Sunny, friendly and hardworking are the three adjectives that I always use to describe the experience of working on the interior design of a project such as Avenue 77 in Malta. On my first visit to the island, I was enthralled by the fact that Malta is and has always been the crossroads of the Mediterranean. This in itself provided a good reference point for me being from Belgium, whereby we are considered to be the crossroads of central Europe.

Working in Malta, it was only a matter of time before I was introduced to the interior design of traditional Maltese homes. This is something that left a great impression on me and was, therefore, something I considered vitally important when it came to crafting the interior of Avenue 77.

I personally reflect on the origin of the interior design of Avenue 77 as a culmination of the design experience that I have been exposed to since I was very young, whilst interacting with the Old Masters of Interior Design; Vincent van Duysen and Christine Conix. I was always taught that design is only a reflection of the day and that as life evolves, we should also evolve our design at its pace. Therefore this was vital when it came to the foundation of the interior design of Avenue 77.

We now live in a very employee centred world, and therefore the environments created within Avenue 77 shall not be solely focused on increasing employee performance, but also shall focus heavily on activity-based spaces. Activity-based thinking is universal because it is not just activity-based, but what I would call ‘human-based’. We seek to apply the human factor on all levels, whilst keeping in mind that there’s no distinction as far as colour, race, gender, and religion are concerned.

Activity-based thinking is universal because it is not just activity-based, but what I would call ‘human-based’.

I believe that Avenue 77 is a gamechanger in the sense that it provides a new experience and a new feel to office planning and design within Malta, especially since we have dedicated ourselves to making this project as environmentally friendly as possible through the achievement of our BREEAM certification. Therefore I am certain that Avenue77 shall provide a safe, productive space for the growth of companies and their employees.

Being part of this project has been an exciting experience since my role requires me to be the glue between the overall design proposed by the architect and the international investors in this project, and therefore this has allowed me the space to express my personal interpretation of modern local design, whilst living up the international standards expected from this project.

I will leave you with a quotation taken directly from one of my mentors in the interior design sphere “Appeal is necessary for functionality to work” and this is the basis of all the work carried out at Avenue 77.

This interview with Sophie Top first appeared on Avenue77.com

This interview with Sophie Top first appeared on Avenue77.com