Tom Mark Henry and MullenLowe Profero have comparable ambitions for their clients: to contribute to the creation of unique and exceptional brands on emotive and functional levels. And while Tom Mark Henry does this via physical space and MullenLowe Profero via online space, the two companies have collaborated to create MullenLowe Profero’s new Sydney workplace that inspires its staff and excites its clients.

MullenLowe Profero is a global digital marketing agency that, in the words of the company, creates experiences that gets it clients an unfair share of attention. “This philosophy is now present in MullenLowe Profero’s office from the moment clients step through the door,” says Cushla McFadden, Director of Tom Mark Henry. “The design combines the Art Deco spirit of the heritage building with the creative character of the agency’s brand, and caters to a growing team and flexible working styles.”

MullenLowe Profero’s new workplace is located in a late-1930s building on Cleveland Street in Surry Hills, Sydney. The building has undergone a process of adaptive reuse with its original timber-paneled windows, exposed brick and cast-iron columns retained throughout. Tom Mark Henry’s fit out of the 550-square-metre space respects the historical significance of these features, while enhancing the interior with modern elements that take their cues from the Art Deco era.  

The material palette is classic with traditional wainscoting enclosing the booth-like meeting nooks; plush velvet, deep walnut and top-grain leather furnishings with brass details to finish. The colour palette is equally timeless with rich hues such as burgundy, violet, navy, olive, mustard and green complementing the materials. Natural light streaming through the original timber-framed windows brings out the natural tones of the walnut flooring while the dark ceiling is designed to recede. Tom Mark Henry custom-designed elements throughout the workplace including the sconces in the meeting rooms and pendant lamp in the boardroom as well as the reception counter, meeting nooks and standing desks.

Always incorporating an element of the unexpected into their work, the design team at Tom Mark Henry injected the tongue-in-cheek spirit of the brand into the contemporary Art Deco space. MullenLowe Profero’s “Challenger Octopus” logo – a boxing-gloved octopus that represents the different arms of the agency’s network and its risk-taking attitude – is featured on the painted batten wall behind the Grigio Orsola stone reception counter. The client also applied a “Challenger Octopus” decal to the windows of the building.

The functional design of the MullenLowe Profero office will serve the agency well into the future as it provides for the growth of the team and flexible working styles with standing desks, conference rooms, meeting nooks and lounge areas. The digital agency also had very specific requirements regarding IT and AV, which Tom Mark Henry carefully and seamlessly worked into the design.

Tom Mark Henry has created a rich and colourful workplace to inspire MullenLowe Profero’s team and excite its clients, ultimately helping the agency to – like Tom Mark Henry – create experiences that deservedly warrant a great deal of attention.

Tom Mark Henry thrives on the creative development of unique and exceptional spaces such as the MullenLowe Profero workplace and continues to push the boundaries of design and expectation with its authentic and adaptable approach.

Data Sheet

Client name— MullenLowe Profero
Location— Sydney
Architects— NA
Designers— Tom Mark Henry
Project Manager— MainBrace
Collaborators— NA
Engineers— NA
Budget— Client wishes to not disclose
Project End Date—2017
Photographer—Damian Bennett