Casting a new silhouette across the Cremorne skyline, the stunning global headquarters of SEEK has just recently been unveiled. The new building – inspired by the urban environment of Melbourne’s technology hub – offers a workplace that puts its employees first.
The concept, “Contemporary Warehouse”, embodies the industrial heritage of its surroundings. Twin gabled roofs overlook Cremorne as a flag of change in what the workplace can be. And inside, the bespoke table collection designed and crafted by Josh Carmody harmonises the workplace.
Hassell principal leader Ingrid Bakker says, “Industry-leading strategy, architecture and workplace design come together in the new home of Australia’s leading employment marketplace. A non-traditional corporate office building, the workplace is designed to be a place where people love coming to work and socialise.”
Hassell’s design is the epitome of the modern workplace, reflected through the flexible, adaptable large open-plan workplace. A natural light-filled atrium rises from the ground floor into the twin-gabled roofs interconnecting the highly flexible, open plan work floors via a sculptural timber staircase.
The features and design from the exterior to the interior encourage connectivity and none more so than Carmody’s bespoke pieces for the SEEK headquarters.
Here, Carmody has delivered a collection of three parts. Six tables of American Oak were designed for the breakout rooms on each floor, adorned with tiled tabletops designed with unique colour patterns. Next was the 26-seat boardroom table, a monumental trophy handcrafted from solid Victorian Ash, and having to be reassembled on-site, it was handcrafted perfectly to the millimetre. Last were two of Carmody’s ‘Dilettante’ tables initially released in 2020 and made to measure for SEEK’s top floor – a space dedicated to entertainment for staff and functions.
“They had a number of areas throughout the building where they had specific requirements and ideas that required a unique approach,” says Carmody of the approach. “My role ran parallel to the interior design team’s process. The interior design scheme drove the colour and material palette for the respective bespoke tables with the brief.
“For example, each tiled table was designed for each breakout space, and each of these levels has unique colour schemes and material palettes. So, each table had a combination of a specific colour-blocked tile pattern for the tabletop – complemented by a coloured or tinted stain for the woodwork.”
Hassell’s brief brought together the sizes, materiality, colour schemes, and the tables’ functions – exemplifying a cohesive vision that would run through the floors of SEEK. But it was Carmody that mastered what the tables could be.
“There are several features I like throughout the pieces I made for Seek. I love how seemingly simple details harmonise and multiply with the boardroom table to create a final assembled piece. A nice example of bespoke handmade furniture at a huge scale,” says Carmody.
“With the tiled breakout tables, I love the use of colour for the timber finishes. And the tactility of the tiles. It’s an unexpected pop of fun and style in an often-overlooked part of workplaces. With the made-to-measure Dilettante tables, I love the American Hard Maple. It’s so blonde, and the grain really sings in the natural light.”
This bespoke collection, demonstrating such scope and scale for a local studio, shows Carmody to be quite the powerhouse – and with sharp design foresight. And with Hassell, this collaboration is a brilliant example of the connectivity and ideas the future workplace promises.
On this collaboration, Carmody says, “SEEK had a vision to support local designers and manufacturers, and Hassell supported this idea wholeheartedly and executed it thoroughly. From the outside looking in, the process for me seemed straightforward. SEEK and Hassell both showed a great level of trust towards me. And I did my best, as always, to honour this trust and deliver to the best of my ability.”
Josh Carmody Studio
Hassell
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