L'Oréal Regional Office: Working with Light and Nature

WORKSPACES · KOLKATA

White desks are arranged in groups beneath a reddish-brown ceiling, with planters running along their edges. Beyond the glass partitions, blue armchairs, orange sofas and window-side booths offer seats away from the desks. Designed by groupDCA for L’Oréal, the regional office occupies approximately 759 m² at South City Business Park in Kolkata.

White reception desk, woven pendant lights and orange and blue seats in front of the L’Oréal sign — A centrally positioned reception desk sits beneath woven pendant lights, with orange and blue seating on either side.

Open workstations, grey screens and greenery beneath an exposed reddish-brown ceiling — Open workstations are grouped along the circulation routes, with continuous planters at the edges of the desks.

Everyday Workstations by the Windows

According to the designers, the building’s glass façade presented problems with heat build-up and glare, while tinted glazing also affected the light entering the interior. Workstations and collaborative areas used for longer periods were placed around the perimeter, with meeting rooms, storage and other support spaces further inside the plan.

Desk orientation was adjusted, with curtains and blinds used to regulate the light. Artificial lighting supplements light levels in the inner rooms. Stepped seating and lounge areas by the windows give staff places to sit and talk away from their desks.

Wood-toned stepped seating by the windows and circular ceiling lights — Wood-toned stepped seating stands in front of the windows, with tables and chairs placed before it.

Blue armchairs, an orange sofa and a round side table by the windows — Blue woven armchairs and an orange sofa sit beside the windows, backed by a patterned partition.

Eating and Taking a Break by the Windows

The cafeteria occupies a corner of the plan, with tables, wooden chairs and booth seating arranged along the windows. It is used for meals, short breaks and informal conversations.

Wood-toned finishes form a series of rounded outlines beside the windows, with booths and small tables beneath them. Overhead, wave-shaped elements run alongside exposed services, and ring-shaped lights hang above the dining tables. Freestanding tables supplement the window-side booths.

Wooden chairs, white tables, ring lights and wave-shaped ceiling elements — Wooden chairs and white tables furnish the cafeteria, beneath wave-shaped ceiling elements interspersed with ring lights.

Reddish-brown booth seats and white tabletops beneath rounded wood-toned finishes — Wood-toned finishes with rounded corners sit above the window-side booths, with tables between the facing seats.

A Choice of Seats and Connecting Meeting Rooms

The office has 52 workstations, five meeting rooms, one conference room and three breakout and interaction areas. Staff can choose where to sit and keep personal belongings in lockers.

Two of the smaller meeting rooms can be connected for larger discussions. Individual phone booths are available for calls, focused work and confidential conversations. The lounge areas have sofas and a coffee station.

White reception desk, blue sofa and glazed meeting room beneath woven pendant lights — A curved white reception desk stands beside a blue sofa; a meeting table is visible beyond the glass partition.

Woven Lights beneath a Reddish-Brown Ceiling

Woven pendant lights hang above the reception desk, alongside Anutone acoustic elements. According to the project description, the latter provide sound absorption. The office also includes murals by local artists.

Services remain exposed beneath the reddish-brown ceiling, while blue and orange seating furnishes the reception lounge. Planters line the desk groups, with circulation routes running alongside.

The communal washbasin area has walls divided into warm-coloured and grey sections. Two rounded mirrors hang above a continuous white basin.

Two mirrors, a continuous basin and two-tone walls in the communal washbasin area — Two rounded mirrors sit above a continuous white basin, with grey and warm-coloured walls meeting above the counter.

Two orange armchairs and a small round table beside a full-height window — Two orange armchairs flank a small round table in front of a full-height window.

Long table, black office chairs and wave-shaped ceiling elements — Black office chairs line a long table, with wave-shaped ceiling elements continuing overhead.

Office corridor between planted workstations and glazed rooms — Workstations with planters line one side of the corridor, with glass-partitioned rooms on the other.

White window-side table, reddish-brown booth seats and rounded finish details — A white table sits by the window between reddish-brown booth seats, beneath rounded wood-toned finishes.

Open office at dusk with linear lights, planters and views through the windows — As the sky darkens outside, linear lights illuminate the office, where planters alternate with groups of desks.

Workstations, dining areas and lounge seating occupy positions close to the windows, while meeting rooms and storage are arranged further inside the office.

Project credits

Project — L’Oréal Regional Office
Location — South City Business Park, Kolkata, India
Interior design — groupDCA
Project type — Regional office
Area — 8,175 sq ft (approximately 759 m²)
Start date — October 2024
Completion — March 2025
Photography — Jeetin Sharma
Images and original feature — Re-thinking The Future
Studio source — groupDCA
Editorial adaptation — 01DES