A collaboration between Bill Amberg Studio and Universal Design Studio, our design for a leather reception desk and door handles at a co-working premises for The Office Group shows off our mastery of leather interior design.

Universal Design Studio created the workspace in keeping with their ethos of ‘designed to last. The material palette leans heavily on natural materials such as wood, leather and cork that develop a patina with time rather than needing to be replaced.

The desk’s distinctive concertina design was informed by the architects, echoing the pattern of the flooring as well as showing the leather off nicely, with both shade and light playing on the surface as you view it from different angles.

Utilising full vegetable-tan shoulders which are semi-analine, the desk front and handles are soft and pleasant to the touch, while offering a depth of colour that will develop a richness over time.

The nature of leather also means it will alter according to the amount of light hitting each panel, creating variation and interest. The vertical edges display the thickness and substance of the material and are hand-stitched using a heavy waxed thread: a technique that usually only seen on shoe-soling or heavy saddlery work. This has the advantage of looking just as good from both sides, in contrast to a typical machine stitch that often has a thinner bobbin thread on the reverse side. The same stitch technique has been used on the leather door hands which provide a welcoming touch.

The vegetable-tanned leather also offers a substantial polished edge that you can’t achieve with commercial upholstery leathers – adding a sense of weight and solidity. As this is a co-working space, there was a need to keep the design classic without being too imposing so that it is appropriate for varied clients.

‘That’s always the trick with offices: to have a sense of identity without it being so much that it stamps out the aesthetic of any future tenant. It’s a fine balance – you want to be inviting without being too intimidating. There’s a lot of geometry going on – the idea being to keep the materials simple and rich in themselves, rather than using superficial details’ – Bill Amberg