Eversheds to the core

Scandinavian and Japanese interiors are often known for their ability to focus on the essentials. The human being and its use take precedence over the decor, even if the latter fulfills its function perfectly, as discreet as it is indispensable.

The new Parisian offices of Eversheds Sutherland, one of the world's leading international law firms, exude the unpretentiousness and rigor that are its true luxury, without ostentation.

The customer's intention was explicit: each desk was to be understood as an invitation to concentration in relatively small volumes, but absolutely free of superfluous items. Neither movement nor the mind were to be hindered by unnecessary ornamentation or objects.

In this way, all storage space remains at the office door. Lockers line the corridors, forming a thick wall with a delicately chiselled front. And when the eye wanders into the room, it encounters only the simplest of materials, which are also beautiful, it must be said, for their strict selection: light-colored travertine, gray elm, taut fabrics, sometimes backlit... As if, subliminally, the room were to remain as uncluttered before, during and after its use.

Two levels of 1,000^m2 each house these individual offices, which can be easily reformatted to reflect the teams' permanent flexibility. They form a block against the façade to create a vast central space, a café-convivialité, where social life emerges at any moment and discussions continue. Banquette or stand-up, depending on the mood or the time available.

The first floor, accessed via a glass entrance, is dedicated to visitors. No imposing reception desk, but a large lounge opening onto an interior garden, followed by a discreet desk. From here, circulation flows around the perimeter of the plateau, on the first day, while the central part concentrates meeting spaces in multiple formats. This "inverted" layout, counter-intuitive for users, was validated without regret after a client-architect in situ simulation session.