There’s no house style at Holloway Li, the interior architecture studio founded by Alex Holloway and Na Li. Rather, the London practice imbues its blockbuster projects with “set-piece moments.” Much as in theatre design, these architectural components and furnishings make all the difference in driving home a clear, holistic concept. It comes as no surprise, then, that when outfitting British entertainment company Broadwick Live’s massive London HQ, Holloway Li introduced a refined, monolithic aesthetic not dissimilar to the one found at the electronic music and arts promoter’s popular post-industrial clubs, including Printworks and the newly opened Drumsheds in the former Ikea Tottenham.

Applying an all–matte black colour palette, including for the sculptural blackened steel staircase and custom T4 lounge chairs, Holloway Li introduced intrigue through textured plaster and concrete walls.

The most emblematic set-piece objects in the HQ: the sinuous central staircase, sculpted microcement reception desk and custom edition of the popular T4 chair that populates the reception area. “The company wanted to translate their simple and direct monochromatic brand identity into the office. It also wanted the environment to be flexible, able to transition between workspace in the daytime and event space in the evening,” says Holloway. To create a dramatic venue that brilliantly switches purpose from daytime office to nocturnal hub, these star design elements are executed in slate black, Broadwick Live’s signature tone. On the subject of detail (and practicality), the two-level, 657 square-metre space blends aspects of domestic and hospitality design. Answering the demands of the post-COVID-19 landscape, custom communal tables cater to hot desking staff members and host meals later in the day.

Employees can also work from low-lying Ligne Roset Togo sofas and tailor-made banquette seating. Kitchen counters and well-stocked bookshelves help bring in a feeling of home — or of a welcoming hotel lobby. And to complement the high-drama matte black moments, an otherwise varied colour and material palette rounds out the scheme. Exposed silver foil–wrapped ductwork and bright red pipework meander above different spaces, and the concrete and texture-plastered walls take on a similar matted grey or earth tone as the deeply castellated beams. These various components add visual complexity to the mostly open-plan office.