We spoke with Sean Chan from State Twenty Eight Interiors about a unique office space they have recently designed - Flat Office. 

“Beginning with Flat Beat by Mr. Oizo as its sole creative reference, Flat Office transforms rhythm into architectural language. Repetition establishes order, while deliberate interruptions generate moments of surprise through form, colour and detail. The result is a workplace where music becomes space, creating a distinctive environment with clarity, identity.”

MLP - If you had to describe the feeling of this office rather than what it looks like, what would you say?
SEAN - Fun. It’s a very simple word, but I think it sums it up. Looking at the client and who he is as a person, he’s a fun guy, and his brief was never going to be traditional.

There’s also quite an intimate feeling to the space. It’s his office, but he isn’t in there constantly, so it was a really cool opportunity to create a workplace that didn’t necessarily feel like a workplace.

One of the functional requirements was lots of record storage, but beyond that, the brief was really about creating something that felt different.

Was there a particular era or aesthetic that you kept coming back to during the design process?
It was very much that mid-century, 1960s era. I knew the client was a fan of that period and he has a Master’s in Architecture, so I knew that using certain cult classic pieces would really resonate with him.

It started with what he wanted, and then I intertwined that with my own design approach. There are lots of mid-century references throughout the space, which he obviously loves.

How did you approach the lighting given all the different material textures in the space? Were there finishes that became particularly interesting once they were lit?
There was one very specific finish I was interested in with the light box above the wardrobe. It’s a burl veneer on the wardrobe as you enter.

We did a lot of testing with different gloss levels, and ultimately landed on around 10% gloss. The way the light shines across it picks up all the different variations in the burl. It’s difficult to explain, but it’s just perfect.

That helped inform a lot of the detailing of the custom elements throughout the space.

I also asked MLP quite a lot of questions around wattages and how to specify the different areas for the LED lighting. I had concerns about heat from the LEDs, particularly around the record storage, so getting the technical input on that was really useful.

Is there a particular lighting moment in the project that you're especially proud of, or that completely changes the way the space is experienced?
There are two very similar moments: the light boxes in the bathroom and the entry.

With the colour temperature and brightness of the light box in the entry, everything feels very surreal. The way it picks up the powder-coated metal door just doesn’t feel real. It’s rdifficult to explain until you actually experience it.

Because there are no shadows and it’s so bright, it has this strange, almost unreal quality. Then, as you dim it down, it starts to feel like a normal space again.

Conversely, the bathroom is very dim with a warm light, which was obviously referencing Blade Runner. It feels like this little dystopian area within the office.

I think those are really cool spaces where the lighting plays a huge role in how they're experienced.

The bathroom has a particularly strong lighting moment. Can you tell me a little about what you did there?
We did a modified version of the big ceiling fitting from Roxo. It needed to be RGB and controllable, so it can change colour depending on what you want.

It’s normally going to sit on that orange colour, but it can change to whatever you want. MLP needed to modify the fitting to allow for the RGB control, so there was quite a bit of work involved in getting that right.

The project has also been shortlisted for an IDEA Award. Can you tell me a little about that?
It was shortlisted for the IDEA Award for Workplace under 1,000 square metres, and I think it’s one of only two WA projects in that category.

Considering it’s such a small project and we’re going up against some massive studios, it’s honestly quite an honour.

Looking back at the project as a whole, what do you think makes it work?
The brief, the aesthetics, the references and the lighting approach all came together really well.

It was a really unusual opportunity because you don’t get many offices where you can design something like this. It doesn’t look like a traditional office at all. There aren’t computer screens everywhere, and some of the elements feel more like a house than a workplace.

When I look back at the photographs, it actually looks like the space does in real life. It doesn’t feel overly photographed or artificial. It genuinely looks like that, which is really cool.