The former family home of the matches magnate Bryant and May has become the home of interior design studio Resonate. The Sanctuary, as it’s known, is a beautiful Edwardian stately home in Surbiton, southwest London, that has taken on many guises in its time, from residential to hospitality and now serves as an office, in beautiful surroundings.
Resonate took space on the ground floor, transforming a tired and neglected workplace into a characterful, collaborative and inspiring studio space, with bags of individuality.
Set in stunning, landscaped gardens, the entrance to The Sanctuary building is awe inspiring, with an impressive double height space, beautiful mosaics, and stained-glass windows. These large windows mean that all areas are flooded with natural light, with the working spaces positioned towards the light and large collaboration tables at the heart of each space. The office flows from one studio to another, with very different characteristics.
The meeting rooms have bespoke tables, designed by Pernille Stafford, CEO at Resonate, in collaboration with Brixton-based manufacturer Rawside. The large boardroom has a feature wall of unfinished, cracked plaster that was uncovered during the fit-out and brings to life the characteristics of the building.
The original interiors were derelict, unloved and damp but the space now has wonderful character with original fixtures and fittings throughout. Wherever possible, Resonate upcycled and re-used materials to create a transformational space.
As Resonate grew as a studio, they knocked through to the adjoining ground floor space to create an impressive double height larger space that can accommodate up to 30 staff with meeting rooms, quiet rooms, breakout lounge, kitchen, showers, and access to a wonderful private landscaped garden. This is a space that shouts their values: ‘Curated, Crafted’ ‘Resonated’ and ‘Treading Lightly’.
All the finishes within the design of the studio are sustainable, and many are trials of Resonate’s suppliers, from the Quadrant cork floor that was in its embryonic stage when the first studio was built and is now a popular product that is super sustainable and a treat to walk on.
The curtains were provided by Stansons who were launching their beautiful biophilic inspired designs seen here. The workspaces have natural timber worktops from Howdens as a continuous bench, which allows super flexibility for the team. The kitchens both have recycled worktops from The Marble Group. The tiling within the studio was left over from various suppliers or sites and so provides a super eclectic mix. Much of the loose furniture is by Flokk, which Resonate bought from their warehouse, maintaining the Scandi heritage of Pernille and Resonate.
The studio absolutely supports Resonates work family ethos. The team have ultimate flexibility to get to the studio, either by walking, cycling, train, car or bike and all forms of transport are used. The space allows the Resonate team to have lunch outside, walk to the river and enjoy the natural world within the leafy town of Surbiton whilst only being 20 mins from central London.
Every member of staff enjoys natural light wherever they sit and can have private or open meetings in the many spaces around the building. This allows for Toffee the office dog to also choose his preferred spot. The Sanctuary also supports large CPD gatherings and parties, which is also a big part of the Resonate DNA – entertaining colleagues, clients and friends in the space. A true ‘Work Family’ ethic.
The studio has gone above and beyond its ambitions in terms of how successful this space is. The team love the office and thrive in it. The set-up has also allowed Resonate to have large collaborative meetings and presentations. It has afforded them the opportunity to present to their clients and showcase what they really do and believe in. For example, they present live sample boards on all the walls, collating the newest ideas and sustainable products together in one place.
Resonate has doubled in size since they relocated to Surbiton, so from a financial perspective it has been a win-win with much lower rents and rates than central London and less of a commute.
Thanks to clever design and forward-thinking ways of working, the studio is an inspiring and positive space.