CLIENT
Taylor Wessing
DESIGN
ID:SR
LOCATION
Farringdon, London
COMPLETED
2025
SUSTAINABILITY
BREEAM, WELL
Set within an existing building at New Street Square, Taylor Wessing’s refurbished London headquarters brings together sustainability, hospitality and flexibility across six floors and approximately 175,000 sq ft. Designed by ID:SR, the project ambition was to deliver a best-in-class workplace for the business’s own teams and their clients, creating a contemporary legal environment that enhances client engagement, connectivity and collaboration.
Appointed from RIBA Stage 2 onwards, we supported the specification and delivery of the furniture strategy in close collaboration with ID:SR and the wider consultant team. Furniture was integrated early in the design process and used to maximise how layout, acoustics, materiality and function could work together across working floors, client areas and hospitality spaces.
A considered approach was taken to work with what already existed, placing sustainability at the heart of the brief and informing decisions around reuse, materials and long-term performance. The project required furniture to be consistent and inclusive across the firm, with the same furniture standards applied throughout to create a cohesive and unified environment. At the same time, the building needed to function as a client-facing space capable of hosting meetings, events and hospitality.
A hospitality-led sensibility underpins the interiors. Rich textures, premium finishes and a timeless palette create spaces that feel calm and assured, while acoustic performance is embedded through furniture and spatial planning. A hybrid approach to open and cellular working reflects the realities of legal practice, supported by custom partitioning systems and bespoke workstations. In shared and client-facing areas, carefully selected elements, including travertine coffee tables, introduce a sense of weight and permanence without excess. A partnership with the National Portrait Gallery adds a cultural layer that subtly reinforces the firm’s identity.
Engagement with the client team played a significant role in shaping the project outcomes. Working with Taylor Wessing’s Design Steering Group, which brought together representatives across all levels of the firm, furniture solutions were grounded in real patterns of use. Early showroom visits allowed ideas to be explored openly, while later stages focused on detailed functional testing, from posture and comfort to how spaces transition between work and hospitality. An on-site furniture mock-up and showcase extended this dialogue to the wider business, with feedback informing final selections.
Sustainability was embedded in every decision of the project, with reuse and circularity integral to the furniture approach. We carried out a comprehensive audit of existing furniture which led to task chairs, workstations, storage and phone pods being retained in the new space, while existing lounge seating was reupholstered and reintroduced into the scheme, managed by our team.
From the outset, our sustainability team worked to align the furniture with Taylor Wessing’s wider decarbonisation objectives and WELL and BREEAM targets, and conducted a Whole Life Carbon Assessment of the specification to help guide low-carbon furniture choices, such as reuse of existing furniture alongside recycled materials within the new specification.
New materials were selected for durability, performance and environmental impact. Fenix surfaces were used across meeting rooms, focus rooms and auditorium spaces for their robustness and understated tactility. Work walls and desk screens incorporate fabric made from 100% post-consumer recycled polyester, while hospitality areas feature recycled timber tabletops by Low Carbon Industrial, manufactured in Birmingham. Throughout the building, furniture plays an active role in managing acoustics, privacy and comfort.
AV and IT were treated as integral to how the building supports connection, collaboration and adaptability. Working closely with the wider team, we supported the integration of furniture and technology across meeting spaces, collaboration areas and working floors, ensuring each setting could flex easily between in-person and hybrid use.
An AV and IT-enabled auditorium sits at the heart of the scheme, supported by bespoke, reconfigurable meeting tables, including the Brunner STATE system, which allows layouts to shift quickly in response to different formats. Across the building, agile collaboration spaces and breakout areas support seamless interaction between teams and clients, locally and globally.
Alongside the furniture, our styling team curated accessories and soft elements with a deliberately minimal, purposeful approach, creating a cohesive aesthetic informed by the partnership with the National Portrait Gallery. Each piece was selected for its relevance, ensuring the styling supported the wider narrative rather than acting as decoration alone.
Books and objects reference themes of sustainability, technology, design and high performance, reflecting both the firm’s values and its position as a globally connected legal practice. Hospitality areas were given particular attention, with bespoke cushions and high-quality soft furnishings introducing warmth and comfort within a refined, professional setting.
Planting was used selectively to reinforce sustainability ambitions, with planters aligned to the furniture and interior palette. Lighting formed part of the styling approach, with dimmable, ambient solutions used in areas intended to feel more intimate.
Despite programme pressures, close collaboration across the wider team ensured that design quality and sustainability principles were maintained. The result is a workplace that feels quietly confident and carefully resolved, shaped through collaboration, informed by use and designed to support Taylor Wessing’s culture both now and in the future.
