Brisbane architect Ben Kearney saw potential in a ‘pretty sad, 1990s’ office space – he was right

Moving into a new office space gave Brisbane architecture firm Kearney Architecture an opportunity to give an outdated ’90s space a much-needed glow-up.

Over the course of his 20-plus year career in architecture, Ben Kearney has devoted himself to designing spaces for other people. When you ask him about the beauty of problem-solving through design, his eyes light up.

“I think design is really important to us because it’s the mechanism by which we solve the problems of the projects we deliver,” Ben tells Business Builders. “So finding a design that’s appropriate … and something that people can engage with outside of their operational requirements is really key to what we do as a practice.”

With projects across Australia and the Pacific, Ben and his team of six spend their days coming up with creative solutions for hotels and resorts, commercial and residential buildings, and retirement and aged care facilities. Their style is boutique, forward-thinking and practical.

As business boomed, Ben took the leap of purchasing his first office space after years of renting. He found a two-level space in the Brisbane inner-city suburb of Milton that, as you’d hear in property lingo, displayed ‘great potential’.

Or in Ben’s words, “the office space was looking pretty sad and 1990s”.

The challenge: Bringing a daggy ’90s office into the 21st century

When they started to fill up the new space in late 2024, Kearney’s team brought a hodgepodge of bits and pieces from the old office. Some plastic black chairs. A table with no top. Some white desks. Just the bare essentials.

But with more space, and a big ambition to create a contemporary space in line with their brand, the new Kearney Architecture HQ had to be something beyond bare bones.

“We’ve got some amazing clients that we want to bring in here, so it’s really important that we put a more contemporary stamp onto the office,” Ben explains.

His architectural instincts were on the money: the space has high ceilings, lots of natural light and a private boardroom upstairs for client meetings. In terms of interior design, Ben could visualise the changes that needed to be made:

• Turn the dumpy lounge into a slick front of house
• Add a project wall to showcase their portfolio
• Convert the bland utility space into a giant samples library to house finishes for clients to touch and feel, rather than having everything tucked away in a hard-to-reach storage cage
• Add a table to the lunchroom. Good start. But create a corner just for kids to this space, since most of the staff are parents and Ben wants to create a family-friendly workspace
• Take the boardroom from zero to hero

Nice ideas, but if you’ve ever watched The Block, DIY interior design is tough. Ben had luck on his side, though …

WATCH: Kearney Architecture’s big workspace makeover with IKEA (Post continues after video)

The surprise: A $10,000 makeover from IKEA

In the second half of 2024, Business Builders and IKEA for Business’ Furnish For Success competition opened up a search for businesses who could use a $10,000 workspace makeover.

Kearney Architecture was one of the final two winners chosen for the makeover (the first being Little Lights Play Therapy in Sydney – read their story here). The office space had clear potential, and Ben needed some heavy lifting on the interior design so he could get on with his architectural client work.

Plus, IKEA was already part of Ben’s research process even before the competition came along.

“We were researching IKEA because we liked the design content of their range as well as the modular capability where we could move furniture around, chop and change as we go, and modify spaces, depending on how many people we had,” he says.

Collaborating with IKEA interior designer Janet gave Ben an outsider’s eye of the possibilities for his space. “We worked through what we wanted out of the office,” he explains. “We showed examples of what we’d like to see that reflect our corporate branding and how we design as a practice ourselves.

“She was fantastic. We were really happy with the design – we got a fantastic outcome that reflected everything that we wanted to get out of the office.”

The end result: Kearney Architecture, a modern classic

No longer just the bones, Kearney Architecture’s new office reflects a fully fleshed-out vision. It’s colourful, flexible and balances form and function throughout. Ben walks us through each room before and after:

THE LOUNGE AND RECEPTION BEFORE:

THE LOUNGE AND RECEPTION AFTER:

“We’ve got some fantastic new modern lounges, a lovely rug that softens the space, and a sideboard where we’ve got our TV,” Ben shares. “This space has been fantastic because it’s our first introduction to our clients and guests when they come into the office and has a really nice, casual ambience.”

THE PROJECT WALL BEFORE:

THE PROJECT WALL AFTER:

“We’ve managed to turn it into a really great collaboration space. The high workbenches are great – we can put a lot of people around [the hightable],” Ben says. “We’ve also got our artwork wall where we’re able to show off projects to our clients when they come through, and celebrate the great work that our staff do in the office.”

THE OFFICE BEFORE:

THE OFFICE AFTER (WITH A SAMPLES LIBRARY WALL):

“This is our samples and interiors library. It’s been an absolutely fantastic addition to our office. We’ve been able to bring our clients in here and talk through the different materials, where they can pick them up and touch the materials and samples.”

THE LUNCHROOM BEFORE (SANS TABLETOP):

THE LUNCHROOM AFTER:

“We’ve got all our secondary storage here, which keeps all our equipment that we don’t need out on show,” Ben says. “We’ve also got our artwork wall – the green gives a real pop of colour. We’ve got a great kids’ area as well with floor mats and beanbags. And the great part of this is obviously we’ve got the curtains that we can close off when the kids are running amok.”

THE BOARDROOM BEFORE:

THE BOARDROOM AFTER:

“It’s still a work in progress. For our boardroom table, it’s got the same textures and fabrics that we’ve got downstairs, so we get that really nice design continuity in what we’re doing,” Ben explains. “We’ve put three units together, which has allowed us to give the length of table required. We do have some pretty large consultant and client meetings in here, so that also allows us to break the table up as we need to, depending on how we want to work the space.”

The final verdict 

There’s having a big vision, then there’s executing it. When you look back at that list of dreams Ben had for his space, he executed them all with flying colours.

“The impact of the new space was enormous,” he says, now settled into the new and improved space. “Our staff are loving it. We’re getting great feedback from our clients. The variety of formal and informal spaces we’re bringing in is really nice.”

Collaborating with IKEA for Business helped Ben achieve a result that would’ve been harder to reach on his own.

“It’s been a great process. Even as an architectural practice, it’s taken a heavy burden off that design process of your own office and freed us up to get on with our job of delivering architecture to our clients,” he says.

To find out how IKEA for Business can help you, visit ikea.com/business.

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This article is brought to you by Business Builders in partnership with IKEA for Business.

Feature image: Ben Kearney in his new office. Source: Pinstripe Media.