Live Wine, Love People | Boutinot Partnership
Creating a Modern, Productive Workspace for Boutinot’s Expansion
Partnership was critical when leading Wine Merchants, Boutinot, expanded into larger premises. The company, which has its own vineyards, regularly hosts wine tastings for the UK’s leading buyers for the on and off licence trade. They wanted contemporary offices which encouraged productivity and creativity and which would work for today and tomorrow. They commissioned VergoUK to design, procure, fit out and finish their new three storey workplace.
The Challenge
Boutinot Wine Merchant has grown because of its passion for its products, producers and its own people. Moving into larger office premises the Cheshire company needed three distinct areas. An office space which was functional and promoted creativity and boosted productivity. A state of the art wine tasting room that was welcoming and professional for international buyers and a social area which could double as a workspace.
The Vergo Solution
Spread across 9,000 square feet and housing 80 people Vergo UK and its fitout partners, Opus 4, had to liaise at all times to develop a modern workspace that would stand the test of time. Both partners are passionate about results for their clients and invested time at the beginning of the project to understand exactly what Boutinot wanted to achieve.
Having collaborated on a number of developments Vergo UK and Opus 4 soon realised Boutinot would embrace innovation if they perceived there was a real commercial value and benefit to their business.
Opus 4 has worked on projects for organisations as diverse as major corporations to micro enterprises. So that Boutinot gained the maximum from their new office workplace Opus 4 wanted to present designs that gave the client a sense of how their finished workspace would look and feel. Their design team developed a series of feel boards, Computer Aided Designs (CAD) and 3D drawings.
The feel boards featured fabrics, work surfaces, colours and graphics that reflected Boutinot’s ambition and heritage. The CAD designs and 3D drawings gave them a virtual walk through of the new workspaces which helped them to make constructive choices.
VergoUK’s in-depth knowledge and Opus 4’s expertise helped the Boutinot team engage fully and try new ideas they might not normally have considered. These included the installation of a modern kitchen in the social space which has since become a regular feature of Friday afternoon breakouts, bespoke lighting made from wine bottles, wall friezes reflecting the company heritage.
Once the layout was agreed VergoUK then used its wide industry sources to identify furnishings, office accessories, storage options, wine tasting room units, social space kitchen units, meeting rooms and floor dividers.
The finished office environment is stylish, professional and functional and has played a part in developing client relationships.
Key innovations that came from the collaborative working relationship between VergoUK and Opus 4 were:
- Functional office space which promotes productivity and creativity
- Relaxed social spaces where team members can work efficiently
- A state of the art temperature controlled tasting room
- Contemporary, yet professional decorations in both public and office areas
- Bespoke decorations alluding to Boutinot’s wine heritage
- Low energy lighting
- Personalised office and public spaces
- Hi spec social area kitchen that is now the monthly focus for management cook-ins