Office Refurb — Bath City Centre

Shaw Architecture is a small practice on George Street, just around the corner from Bath Spa station. Their studio had not been decorated in eight years: the walls were scuffed magnolia, the meeting room still had peeling vinyl wallpaper from the previous tenant, and the reception desk laminate was chipped at every corner.

The critical constraint was keeping the practice operational. We worked exclusively evenings (6pm–midnight) and weekends, carrying all materials up two flights of stairs because the building has no lift and sits above a busy restaurant with noise restrictions after 8pm. Every desk, monitor, and drawing was sheeted with polythene and dust-extracted sanding was used throughout.

We stripped the meeting room, cross-lined with 1200-grade lining paper, and painted in Dulux Trade Diamond Matt in "Natural Hessian" — a tough, washable finish ideal for high-traffic commercial spaces. The main studio received "Chic Shadow", a sophisticated warm grey, and all woodwork was refreshed in Dulux Trade Satinwood. The reception desk was refinished in situ to match the new colour scheme. The team returned to a completely refreshed studio every Monday morning with zero lost billable hours.