Iten, Bühlmann & Partner AG

While converting a 1920s villa in the Zurich uplands for a trust company, Bureau Hindermann discovered intact parquet flooring and timber stairs beneath gloomy carpeting. They went on to create stylish offices brimming with natural charm and free of the atmosphere of finance.

For over a 100 years, the A4 binder has been synonymous with the good old Swiss trust. It keeps information safe for later, makes it easy to access information and creates order. In the new offices of Iten, Bühlmann & Partner AG, Bureau Hindermann has turned this symbol of tradition into suspended lamps in the stair well of the three-storey building and above the table in the meeting room. The trust sector's love of qualifications has also been touched upon: unlike their competitors, these managers have chosen to hang their certificates of knowledge in intimate surroundings – in the toilets.

In terms of colours, the interior designers have opted for a harmonious combination of old and new.
Modern elements such as the sober white furniture in the entrance and the light blue walls complement the rediscovered original features such as the light brown wooden flooring and the dark brown banisters. The warm, reddish-brown floor slabs with white pattern in the entrance are especially decorative. They echo the clinker floor tiles of the period. In the meeting room, a blue-green curtain conceals additional storage while adding to the pleasantness of the space. The flair of the interior designers also came into play on the facade; Bureau Hindermann used a colour scheme to integrate the building into its surroundings, which are dominated by a conspicuous building complex.