Weird and wonderful ideas for their own space found Oatly wishing to make the move from a serviced office agreement to investing in a private workspace which could successfully support and highlight their unique brand character. Following a long space search for over 18 months, the food and drink organisation partnered with Kitt Offices for the design, build and ongoing management of their new home in Farringdon.

“Kitt is like an extension of Oatly in a sense. A true partnership, they really blended with the team,” explains Laura Wyatt, UK Head of People at Oatly."

During the visioning process, Swedish-born Oatly strove to pay unmistakable homage to its Scandinavian roots through seeking to advocate a coffee shop style space, with a quirky vibe, lots of atmosphere and stunning views across London city.

Also, a priority, was the paramount necessity of addressing employees needs with design measures in place from the outset which would satisfy Oatly’s diverse workforce.  The playful space has ample character highlighting pastel colors, rustic woodgrains, lots of plants and customized wall graphics.

Central to one floor is the coffee station, a space with large windows and window seats, affording beautiful views of the surrounding district. Low ceilings, dark wood flooring and soft lighting and curtains results in a relaxing, invigorating space for employees to take a break, grab a coffee and connect with peers. The coffee bar is also a great medium to highlight the brand’s oat milk products as well as providing various food and drink amenities for the enhanced experience of the user.

On the subsequent floor, the space is allocated to a mixture of differing types of workstations including traditional desking, focused spaces, meeting rooms and breakout spaces and booths. Spacestor worked with Oatly and Kitt Offices to provide their Railway Carriages, as a modular space for employees to focus or hold small collaborative sessions with two to three people. Customized in a light blue upholstery and set against uniquely branded wall graphics, the meeting booths provide a sanctuary for creative thinking and productive communication.

The floor also opens out onto an outside roof terrace featuring plenteous planting, picnic-style tables, and seating and a more enclosed outside meeting pod. Designed for team huddles in the summer months and socialising in a natural environment, the roof terrace helps to bridge the gap between nature and the built environment, providing an area with a multiplicity of functions depending on the needs of the individual employee.

"Everyone had such a positive reaction, the team were really excited after months of working from home, having this light at the end of the tunnel with this new Oatly home of ours was such a huge positive force." Continues Laura, going on to explain that “An office isn’t just a place that you come and sit anymore 9-5 in front of a computer, it’s a much more dynamic space and a more intentional use of different types of space.”