Inside my office
Steve Leach’s boutique serviced offices on Queen Street
Who works in an office like this? i-on takes a peek inside new boutique serviced offices on Queen Street, a venture from award-winning Scottish entrepreneur, Steve Leach, and perhaps the slickest offices in town.
“Serviced offices are all so grey and boring,” says entrepreneur Steve Leach of his latest project. “As a client I’d find it hard to be inspired by that - after all, habitat speaks a lot about a person or company. I wanted to create an environment that staff would enjoy and one that would reflect the personalities of the businesses as well as impress clients.” And if first impressions do count, then this office will definitely impress.
Set over two neighbouring townhouses on Queen Street, a central location was essential for Steve. “I’ve always loved Queen Street’s varied architecture so when the opportunity arose to buy two good sized neighbouring buildings in the right location I couldn’t resist.
“Originally built in the late 1700s for the Goldsmiths, one of the properties hadn’t been touched in at least 60 years prior to our arrival – it was very dark and dingy with rickety staircases. The upside to the lack of upkeep was that cornicing and plasterwork didn’t have years of paint layers ruining them.
“We’ve made some significant changes with the building décor but structurally the building is very similar. We’ve preserved the traditional architectural features of the building both inside and out; painstakingly restoring all the fireplaces and plasterwork internally whilst reinstating all the original stonework externally. We even modified the original safe room - with its half ton steel door - into a shower room. We chose D&F Contractors to do the work because they’re hard working, trustworthy, reasonably priced and have real attention to detail.”
The interior design of the workplace wonderland was down to creative talents of design director Alison Vance and her team at Jeffreys Interiors in Stockbridge. 14 months in the making, there are now top hats used as lights, gun door handles and Alcatraz jail toilets.
“We’ve worked with Jeffreys for some years now,” explains Steve. “They’ve got great skills, they ‘get’ us and they are right at home with a more quirky project.” But Steve also added his own personal touches too. “I often refer to Queen Street as the resting place for all the slightly unusual memorabilia I’ve collected over the years that my wife refuses to house,” he laughs.
“I’m an aviation nut so love the reception desk that is made from a 737 door and the table made from a DC3 tail plane (pictured above right). They’re beautifully made and I love the romantic thought of all the destinations around the world that they may have seen.” Sourced online by Steve and then shipped from Turkey, a reception area has never instilled such wanderlust.
Proving that boardroom meetings can be inspirational where ideas and creativity flows, the power of art is a focal point too. “I love a blank canvas and thought the idea of ultra violet paint and UV lights could be really interesting so we commissioned a young graffiti artist, via Gumtree, to create some wall art in the meeting room.
“My favourite room though is the Q15Bar (main picture). It’s our private bar and a great size for 10 to 60 people. It’s a fantastic place to host a reception and it’s a warm and welcoming space without any pretensions.”
If you’re now thinking what we’re thinking you’ll want to move office too. Currently 15 Queen Street isn’t advertised but word of mouth is a powerful thing. “I suppose I’m keen to attract other like-minded businesses to create a type of incubator right in the city centre,” Steve says optimistically.