Office & Workspace Interior Design
Office Interior Designers
Your office is a business asset. Not just a place people sit — a tool that affects how your team works, how clients perceive you, and how efficiently your operation runs. When it's designed well, it earns its cost. When it's not, you notice it in staff turnover, recruitment challenges, and the impression it makes on everyone who walks through the door.
Zero Gravity Design is a commercial interior design studio. We design and deliver office and workspace environments across the UK — from initial brief through to fit-out completion. Over 150 projects delivered. Over 500,000 sq ft of commercial space designed and built. All of it commercially focused, all of it buildable.
We're not a generalist studio that does residential, retail, and hospitality on the side. Commercial interiors — and office design specifically — is what we do.
What a Good Office Fit-Out Actually Delivers
Most businesses underinvest in their office because they're thinking about cost rather than return. The right fit-out doesn't just look better — it changes how your business performs:
Recruitment and retention. Talent has options. A workspace that's well-designed, comfortable, and that reflects your company's identity is a genuine recruitment tool. A poorly fitted-out office is a red flag to the candidates you most want to hire.
Client perception. Your office is a physical manifestation of your business. If the space is dated, cramped, or generic, it undermines the case you're making in every other part of your pitch.
Operational efficiency. Space planning that reflects how your team actually works — not just how many desks you can fit in — reduces friction, improves collaboration, and makes day-to-day operations smoother.
Cost control. Done properly, a fit-out pays for itself. Done badly — with scope creep, poor brief management, or a contractor working from inadequate design information — it costs significantly more than planned and delivers less than expected.
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What We Do
Our office interior design service covers the full range of commercial workplace projects:
Space planning and test fits. Before you sign a lease, we can model whether a floor works for your headcount, working patterns, and brief. This is one of the most commercially valuable things we do — getting it wrong at lease stage is an expensive mistake.
CAT A+ design. For landlords and developers looking to offer pre-fitted, ready-to-occupy space that attracts occupiers faster. We design CAT A+ specifications that make a building stand out in a competitive market — without over-engineering the fit-out or spending budget that won't return on value.
CAT B fit-out design. Taking a bare shell or CAT A floor and designing an occupier's own workspace — partitions, joinery, furniture, finishes, branding, technology infrastructure. This is the core of most of our office projects.
Furniture specification and procurement. FF&E sourced and coordinated as part of the design package, not bolted on at the end. We specify furniture that works with the space, is durable enough for commercial use, and is procured cost-effectively.
Contractor coordination and delivery oversight. We can work alongside your contractor or help you appoint one. Either way, we ensure the design intent is maintained through the build — and that what gets built matches what was agreed.
Full design and build coordination. For clients who want a single point of accountability from concept to keys, we manage the end-to-end process. This reduces the number of parties you have to manage and typically results in a tighter programme and fewer surprises.
Office Projects We've Delivered
We've worked with occupiers, landlords, and developers on office projects at a range of scales. Here are some of them:
Bruntwood SciTech — 14 King Street, Manchester M2 A full commercial fit-out for one of Manchester's leading landlords in the science and technology sector. The project required close coordination with Bruntwood's building management team and was delivered on time, to a high specification. Janan Khan, Senior Building Surveyor at Bruntwood SciTech, said Ashley demonstrated "exceptional professionalism and skill" throughout.
ARNE HQ, Manchester Headquarters environment for a Manchester-based brand. The brief required a workspace that reflected the company's identity while being genuinely practical for the team. Constrained footprint, tight programme — delivered.
Certus Energy, Manchester Office and workspace design for a growing energy business. The project required a professional, brand-aligned environment that could accommodate expansion without a second fit-out.
Arup, UK Design work for one of the world's leading engineering and consulting firms. Arup's workspace requirements are exacting — the brief demanded a rigorous approach to both design and delivery.
MediaCityUK — Blue Tower & White Tower, Salford Two separate office and workspace projects within MediaCityUK. Design that had to align with the campus aesthetic while creating distinct, brand-led environments for the respective occupiers.
These projects range from single-floor fit-outs to multi-space environments for complex organisations. They share a common thread: commercially resolved design that actually gets built.
How We Work
Our process is structured to reduce risk and improve outcomes at every stage:
Stage 1 — Brief and site analysis. We start by understanding your business, your headcount, your working patterns, and what the space needs to deliver. If you're evaluating multiple buildings, we can assess each one at this stage.
Stage 2 — Space planning and concept. We develop layout options that reflect your brief, test them against your requirements, and refine to a preferred scheme. At this stage, you make decisions about adjacencies, departmental layouts, and the overall character of the space before any money is spent on detailed design.
Stage 3 — Design development. Once the concept is agreed, we develop the full design package: technical drawings, materials and finishes, furniture specification, joinery design, and coordination with M&E and structural requirements.
