Müller Van Tol transformed two floors of a landmark Amsterdam building, designed by Eduard Cuypers in 1892 for furniture company H.F. Jansen & Sons, into a workspace for online game platform Poki. Based on the graphic environment of video games, the design interprets employees as a family, and the office as a home.
Dominating the floor plan is a central stairwell defined by four columns. Lines of colour extend along the edges of these columns and across the floor and ceiling beams to establish a spatial grid. Legible throughout the workspace, this grid formed the starting point for the interior design.
Using a working model, Müller Van Tol then worked in tandem with the staff of Poki to determine the function, position, form and colour of individual objects, all of which reflect the preferences of the Poki family of designers, programmers and content managers. The result has the self-contained feel of a Wes Anderson film set.
A selection of features: a central drinks cabinet and bar, a raised platform for the office manager, a series of ‘train compartments’ that conceal an ugly wall, a row of smaller offices for focus and privacy, a floor surface that connects the various zones, and a colourful lunchroom-slash-boardroom with open ‘VIP’ deck and stunning view of the city.
Bas Moers, co-founder of Poki, has always had difficulty with the concept of ‘office life’ and a fear oflosing his personal freedom within a shared environment. As Poki grew, however, he learned some truths about the world of work. “The right setting broadens everybody’s horizon, makes them productive, boosts the sense of togetherness. Everybody on a team needs to make their space their own.”
The design process set in motion by Müller Van Tol empowered the Poki to help shape their workspace. Moers: “Bas van Tol understood what we needed in terms of space before we did. He brought out the designer in us.”