Fred Perry Reception

Project Info

Dimensions: (Approx. Width, Height, Depth in CMs) 150 X 110 X 730

Architect’s practice Buckley Gray Yeoman were asked by Fred Perry Ltd to design the reception space to their new headquarters opposite Covent Garden station in central London. Working to a tight budget the design centred on creating a minimal white box to elegantly house a single feature element which embodies the heritage and brand aspirations of Fred Perry. The feature piece is a stand-alone sculptural form of Fred Perry’s well loved, time honoured laurel wreath logo. It accommodates the reception desk, seating area and external signage.

Built from 405 sheets of 18mm birch plywood, with a total length of 7.3m, it spans the length of the reception area and creates a connection between James Street (signage), the visitor (seating) and the office (reception desk). The wreath appears to frame the entrance without overpowering it. The design strategy meant Buckley Gray Yeoman could focus much of the budget on a single ‘low-cost, big-impact’ piece, which was both efficient in function and immediately recognisable as being of Fred Perry.

The statement desk was developed in close collaboration with Mark Drury of The Cutting Room and his involvement was central to the success of the piece. The design evolved over a number of weeks and involved the constant exchange and adaptation between the practice and Mark of a single CAD model. When Mark first received the email of the provisional 3D drawing from Buckley Gray Yeoman, his initial thought was that it was too ambitious and he shut it away in a drawer for a week and ignored it!

The build took around six weeks, with two machinists and six people to sand and lacquer over 1.8km of edges. All edges were lacquered three times before assembly with a high spec water based clear lacquer. The final piece weighs 2.5 tonnes.