When discussing office designs, each region has its own pattern and they’re all more or less similar to each other. The stereotypes that are created, however, don’t necessarily focus on the best features of an office. The designs are usually impersonal and monotonous which is why lately a lot of office renovations try to break the stereotypes and introduce new design techniques and approaches.

This is the case with the LEO digital network headquarters located in Shanghai, China. The office was renovated in 2015 by LLLab, an architecture and design studio full of new and ingenious ideas that puts a creative spin on everything.

The new approach focuses on creating a design that inspires using specific materials and strategies. Glass, wood and concrete each play an important role in the overall design of the office. Given how vast the space is and the fact that the only source of natural light is the array of windows on the exterior walls, the team decided to use glass for the walls and partitions for the spaces within the headquarters.

By doing that, every meeting room and workspace gets to benefit from natural light. In addition, the glass also eliminates the visual barriers between the spaces, allowing the entire floor space to function as one large work environment.

It becomes clear that this is no ordinary office as soon as you reach the reception area. Here, a large wooden reception desk displays the company’s logo while a cloud-shaped light fixture sets a pleasant mood.

Advance and you’ll reach the individual offices, the meeting areas, the cafeteria and all the other spaces, each displaying a unique look but maintaining the same style throughout. A series of accent features such as the light fixtures, the potted plants, whiteboard walls and fresh touches of color create a relaxed and, at the same time, stimulating ambiances, focusing on increasing productivity.

Wood as a material also plays an important role in the overall design of the office. For example, it helps define the individual work spaces. They each feature transparent glass walls and the wooden floors offer them individuality allowing them to stand out as independent spaces even through they’re part of a much larger floor space.

Different spaces feature different décor strategies, ranging from eye-catching wood mosaics to rustic decors with a hint of Northern simplicity. The ambiance overall is relaxed and casual and the décor is professional and modern.

This refreshing design approach is meant to help create a pleasant work environment, this way increasing productivity at the office and stimulating creativity. The mixture of industrial and modern elements suits the space well even though they’re not eye-catching.