Office design at Morning is something we know inside out; and the trades within this field are becoming ever more diverse. Since 2018, the team has created more than 30 workspaces, all across the Paris region. Every project is a one-off, an original setting with its own constraints and particular needs. To bring so many projects to life, Morning has a team of 25 people, all driven by the desire to design workspaces in step with the challenges of our times. In the team’s sights, a twofold objective: responding to the changes in the world of work, and operating with a minimal ecological footprint.
Delivering such projects calls for a broad range of trades: works project manager, interior architects, designer, cabinetmakers and sales manager. To find out more, some members of the team tell us about their day-to-day work to help us better grasp the challenges and skills of their roles.
Works & fit-out project manager:
"To orchestrate and move forward in the right direction."
Works project managers would be better called conductors. They are in charge of the smooth running of the project, from start to finish. This responsibility involves managing schedules and keeping to the budgets that have been set, while bearing in mind all the constraints imposed.
Day to day, project managers coordinate all the in-house teams (works, architects, designer) as well as external services (suppliers and subcontractors). To do this properly, the project manager is present on site, carrying out certain tasks themselves. Théo Bermejo – a works project manager at Morning for 2 years – confirms just how varied the job is: “Every day is different, the tasks are hugely varied. Excel spreadsheets, site supervision, drawing up plans on AutoCAD... The site manager has to be versatile!”
The works project manager also has to cope with the pressure and the unexpected turns of daily life on site. According to Emma Imboden, this job demands real organisational and adaptability skills: “There are problems to solve at every moment; at every turn we have to find solutions. For the fit-out of Morning Concorde, we had drawn up the plans for the workspace from documents we had been sent. When we took over the building, we discovered an enormous crank handle right in the middle of a space that was meant to house a meeting room… Quite a surprise, which forced us to rethink all our plans in a hurry.”
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Sophia Rebouh joined the Morning team three and a half years ago and moved into the works team in November 2019. As a fit-out project manager, she oversaw the opening of Morning République (read also: "Morning secures a spot at République"). An unforgettable experience, by her own account, having led the team that took over a former customs warehouse of 6,000m2, spread over 7 floors of 800m² each. And all of it in 8 weeks! Sophia opens up: “At the time, I didn’t know much about building works. We managed to pull off the project all together anyway, within almost impossible deadlines. Not least thanks to a fine team spirit.”
Interior architect:
"To tell a story and bring the space to life"
The interior architects at Morning aim to create spaces that are both functional and beautiful, distinctive and innovative. Working alongside the works project managers, they restructure the spaces before they go to market. To do this, they readapt what already exists according to the uses specific to each workspace and the particular needs of the clients.
Just like a works manager, the interior architect juggles a great many tasks, spanning technical as well as aesthetic aspects. In charge of space planning, they have to produce detailed fit-out plans specifying partitioning, lighting, furniture and layout. Throughout the project, the interior architect also has to handle a management role. This involves drawing up provisional budgets and listing all the purchases, with a budgetary balance to be respected always in mind.
Their responsibilities lead them to create moodboards to convey the spirit of the place they want to bring across. Materials, colours, shapes, but also choices of furnishing and decoration. The inspiration boards must present the future atmosphere of the space to be transformed.
Perrine Marteau has been an interior architect at Morning for two years. For her, her job is a genuine passion: "The architect is there to tell a story, to find inspiration to create an atmosphere in the spaces. At Morning, we have a great deal of creative freedom, and that is what makes every project so stimulating and so full of learning. Each time, we have to innovate and keep an eye on the latest trends.”
Perrine stresses the challenges that such a role brings: “Every day, we have to meet all kinds of expectations. Setting up the Too Good To Go head office was a sizeable challenge. Fitting out the 1,500m2 of the head office came with a major constraint: filling all the spaces with 100% reused furniture. A wonderful project, demanding, and an intense amount of work on the part of the architects." (Read also: "Works in 6 weeks, we didn’t think it possible")
Product designer:
"To design objects rooted in how they are used"
Julian Langevin has been a furniture designer within the Morning team for more than two years. He is responsible for developing the furniture range and designs bespoke Morning pieces.
For its furniture range, Morning works with French manufacturers. These are mass-produced pieces such as desks, meeting tables, lockers, and so on. When it comes to bespoke work, Julian designs the furniture and its look; the cabinetmakers then take care of making it. Julian, for his part, sketches his ideas and then models them in 3D.
He also produces the technical plans and prototypes, and checks the quality of the installations. The designer, for example, conceived, sketched and modelled all the meeting tables for Morning Concorde. These were created to measure, in keeping with the atmosphere of the space (read also: "The art of the table, by Morning»). In his job and at Morning, what interests Julian is the diversity of the projects. "I love the constant renewal, with always new places and new problems to solve”, he tells us.
The cabinetmakers
"To craft bespoke pieces"
Once the design of a product is finished, architects and designers pass on their bespoke requirements to the cabinetmakers: bookcases, alcoves, meeting tables… It is the cabinetmakers who bring the ideas to life! “Once we’ve got the plans, it’s over to us: ordering the raw materials, making the pieces in the workshop and installing them on site… We can also be called on to work with the designer on the technical side of the furniture range they draw up”, explains Soline, a cabinetmaker at Morning for two and a half years.
What does she love about Morning? “The great freedom we’re given, the trust, the diversity of the projects, and the workshop, of course! Seeing how a new space evolves over the last 3 days of the project is always impressive!” This crack team builds tables, bookcases, coffee bars, desks... For the Morning Concorde space, no fewer than 17 bespoke meeting tables came out of the Bagnolet workshop. If you want to know a little more about our cabinetmakers, do read the article: "Our cabinetmakers really deliver the goods".
Sales manager:
"To support our clients"
Charles-Hervé looks after the sales side of design at Morning. His work consists mainly of seeking out potential clients and handling incoming enquiries; after which he takes on the task of supporting the people he speaks with across their various needs.
Charles-Hervé needs an excellent sense of interpersonal relationships: the difficulty in the business developer role lies in the prospecting work. But while this search can sometimes prove tough going, the game is well worth the candle. This delicate phase then gives way to a more enjoyable one: relationships with clients, negotiations, contact and support.
A plus point highlighted by Charles-Hervé: “In this job, I connect with people I would surely never have met anywhere other than at Morning: cabinetmakers, architects, designer… This diversity makes for fascinating exchanges, and I learn something every day.”
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☞ Fancy joining the team? Take a look at our job and internship openings on our Welcome To The Jungle page!
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