Sundari Patibandla, a chartered accountant, had many overseas clients who had requested for temporary workspaces when they came here for work-she at best could arrange for a three workstation-space for a few. Such demands only increased over time and so did the expenditure, that’s when she founded a business centre of her own to cater to her client base and meet the burgeoning needs of the co-working space market. She had visited almost every business centre and co-working space in the city to visualise her idea of an office space and its design. No wonder, iSprout’s interiors (designed by Cutting Edge Design Studio) are a class of their own-the elements, the hues and the vibe tell a unique story.
Isprout’s design is mounted on a grey canvas-the colour being an ideal complement to all other hues that exist in every palette. The lounge opens with a cycle in a corner (this is only for the design-you can’t ride it)- to its right on the wall is a quote that says ‘Believe in yourself’. The furniture comes alive on a four-wheeler themed stand while the murals, porcelain work contribute to the visual language.
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With a flattering start, we think it would be tough for other elements in the workspace to match up to the start-but we’re proved wrong. The sprawling open space (for their co-working space clients) exudes a global outlook. There are out-of-the-box pendant lights, multiple visual references to the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame ,the UK flag and metaphors that make it more than the sum of its elements. There are Steve Mc Curry’s photographs from the time he spent in the country, the other photographs (of various parts of Europe) in the cabins too tap your wanderlust desires with a selection of vintage bikes and cycles (again!). The love for the wheels we realise is the fondness the interior designers Phanidhar Paturi and Jhansi Paturi attach to their mechanical engineering qualification.
There’s the silhouette of a heavily guarded man near the fire alarm, even the washrooms come with a quote that suggests ideas can sprout at the unlikeliest of places. The workspace is flexible- there are connected cabins in case a startup has larger teams and several divisions. The manager cabins exude a touch of royalty. The number of workstations in an area can only be altered on special request-mostly for those who’re looking for a space in the long term.The whiteboards aren’t just white, a tiny part of it comes alive with a Calvin and Hobbes reference. The man-made touch in the space is adeptly complemented by natural light. There are quotes on glass doors and walls-of Ratan Tata, Steve Jobs, Rabindranath Tagore.
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There’s a calling booth, a collaborative space (to break the monotony of a workstation) and a lawn-like arrangement in the balcony that lends completeness to the workspace. Of course, work is never complete without food-the interiors of the cafeteria (that functions 24X7) are so jolly good that you’d rather give up eating and notice its design elements. “Our insistence on the global vibe of the space is to cater to our clients across the world. The main idea behind making it a business centre and not a co-working space is to ensure privacy and confidentiality to a firm. There’s anyway an open space for others too,” Sundari adds. She and the designers Jhansi, Phanidhar even shopped in China for a few design elements. They were particular of white not being included in the colour palette- they felt it would make the design feel flat. While they concede design is important-it’s the practicality that scores over anything else. Given Sundari’s strengths, she’s game to assist her clients on all paper work that they may need too. Isprout may soon sprout in centres like Banjara Hills, Financial District and Vijayawada too.
Isprout
What: Business Centre
Where: Kondapur
Area: 12500 square feet
Starts at: Rs 12000 per workstation per month
(Companies who want to be featured in the column can write in to hydmetroplus@thehindu.co.in)