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Interiors & Interior Design

Tropical digital designs ‘On The Beach’ with Komfort

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Komfort’s unique design solutions have transformed the new offices of one of the UK’s leading Internet based holiday agencies ‘On The Beach’, in Cheadle, just outside Manchester. Tropical themed glass manifestations havebeen combined with a series of digital wall coverings to provide a strong brand presence and reflect the company’s ethos to staff and visitors.

OnThe Beach sent over 750,000 holidaymakers abroad in 2012, with the prospect of boosting annual figures to 1 million in 2013. As part of this growth plan, On The Beach moved to new premises in the North West. However, finding a unique and cost effective way to incorporate their strong brand values within the office interiors of the new building proved a challenge for facilities manager Jackie Taylor.

2“We had a limited budget for the design element of the refurbishment, which needed to include our branding. By using Komfort’s manifestations on the glass partitions, we were able to retain as much light as possible within the limited space along with integrating our essential corporate branding. I have used glass manifestations on previous office refurbishments and found them to be a unique and cost effective way of combining branding and design.”

Three versions of Komfort’s etched window film range were applied in individual layers to create a 3D effect on the glass partition. This range allows approximately 80% – 85% of light transmittance, but due to the etched appearance this therefore prevents any direct vision through the partition, offering privacy without compromising the light coming into the building.

To create definition, films with different opacities were used to build the manifestation. ‘Opal Frost’ is the lightest in the range of films, used next to a darker etched window film ‘Avery Etch’, along with ‘Frosted Crystal’, another dark film infused with a metallic shimmer that increases the light reflection throughout the manifestation. The self-adhesive etched window films provide a modern replacement for atraditional method of glass decoration, delivering the desired etched effect without the associated cost.

Another manifestation variant widely used across the project was colour printed transparent film.Using advanced digital techniques Komfort recreated intricate outlines of abeach setting, including beach balls, signposts and parasols. These were printed in full Pantone colours onto vinyl and were brought to life with computer-aided cutting machinery. These self-adhesive films were then reverse applied to a range of glass surfaces within the offices. This included partitions fronting the boardroom and various office spaces, providing a unique and functional design element to this refurbishment.

This combination of manifestation options offers flexibility on privacy, with various films providing different levels of discretion when applied. The colour printed transparent film allows a passer by to see directly through the film whilst the etched window film only allows shadows and silhouettes to be seen.

Komfort also provided bespoke digitally printed wallpaper at the On The Beach offices. Following the tropical theme used on the transparent coloured manifestation, images of sandy beaches and clear blue seas were printed, again in full Pantone colours, from an eco solvent inkjet printer onto 50m wallpaper rolls. This printing format gives the images a sharper finish, producing a wall covering that makes an impact in any office or commercial environment, and is easily applied usingconventional application methods. Of the six images used, one was transformed into an impressive 10m wide mural of a typical seaside scene specifically for the office training room.

Jason Lawford, senior graphic designer at Komfort’s Leeds office said: “We were thrilled to be able to provide the solution to such a unique project. The combination of manifestations and digital wallpaper give the office space a variety of distinct features that demonstrate both brand and corporate identity and provide an attractive aesthetic finish. Komfort’s state of the art signage and graphics division has the facilities to create a product finish of an exceptionally high standard, even on a small budget, and the On The Beach project proves this.”

www.komfort.com