Lion, a New Zealand-based alcoholic beverage company, partnered with Creative Spaces to create a new headquarters in the heart of Auckland to bring their diverse range of brands together in a stimulating and creative environment. The primary objective was to create a highly functional space that reflected the company’s values and brand essence while providing an optimal environment for collaboration and innovation.

The inspiration for the Lion’s HQ was to make it “Like Home”. Over time, this theme evolved into “There’s no place like home”, which then became “There’s no place like Lion”. Theming over the two floors was developed into the North and South Islands, bringing together iconic Kiwi places and traditional life experiences that epitomise the company’s products and where these products will be consumed.

Seven different themes that were chosen: Beaches & Baches, Harbours & Travel, Outdoor Activities, City Laneways & Bars, Vineyards, Sports Fields, and Deep South Adventures. The spaces were broken down with colour and materials into manageable chunks. The strong hues are generally used on the doors with softer pastels on the walls, so the spaces do not compete with each other. It is this, along with the carpet, which guides the user from theme to theme, with natural blended transitions between them.

The challenge was that the spaces needed to be seamlessly integrated, and the randomly dispersed colours and patterns of the Cubic Colours Collection were integrated seamlessly. Interface carpet tiles were selected for the Lion’s HQ project because they met the brief for a highly fluid open-plan environment. The tiles needed to be able to cope with moves, additions and changes effortlessly, and they needed to maintain their appearance irrespective of the load placed on them over the warranty time frame.

The Cubic Colours Collection was chosen to best represent the seven different themes. Beaches and Baches took inspiration from the sea and sand: fresh blues highlighted with strong yellows and oranges. Harbours and Travel toom inspiration from the rusted wharfs and stacks of aging suitcases: soft green and purple highlight with strong burnt oranges and deep blues. Outdoor Activities took inspiration from the lush New Zealand Forest: soft green highlighted by strong fresh green.

City Laneways and Bars took inspiration from the foggy Wellington winter day: neutral greys defined with blacks and deep purples. Vineyards took inspiration from the grape and rich wine: light neutral and strong reds and purples. Sports fields took inspiration from the frosty winter rugby field: icy greens highlighted by strong teals. Deep South Adventures took inspiration from the snow-capped Southern Alps: light blues highlight by strong dark blues.

The Lion’s HQ project successfully achieved the objective of creating a highly functional space that reflected the company’s values and brand essence. The Cubic Colours Collection from Interface helped to seamlessly integrate the seven different themes while meeting the brief for a highly fluid open-plan environment. The result is a workspace that stimulating, creative, and quintessentially Kiwi.