Furniture design company Terry Design, produced the furniture for its own HQ based in Portadown, Northern Ireland. The office is intentionally designed to be minimal with accents of retro blue and reclaimed pendant lights.

A large portion of the space at Terry Design’s HQ is dominated by the central workstations, which the company feel encourages a collaborative environment for its employees. The central reclaimed timber desks are connected with a rubbed steel divider offering practical storage for staff and a plinth for desktops.

Terry Design wanted chairs that were well designed, both ergonomically and visually for its HQ. Using Herman Miller Aeron office chairs complement the blackened steel frames of the bespoke office desks.

Repurposed old flooring timbers clad the dividing wall with a linear window offering glimpses into the company workspace from the reception. This window accentuates the linear layout of the interior and due to the linear window not sitting directly at eye-level, it provides enough privacy for the office staff, yet enables the team to see if they have any guests in the foyer.

A 77-drawer reclaimed apothecary unit has been beautifully restored and is now home to all Terry Design samples and stationery. The unfinished plywood storage unit stretches the length of the office. The unit was salvaged from the Belfast Metropolitan building and was badly faded with strong discolouration on the top and damage to the edges. Many of the drawers with dull brass handles had swollen over time and were difficult to open. To restore the unit Terry Design sanded it lightly to retain the aged look of the timber. Edges were then filled with new timber which Terry Design distressed. Stain was rubbed into the whole unit, giving the timber a new lease of life, and then waxed to protect it. The brass handles were rubbed down with wire wool, the purpose of this was not to bring these back to their shiny beginnings.

Terry Design’s project for its own HQ involved the use of reclaimed wood in various spaces throughout the office. Terry Design wanted to create an office that incorporated the use of reclaimed wood through its love of character and authenticity that reclaimed wood brings to an interior that cannot be recreated from fresh timber.

Offcuts of reclaimed wood were also used to create Terry Design’s bespoke ‘T’ featured at the back of the room. The ‘T’ – part of the Terry Design brand – is emblazoned onto the back of its work vans and bright yellow tool boxes onsite. Offcuts of reclaimed timber in a variation of species were used to create a more textured effect for this branding.

The retro blue colour palette featured around the office contributes “a little attitude” into the space as the tone is calming and cool and contrasts with the anthracite ceiling. The retro blue pendant lights have been salvaged from a factory in England.

Terry HQ had put up with a dismal office for many years and longed for a space that felt bright and airy and wouldn’t date quickly. Terry Design felt that a minimal and contemporary environment would be refreshing and help to free the mind of its employees.

Terry is a forward-thinking company with a detail-led approach that is constantly evolving. Terry wanted an interior that reflects its down to earth attitude. The reclaimed timber will wear and weather with age, needing little upkeep, and the use of birch ply is a nod to its more Scandinavian tastes. Terry has taken industrial elements such as factory lighting, steel and reclaimed timber and worked them into an otherwise minimal and contemporary space to create its new HQ.