Inside Tony’s Chocolonely’s New London Office
Candy manufacturer Tony’s Chocolonely hired workplace design firm Oktra to design their new office in London, England.
“The new office at Rosedale Studios is split into three multi-functional spaces that blur the lines between the office and home. Breakout space blends with office space to allow concentration, collaboration, and relaxation in one fluid environment. Employees can break away from the desks and use the phone booths, meeting rooms, and an outdoor terrace to alternate their work setting and encourage original thinking.
One clever aspect of Tony’s branding is their unevenly divided chocolate bars, serving as a reminder to consumers that the profits in the chocolate industry are unfairly divided. Taking inspiration from their products, we carried this concept through to their office space plan which is divided into unequal chunks further distinguished by contrasting flooring finishes.
Tony’s pillar box red is splashed liberally across their workplace, showing up in furniture finishes, plant pots, light fittings, and the unmissable solid red floor in the desk area. Graphics wrap the walls outlining Tony’s sourcing principles and a timeline of the key milestones they have reached in their mission to improve the chocolate supply chain.
Tony’s Chocolonely believe that only with a strong team can they reach their mission, so their company culture is a key ingredient to their success. They needed their office to energise their people by bringing them together in a supportive, communal environment. A third of their office is dedicated to breakout space, with a teapoint equipped with a ping-pong table, bleachers, and dining tables capable of hosting the whole company for lunch.
Being the only Tony’s office in the UK, their team wanted the design to have an eclectic British theme injecting fun and character into the space. One meeting room is inspired by the Britpop movement, while another takes nods from the classic afternoon tea. The outdoors spills inside from the terrace adjoining the garden-themed collaboration room where a natural colour palette, materials, and biophilia surround a meeting pod disguised as a garden shed – from the pitched roof to the Wellington boots inside.
With an iconic London office and the growing support for ethical brands, Tony’s UK team are looking forward to expanding their team in line with their future growth plans which their new office can flex to accommodate.”
- Location: London, England
- Date completed: 2022
- Size: 3,300 square feet
- Design: Oktra
- Photos: Oliver Pohlmann