The store MILS in Riga, Grostonas Street, combines various functions – it is a bakery, where bread, cakes and other sweet treats are baked on-site, a store, offering food products of excellent quality, and a breakfast restaurant with exquisite meals as well. The combination of the store’s different purposes was a real challenge for the architects since the capacity of the space is only 155 square meters. Because of the comparatively small size of the space, it was necessary to divide it into two zones – a separate cafeteria (including a kitchen) and a store.

One of the main settings in the project was planning how a successful client flow would be implemented, as well as separating the zones, so that the visitors would not be disturbed during a relaxing conversation, or vice versa. Various room planning projects were created during the project, however, one of the initial ideas was chosen by the owner of the store to be the most favorable. As experience shows, frequently the first ideas are those, which establish the basis for the further interior concept.

As for the outcome, a convenient and cozy store with a warm aura was constructed. The result was reached by playing with spatiality, different materials and their textures. A particular accent in the overall concept of the interior was successfully created by using decorative corrugated profile metal sheets in the wall finishes, therefore granting the rooms particular elegance. As for the wall behind the shop counter, sheets of silver color were used, whereas black color sheets are displayed in the cafeteria area.

The materials generally used within the interior are metal, glass and faux stone, however, for instance, keeping in mind the architects’ idea, the cafeteria tables are made of natural stone. Together with the owner of the store, who eagerly took part in the whole reconstruction and interior process, various natural stone factories were visited to choose the most appropriate material and color tone. Since it is not necessary to buy a whole sheet of material for relatively small furniture, such as the tables, the tables were made by the effective use of scrap material.

Another solution used to create an aesthetically pleasing and comfortable interior concept were curtains for the windows facing the street. Thanks to a carefully chosen light fabric, the curtains fulfil the acoustic function, as well as grant a sense of privacy, therefore in a way helping one “distance” themselves from the street. The tone of the curtains – antique pink – works well with the stone tiles of the flooring (the only building element which was left from the previous owner and was not adjusted in any way) and the rest of the colors used in the space – black, pink and silver.

Objects from the store owner’s personal collection are placed next to and onto the walls – posters from various trips and places, as well as the so-called coffee books and interior magazines, which are placed in the shelves.

This was one of the projects in the creation of which the owner actively participated in since the very first day. The easy communication and creative process helped create an excellent solution with a cozy, charming and pleasant atmosphere, as confirmed by the clients, who live nearby MILS, as well as people who reside farther away. Reservations for breakfast in the weekends should be made early!

LLC Color Expert-Storch LV is a world-wide known German painter tool manufacturer and subsidiary company of wholesaler Storch-Ciret Group. The company offers all the necessities for coloring works, except the colors themselves. The product assortment includes different appliances for painters (brushes, rollers etc.), as well as the essential accessories (painting adhesive tapes, paint trays, wallpaper knives, protective films etc.).

For their office, the company chose industrial spaces in a building which was previously used for manufacturing. A completely new planning of the spaces was conducted. In the beginning there was one large room with high ceiling, concrete flooring, brick walls and support columns in the middle. The task was not only to replan the space and its layout itself, but also to develop a solution for creating a communication engineering project and make sure it operates successfully.

Regarding the planning of the space, the client wished for a functional planning for the office space, so it fits the corporate work environment canon. The new planning included a separation, keeping in mind the work function hierarchy. This was not the case of the traditional open space planning, but independent, isolated rooms for the board of the company, as well as the other structural units. The employee count expected in each space, along with the function and role of each room was kept in mind while conducting the plan, too. Overall, the planning is classic – the office rooms are separated by glass partitions, the office tables are set out by the windows, and in the middle of the rooms, a wide hallway, at the end of which a kitchen and sanitary unit can be found.

White and gray were chosen as the main colors for the rooms, however, the somewhat standardized office environment was made more fun and interesting by integrating the four characteristic company tones – blue, yellow, red and green, – in the interior.

The color mix is wittingly used in the ceiling finish. The rooms have exceptionally high ceiling with concrete cover beams and communication engineering elements attached to the ceiling as well, therefore creating an overall heavy feel. To create a more aesthetically pleasing look, the ceiling of each room was colored in blue, yellow, red or green. For example, in the office of the marketing team the ceiling is green, whereas in the entrance zone of the office and central hallway it is blue. Additionally, to avoid visual chaos, the surfaces of the communication engineering elements were colored in the same tone as well. The coloring was conducted with a paint spray system, therefore forming soft gradients from the tone accents to white wall planes.

A navigation graphic is set out on the floor – beginning from the main entrance 6 navigation lines are laid out on the floor. Three blue and three white tones were used in the graphic, each line of it leading to a different office – to the board, the sales department, rest area, training zone, conference room or the logistics and marketing unit. This type of solution associated with a seemingly infinite line drawn by a brush or roller.

The decorative secretary counter certainly illustrates the work of the company well – a glass wall is created within the frontal plane of it, behind which the production offered by the company, meaning, the tools necessary for various coloring jobs, is set out. This serves as yet another colorful and attention-grabbing accent within the interior.

Both the client and the architects are satisfied by the collaboration. The golden mean between the world of bright colors and the corporate and businesslike office atmosphere was successfully found!

