Universal Music Polska office, Poland

Universal Music Polska headquarters, part of the global corporation, Universal Music Group, was designed to be consistent with other Universal headquarters around the world. The new Polish HQ, located in the X20 office building in Warsaw’s Lower Mokotów district, has a laidback mood and corporate professionalism. The Design Group created the interiors with the intent that a clear message was sent to the artists as to what they can expect when collaborating with the music corporation. The 1500 square metre space occupies both the fourth and fifth floors of building, and features an austere industrial style meshed with a contemporary one, adding a pinch of classic homey elegance with chesterfield sofas and soft velour armchairs.

The concept of balance between elegance, austerity and warmth of the materials has become a leitmotif of this interior. This can be seen at the entrance to the office and in the reception area, reined by materials, such as metal, glass and recycled wood. The representative part of the company houses the reception area, main conference room, kitchen and terrace, open space with separate themed rooms, the video studio, and the executive offices.

The conference room features raw, casual and elegant design – a five-metre, wooden table, comfortable leather armchairs, two 75-inch monitors, and a natural oak floor. On the same level, a massive kitchen has an English style bar with an industrial feel. This space is unique for its checkered floor and a massive wooden table, with industrial lamps suspended over the beam. The second, more intimate part of the office, on the fourth floor, has a less formal character. Soft furnishings are aplenty here, a small open kitchen with a neon sign, a VIP Room, a distinctive open space connected to the stage, and a large, comfortable sofa with armchairs to create a friendly, homely atmosphere. This is a creative zone intended primarily for artists and managers. The space is meant to make musicians feel at ease and create music in a way that suits them best. The Loud VIP Room is a purpose-designed space with a focus on acoustics for music listening in optimal conditions on the highest quality, professional equipment selected by specialists. The room is designed as a soundproof ‘box-in-box’ with double walls and floors.

The workspace on both floors is primarily open plan and separated by modular desks and partitions in the form of plan dividers and, in places, displays of cassette tapes released by Universal – part of the company’s history. The elements that make the space of the Warsaw office of Universal Music Polska stand are the classic, neon signs and a special selfie mirror that is intentionally placed in the passage to the video studio, which is frequented by the label’s employees and guests. On the mirror, there is a neon sign with the slogan, ‘no music no life’.