L’Oréal’s office

When L’Oréal, a giant in the beauty industry, decided to move into new offices there were two wishes for the premises: to reflect company values as well as the aesthetics of the business while also supporting the development of a new, more open and flexible working culture. The company was hoping for a new space that would create natural interaction and enable people to work across teams.

Interior Architects Fyra took on the challenge. They designed the two-storey premises consisting of 1490 m2 located by the sea in Espoo, Finland. The open office space with a sea view is a huge change from the previous crammed facilities located in an 1980s building with small rooms and corridors.

“Fyra was quick to recognise our culture and work methods. We think on our feet when it comes to products and decisions, and we have many millennials working here. We needed to consider the services that generation is looking for in work life and the requirements digitalisation nowadays poses for a space. We needed to accommodate increased remote working and promote corporate responsibility”, says Tarja Kuusela, Head of Corporate Communications and PR at L’Oréal Finland.

Fyra’s Niina Sihto says that their aim was to create an office space that is forward-looking and aesthetically refined down to the last detail. The new premises are spacious with a classic Scandinavian-style interior. The light tones of the wooden and stone surfaces in the kitchen, the slender lines of the black furniture, the delicate brass details – everything reflects the visual imagery of the L’Oréal brand.

“Offices with a visual aspect reflecting the company values as well as the aesthetics of the business”, Fyra’s Niina Sihto says.

Space that supports the changing work culture
The L’Oréal premises promote so-called activity-based working where people choose their work spaces according to their needs at that moment. Fyra’s interior solutions guarantee a quiet working space for everyone. The bigger office is for hanging out and socialising. Separate facilities are allocated for quiet working. The downstairs wing offers a sea view and sofa groups for team work. The other wing has more traditional office spaces. And, between the two, there are small meeting rooms and phone booths ideal for video conferences.

“We wanted to put emphasis on flexible solutions that cater to a variety of working methods”, says Niina Sihto from Fyra.

The spacious upstairs facilities are for entertaining clients and stakeholders. There is a kitchen and a lounge for meeting clients in a more relaxed atmosphere. A large cosmetics company means having lots of products around. Separate facilities for posting and storage were created to preserve the tranquillity of the working space.

“It is of utmost importance that there is a place for all items and products. This makes for an effortless working environment”, Fyra’s Niina Sihto says.

The new L’Oréal Finland headquarters represents what is essential to Fyra in each design project: the interior design company set up in 2010 by four women strongly believes in the beauty of functionality. Today the company has 16 employees who design spaces that better the everyday lives of their clients.

Fyra’s solutions have had a great impact at L’Oréal: “It’s great to have colleagues getting to know each other better as the new space brings people together naturally and spontaneously” says L’Oréal’s Tarja Kuusela.

Fyra