Baltacon is a pharmaceutical service company, which offers medication storage, package processing and, thanks to the collaboration with logistic companies well-known within the pharmaceutical field, the delivery of medication to any place in the world. The company bought a two-story hangar-type industrial office and warehouse building in Riga, Kruze Street for the project.

The already existing room layout was not changed as it fit practically all the office necessities and the new owner’s wishes. Cosmetic repair was applied to the space, the flooring was changed, and new doors were put in. The client wished to give the rooms a modern, light and creative feel by simple methods. Since the brand color of Baltacon is a cyan tone, it was incorporated in the interior of both the office and the warehouse. The dominating color in the office is white, whereas the unifying element is a line in the color of the brand flowing throughout the whole space 0,9 meters above the floor. In specific areas cyan is used for the whole wall, for instance, in the entrance zone of the office, where it is elegantly combined with black. The color referencing the brand is also used in the interior elements – curtains, wall tiles, flooring and in other details. Most of the office furniture was based on sketches made by the architects and created by carpenters, therefore granting the rooms individuality. LED lights were chosen to brighten up the office.

Another task was to make the hangar-type warehouse zone more pleasant, by creating separate and, as much as possible, cozy workspaces for the warehouse personnel. Specially made metal mesh curtains were made specifically for the separation of workspaces. The curtains are easy to take cate of, do not gather dust and overall create a warmer atmosphere for the industrial space. Uniquely designed light fixtures were also chosen for the purpose to create a more home-like feel, therefore taking off attention from the 6-meter-tall ceiling and the impersonal sandwich-type panel walls.

A different accent of coziness – a small island in the middle of the warehouse, separated by velvet curtains. By closing the curtains, an interesting, closed room is created, which is good for rest, having conversations or eating lunch. The curtains serve as an acoustic barrier, as well as a dividing wall. The tone of the curtains was chosen to be cyan, the brand color of Baltacon.

Generally, the project – the office and warehouse space – confirms that by choosing the correct combination of colors, it is possible to create significant changes in interior. Colors hold power and in this case with the help of color, the previously indifferent rooms gained a personality of their own, simultaneously making sure the color mix does not create a disbalance. This is also great proof that no difficult manipulations are necessary to reach a fantastic result in creating a graceful and pleasant work environment.

The state joint stock company Latvia State Radio and Television Center (LVRTC) provides radio and television program transmission, electronic signature and other certification services, transmission of data, as well as supplies with data center and other to data connected assistance.

The office of LVRTC occupies two floors in one of the commercial complexes in Riga, where the factory Rīgas adītājs was once located. In the beginning, the space was a completely empty rectangular like room of industrial nature. During reconstruction, following the hot-desking principle, an open-plan office with various workspaces was created, therefore offering each employee to change their workspace according to their wishes, day plan or other factors. All workspaces are implemented next to windows. There is an everyday work zone, shared workspaces, a work zone with upholstered furniture, a quiet work zone and loud zone in the office. Each of the areas have their own specific range of functions.

In the middle of the office, stretching across the whole room, is the central core, which consists of separate, freestanding room groups. The planning provides free movement, there are no closed hallways, and the employees can walk around all the rooms. Each space has its own functionality – there are conference rooms, the so-called call rooms and call boxes, rooms for technical support, a space for printing, mini kitchens. Especially noteworthy is the room made specifically for children where the offsprings of employees can spend a fun and enjoyable time at. Nowadays, spaces for children in offices are unfortunately quite rare.

A significant detail is the installation in the entrance area – a design object made of historical radio and television equipment. There is an educational timeline explaining the development of radio and television in Latvia attached to the outer facets of the walls. Each conference room has been named after LVRTC television towers (Rīga, Liepāja, Cesvaine, Daugavpils, Ventspils, Valmiera), whereas the silhouette of the television tower in Riga seen on the logo has been implemented within the interior as a décor.

The company identity has been successfully implemented in the concept of the interior with the help of color tones, the dominating ones being red, white and black. Red has been implemented in the details and used as an element which connects all the zones. The white has been used in the outer walls and the ceiling, and included in some furniture, therefore creating an unsaturated general atmosphere. Black was chosen as the color of the central core to establish an elegant look.

The flooring is made of carpet tiles with a pixel-like pattern, which represents the company’s story regarding the enormous information and data quantity the employees work with daily. One of the most impressive design elements is the LED line lighting which smoothly arches through the entire office and resembles another facet of the identity of LVRTC – radio waves which bring the world together, and in this case – connect the inner small world of the office. The lighting is made from an elastic material tape with light emitting diodes, which is attached to the ceiling. Other lighting appliances are also used in the office, therefore allowing to switch on lighting in certain areas if needed.

To provide acoustics, wood fiber (fibrolite) plates are used in the interior. Some of the plates are individually painted, whereas others were chosen in the color palette provided by the manufacturer, therefore combining their aesthetic and practical function. Keeping in mind the office necessities, all engineering network planning and construction was done as well.

All planning and construction work, as well as the creation of interior within the LVRTC office was done in close cooperation with the client. The customer had a thoughtful and detail-oriented approach to the process, gained a deep understanding of the employees’ wishes, so that the office arrangement would be a pleasant space for all, as well as precisely executed the work tasks. Another significant factor was the trust the client had in the team of architects, resulting in an even more effective and prosperous pace of the project.