Designed as an immersive workplace for publisher Hardie Grant, the project foregrounds storytelling through a warm, materially grounded interior that reflects the evolution of the company’s publishing, digital and marketing arms.

Appointed during the building selection phase, Carr guided the client to T3 Collingwood, a mass timber commercial building whose warmth, structure and creative context became central to the design response. Rather than competing with the building, the design amplifies its qualities through a low-intervention approach that celebrates the exposed timber frame, daylight and surrounding neighbourhood.

Hardie Grant’s publications form the heart of the spatial experience. Displayed throughout the workplace, books act simultaneously as archive, identity and colour, transforming the office into a living expression of the company’s creative output.

Spatial planning prioritises openness, flexibility and connection. A traditional reception is replaced with an integrated arrival, breakout and dining space designed to host events, launches and informal collaboration, while quieter zones support editorial work.

Material restraint reinforces the concept. Cork flooring, raw MDF shelving, clay-toned joinery and reused furniture create a calm palette that allows the building and the client’s work to remain the visual focus.

The result is a workplace that feels distinctly Hardie Grant: welcoming, creative and adaptable.

Photography: Tom Blachford, Miranda Stokkel