Our design starting point was to imagine EY were opening a “flagship store” and envisage what that would look like for consumers. The space also had to be highly versatile, so it was important to create a flexible space – but one that was coherent and could be viewed as one.

Another crucial consideration was to focus on making sure the space lived the values of EY, its cerebral insights, global network, and internationally respected expertise and knowledge. As a result, we were very keen to avoid post-modern interpretations, which would create a design of “what yesterday thought tomorrow might look like” or tired perceptions of what a startup might look like, for example, with hipster-style chipboard décor.

The resulting design is on-brand, contemporary and sleek, which mirrors the high-level ethos and values of one of the world’s most respected businesses.