The Most Beautiful Italian Office Lobby Design

Location

Basingstoke

Type

Office

Area

1,700 sqft / 160 sqm

Budget

£75k
The client wanted to put “Florence” back into The Florence Building. They needed a reception area that did more than just process visitors: they wanted a talking point. The brief was to transform a standard office lobby in Basingstoke into a vibrant, Italian-inspired destination that would make people smile the moment they walked in.
Bia Lorenzo was the project designer while at Office Profile / Pinnacle Furniture.
The Approach
The concept didn’t do subtle. It incorporated a genuine Fiat 500 nose to serve as a drinks cooler and a tea point inspired by the iconic Piaggio Ape van. These functional touchpoints turn getting a coffee into an experience. To anchor the theme, a large-scale wall mural of Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus was installed. It provides a dramatic, classical backdrop that contrasts beautifully with the modern furniture. While the theme is fun, the function is serious. Diverse seating pockets (from high-backed booths for quick meetings to lounge chairs for waiting guests) ensure the lobby works as a flexible third space for the building’s tenants.
The Result
A lobby that users actually want to hang out in. By mixing high-impact props with practical layout planning, we created a space that is memorable, photogenic, and unmistakably Italian — proving that office design doesn’t always have to be serious to be successful.