation of a residential building. With Tuscan columns being present as indicative evidence of the building’s past, the designers utilise them to add a certain softness to the crisp and geometric interior. With the primary component being aluminium honeycomb panels, this metal surface graces the central table to shelving units to give an orderly appearance. Its edges are exposed to reveal sectional cuts with a wavy pattern, replicated repetitively for both practical material solution and aesthetic intrigue.

Dominating the main office space is a stretching double-loaded table that responds to Bureau Borsche’s chief designer’s desire to have an open and collective work environment. Punctured across the flat metal surface are large holes to redirect electrical cables and other extraneous elements. On their two sides rest modern grey office chairs produced by Wagner Living, forming a large ever-moving sculpture rather than an ordinary conception of an office. This composition creates a dynamic exchange among people for an interactive mode of workflow, enhancing creativity and efficiency.

Across this area is a meeting room hidden behind translucent screens and a metallic curtain. The blurred visual connection between two walls gives a velvety image to further soften up the interior atmosphere. The ceiling reflects white light onto the terrazzo floor below, subtly bringing the space together. This decision to avoid direct white light results in an encompassing unity that also eases glares and harshness on the eyes of the designers.

Simple and clean, Bureau Borsche Office is an interior project that plays with the potential of modern materials. Being cost-effective and minimising heterogeneity in material usage, Gonzalez Haase AAS is able to test and study in-depth characteristics of a singular subject to fully showcase its capability.