Stage 4 — Contractor appointment and build. We prepare tender documentation, manage the contractor appointment process, and oversee the build — ensuring quality, programme, and cost are controlled throughout.
The earlier we're involved, the more value we add. Designers brought in after a contractor has been appointed are working to fix problems that shouldn't have occurred. Designers involved from the start influence decisions that determine whether the project succeeds.
What Does an Office Fit-Out Cost?
Cost varies significantly depending on specification, scale, and the condition of the building you're taking on. These are realistic benchmarks:
CAT A fit-out (landlord base): £35–£60 per sq ft, depending on the building and specification.
CAT B fit-out (occupier's own space): £55–£90 per sq ft for a mid-to-high specification. Simpler projects can come in below this range; complex headquarters environments with significant bespoke joinery, high-spec AV, and feature finishes will cost more.
CAT A+ (landlord pre-fit): £65–£95 per sq ft depending on the level of specification and target occupier profile.
Design fees: Typically 8–15% of construction cost, covering concept design, technical drawings, furniture specification, and delivery coordination. The fee range reflects scope — a full design and build coordination role costs more than concept-only input.
These are honest numbers, not marketing figures. If you want a realistic assessment of what your specific project is likely to cost, talk to us early. We'll tell you what we think — including if a budget is unrealistic for what you're trying to achieve.
Areas We Cover
We design and deliver office projects across the UK. Our main bases of operation are:
Manchester — our home market. We know the buildings, the submarkets (Spinningfields, NOMA, Northern Quarter, Ancoats, First Street, Circle Square), and the contractors. If you're fitting out office space in Manchester, we're probably the most informed studio you can talk to.
Leeds — a fast-growing office market with significant demand from financial, legal, and professional services firms. We work in Leeds city centre and across the wider West Yorkshire market.
Liverpool — an increasingly active commercial property market. We work on both occupier fit-outs and landlord repositioning projects across the city.
London — we take on selected London projects, typically for clients with whom we have an existing relationship or where the brief is well-matched to our expertise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an interior designer for an office fit-out? Not legally. But without one, you're relying on your contractor to interpret the brief — which frequently results in a space that doesn't deliver what you intended, costs more than it should, or takes longer than planned. A good designer manages the brief, controls the design intent through the build, and represents your interests when it matters.
What's the difference between CAT A and CAT B fit-out? CAT A is the base fit-out typically delivered by the landlord — M&E services, raised floors, suspended ceilings, basic finishes. CAT B is the occupier's own fit-out — the partitions, joinery, furniture, finishes, and branding that make the space work for your specific business. CAT A+ sits between the two: a pre-fitted, ready-to-occupy space that minimises the occupier's own fit-out requirement.
How long does an office fit-out take? A well-managed office fit-out typically runs to 4–6 months from initial brief to practical completion. The timeline breaks down approximately as: 2–3 weeks briefing and space planning; 3–4 weeks concept design; 4–6 weeks technical design; 3–5 weeks contractor procurement; 6–16 weeks on-site. The biggest source of delays is late decisions and poorly managed scope — not the build itself.
Can Zero Gravity Design manage both the design and the build? Yes. We offer full design and build coordination where we manage the process from concept through to handover. This is increasingly how clients want to work — fewer parties, clearer accountability, and a single point of contact for the whole project.
What size of project do you work on? We work across a wide range — from single-floor CAT B fit-outs of 2,000 sq ft to multi-floor projects of 50,000 sq ft and above. What matters more than scale is whether the brief is the right fit for our expertise. If it is, we'll tell you. If it isn't, we'll tell you that too.
Start Your Office Project
If you're planning an office fit-out, repositioning a space, or evaluating whether a building works for your business, we're happy to have an early conversation.
We're based at Colony, 76 King Street, Manchester M2 4NH — and we work across the UK.
Contact us or call 0161 758 0035.
Why Choose Zero Gravity Design?
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Expertise & Innovation – Our team stays ahead of design trends, ensuring each project is unique and forward-thinking.
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Customised Solutions – No two businesses are the same, and neither are our designs. We tailor every project to your brand’s identity and operational requirements.
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High-Quality Craftsmanship – We use premium materials and skilled craftsmanship to deliver durable and stunning office interiors.
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Sustainable Practices – Our eco-conscious designs help businesses reduce their environmental impact while enhancing workspace efficiency.
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Seamless Project Management – From concept to completion, we handle every aspect of your office interior project, ensuring a hassle-free experience.
Transform Your Workspace Today
A well-designed office can transform the way your business operates, enhancing both productivity and workplace culture. At Zero Gravity Design, we bring creativity, functionality, and expertise to every project, helping businesses across Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, and London create workspaces that inspire and perform.
Get in touch today to discuss your office interior design project and discover how we can create a space that reflects your brand and enhances your work environment.