- Projects
- London
A London home, rooted in Saudi heritage
Global Financial Institution
Establishing a London presence called for a workplace that could bridge two worlds. For this Saudi-based financial institution, the new office needed to reflect its heritage while creating an elegant, reassuring environment for employees and clients in the UK.
-
Location
London
-
Sectors
-
Services
Creating a home from home
Permanence, discretion and trust shaped the brief. More than an everyday office for the London team, the 2,200 sq ft workplace near Bond Street needed to feel like a home for clients visiting from Saudi Arabia. AIS brought both together through a bespoke approach, balancing subtle cultural references with the comfort and hospitality of a more residential environment. The workplace needed to balance the day-to-day needs of its London team with the experience of visiting clients.
AIS shaped the space around both, combining open-plan workspace with a boardroom, meeting room, CEO’s office and tea point. A dedicated guest office gives visiting clients their own private base, with a workstation and lounge setting allowing the space to move between work, meetings and downtime. The result brings workplace and hospitality together in one considered environment, professional enough for a global financial institution, but personal enough to feel like a home in London.
-
Size
2200 sq ft
-
Completed
2025
Two cultures, one material language
Materiality brings the client’s Saudi heritage and London setting together with subtlety. The reception sets the tone with the client’s logo carved into a Corian backdrop reminiscent of a stone wall, paired with a substantial stone desk. Behind it, a cascading chain curtain wraps around existing columns, introducing movement and softness while guiding people through the space.
Porcelain and marble flooring in matt and gloss finishes continue onto the walls, reflecting light from LEDs that trace the ceilings and creating a sense of flow. Walnut joinery adds warmth, complemented by brass accents, teal velvet upholstery and bespoke coloured carpet.
Privacy is integrated through acoustic panels, smoked glass, voile curtains and a private phone booth, creating discretion without enclosure. References to Saudi culture are equally subtle, with green accessories and decorative pieces introducing a colour associated with progress, prosperity and generosity.
Together, these elements create a rich but restrained environment that connects two cultures without relying on overt gestures.
Precision in every detail
Creating a workplace with such a refined material palette demanded precision throughout the build, particularly where stone, lighting and bespoke architectural elements come together. Stone, Corian, marble and porcelain required careful installation to achieve clean transitions and maintain the seamless quality of the design. Integrated LED lighting was coordinated alongside these finishes to highlight surfaces and architectural lines while keeping the overall effect soft and understated.
The reception brought some of the project’s most complex elements together. Its substantial stone desk sits against a precisely carved Corian backdrop, while the cascading chain curtain was designed around the building’s existing columns to create a continuous feature without disrupting the flow of the space.
Across the 2,200 sq ft workplace, close attention was paid to junctions, finishes and bespoke details. The result is an execution that feels effortless, with the complexity of the build sitting quietly behind the simplicity of the finished environment.
The details that make it feel like home
Furniture and styling bring a softer, more residential layer to the workplace, balancing the architectural qualities of stone, marble and walnut with comfort, colour and personality.
Teal velvet seating introduces richness, while relaxed lounge settings create a different rhythm from the more formal working and meeting spaces. This is particularly important in the dedicated guest office, where a workstation and lounge furniture allow visiting clients to move easily between focused work, informal meetings and downtime during their time in London.
Smaller details make the environment feel more personal. AIS supported the client in selecting objects including Eames House Birds, handmade Bath Aqua Glass vases and Burleigh pottery with green detailing, creating individual moments of character throughout the workplace.
A home from home, built to last
The finished workplace brings the client’s Saudi roots into its new London setting with subtlety and confidence. Cultural references, enduring materials and residential details come together in an environment that feels intimate rather than imposing, luxurious without excess.
