One of my fondest memories as a child was spending school holidays at my Dad’s work. My days consisted of many different and exciting events for an eight year old girl. When I arrived, I was allowed to pick a spot in the office where I could set up my colouring station and my toys. This spot changed every day, because no one had a set desk and I was always the first one there with Dad. I did have a favourite spot, under the window that looked out towards the city, but Dad said I wasn’t allowed to sit there every day because it was other people’s favourite too. Once I had set up camp for the day, it was time to begin the activities.
Dad’s work spanned over a series of floors in the building, so the whole thing felt like a big maze to me. Every day I would find a different room, or meet a new person. It was great. It was something else, that office interior design. Melbourne at the time, was a maze to me, and this was my own personal maze within the gigantic one. The whole place was one big adventure. I loved it.
I loved watching my Dad work too. I could tell he was important, even though I didn’t know what his role was. He just seemed to know what he was doing and people seemed to trust everything he said. It looked like he was their hero just like he was mine. I later found out he was the CEO of a huge multinational company, but to me at the time, he was just Dad.
Looking back, I think Dad had the layout of the office designed just for me. It was so intricate that it makes sense that he designed it that way just to keep me entertained. It was the perfect example for office fitouts. Melbourne offices are all designed to keep the space usable and friendly, but I think Dad’s was designed for me. At least it was usable and friendly for someone!