Creativity has become indispensable in today's business landscape—nowhere more so than at Emma, the rapidly scaling mattress manufacturer now headquartered in Frankfurt's Bahnhofsviertel. But designing a workspace for 400 employees with vastly different work styles posed a distinct challenge. When VRAI was commissioned to reimagine the company's premises, the design team had one guiding question: how could they create spaces that genuinely embody the principles of "New Work"?

The transformation of a 4,500 m² office space became an exercise in balance: crafting an environment that champions both individual autonomy and collaborative momentum, practicality paired with freedom. For a predominantly young, international workforce, fostering genuine connection was paramount. To that end, Jana Vonofakos, VRAI's founding director and interior architect, engineered the layout around three pillars: communication, individuality, and teamwork. "Collaborative areas let each person contribute to shared goals while maintaining their own workflow," she explains. "The positioning of these zones—interspersed throughout the workspace rather than cordoned off—was critical." Beyond supporting productivity, this spatial strategy reinforces the overarching design narrative: quiet zones for focus, movement-friendly pathways, and intimate spaces for retreat.

The concept crystallized quickly: the cycle of a perfect night. After all, restorative sleep drives meaningful work. This insight shaped every chromatic choice—a gradient spanning sunset through midnight to sunrise. Floor treatments, furnishings, walls, and textiles flow from deep indigo through violet and burgundy, culminating in luminous orange.

The astronomy metaphor threads throughout. Circular forms and planetary-scaled pendant lights punctuate the space, while scattered constellation-inspired fixtures evoke a starlit ceiling. Durability and performance were non-negotiable: all textiles and furnishings are long-wearing, low-maintenance, robust, and flame-resistant. To inject warmth and comfort into the working day, natural oak surfaces and soft-touch finishes feature prominently on tables and counters—pleasant underfoot, resistant to wear. The design team orchestrated a spatial hierarchy through both visual and tactile language. Flooring transitions—carpet shifting to vinyl, for instance—clearly delineate work zones from gathering spaces, while scattered circular carpet patches anchor lounge areas and sanctuaries for focus.

www.vrai.de

(Published in CUBE Frankfurt 03|20)