Inside Island Records and EMI’s new London HQ, where design meets music heritage

Island Records and EMI have moved into a shared headquarters in London’s King’s Cross, a space designed by spatial design studio Interesting Projects in collaboration with the labels’ in-house creative team, Studio Island. The result is not a conventional corporate office but a curated environment that treats the two labels’ distinct identities as parallel exhibitions.

The 18-month project covers roughly 1,000 square metres across two interlocking zones, each reflecting the character of its label. Island’s entrance is built like a stage, referencing carnival sound systems, and opens into a mural of Bob Marley’s ‘One Love’ painted by British-Jamaican signwriter SignsbyJorge. The mural is a twin of an original in Jamaica by the Nurse Signs Collective, and both versions carry the signwriters’ mobile numbers – a detail that Holly Williams, creative director at Studio Island, describes as a practical nod to the craft: “If you need a mural, you know who to call.”

Por que importa

EMI’s entrance takes a different approach, functioning as a curated archive. It includes memorabilia, photography and correspondence, among which is a letter criticising the label’s decision to sign the Sex Pistols. Further inside, a textile piece by Corbin Shaw, titled *Just Four Lads From Liverpool*, reworks Burberry check into a homage to the Beatles. Shaw was chosen for EMI because his practice “explores Britishness, identity and often masculinity,” Williams explains.

The two labels meet in a shared kitchen and dining area. A window cut into the kitchen wall on the Island side frames a photograph of a young Amy Winehouse from the *Frank* era. On the opposite side, a matching window opens onto EMI’s red wall, where Shaw’s Beatles piece sits in conversation with a classic Spice Girls print by Andreas Bleckmann.

Contexto

The office also includes a listening room with a Jeremy Deller artwork, a meeting room with a “Pump up the volume” curtain by Interesting Projects, and an A&R wall at Island Records that displays new artist signings. Corridor views are lined with bespoke TPI speakers and prints that bridge the two labels’ visual identities.

Louis Bloom, president of Island Records EMI Label Group, said the space “brings this shared ethos to life with a bold, collaborative space that celebrates the heritage of both labels while inspiring creativity, connection, and the next generation of artists.”

Que sigue

For Williams, the project’s educational aspect is as important as the aesthetics. EMI’s history mural, also by SignsbyJorge, spans nearly a century of British music milestones, including the fact that King George VI’s 1939 speech declaring Britain’s entry into the Second World War was recorded at Abbey Road. “Through the art, staff and artists have learnt more about the history of both labels,” she said.

Why this matters for Paionia7 readers
The project demonstrates how interior design can serve as a narrative tool in commercial workplaces, especially within creative industries. The decision to treat the brief as a curatorial challenge rather than a standard fit-out offers a model for architects and designers working on brand-sensitive spaces. The use of exhibition design principles – sequencing, sightlines, artwork placement – to tell two parallel stories could inform similar projects in music, media and cultural sectors.

The collaboration between an external spatial design studio and an in-house creative team also highlights a growing trend: bespoke, art-led interiors that prioritise identity over corporate efficiency. For professionals in architecture and interiors, the project provides a reference point for how heritage and brand distinctiveness can be woven into a single floor plan without compromising either.

Source: Wallpaper – https://www.wallpaper.com/design-interiors/interior-design/island-records-emi-offices-london-interiors