Marsh found a pleasant solution to bring employees back to the office.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, all office employees shifted to remote work, and many became accustomed to it to the extent that they rarely visited the office anymore. Marsh found a solution to create a home-like atmosphere in the office so that people would want to come there and feel comfortable while working.

The office of the insurance company Marsh in Tallinn had not undergone renovations in almost 20 years and was in desperate need of an update. “There were old floors and bleak green walls in the meeting room. Since there had also been the COVID-19 pandemic, which sent employees home, one of the goals of the renovation was to encourage people to return to the office,” explained Elo Lember, the office manager of the company.

Today, the office has a cozy and modern look, with interior designers Kristiina Puusepp and Heinike Luht contributing to the transformation. The once bleak meeting room now has a salon-like atmosphere with an oak table and comfortable velvet chairs. The kitchen and bathrooms were also renovated, and telephone booths were added as a completely new feature. “Since we have an open office, and employees have many phone calls, the booths are a great option for making calls in private.”

The color palette primarily consists of calm, muted tones, complemented by 13 vibrant paintings by Marsh’s former CFO Ülle Kruusoja. “The artist visited the office, took a selection of her works, and it turned out that the paintings fit perfectly into the office and bring a lot of life,” Lember described, adding that they plan to change the paintings periodically to maintain a fresh look.

Independent Heating System

Located in the city center, where there is a lot of stone and concrete, the office aimed to bring a sense of nature indoors. One of the main challenges was the ventilation and heating system. Since the large office building had heating settings controlled only by the building management, the rooms became excessively hot on warm summer days, and fresh air was lacking. “We have large windows that let in a lot of sunlight, so we want to cool and regulate the temperature in the rooms ourselves in the summer,” Lember explained.

Good Collaboration with OCCO

Although the project was challenging, according to Lember, she was very satisfied with both the result and the team involved in the project. OCCO helped order and deliver tables, chairs, lights, and custom furniture. Lember praised OCCO’s efficient furniture installers, who did the work quickly and correctly: “Even when products ordered from outside of Estonia arrived later than we had planned, I had all the necessary information at all times. We were fortunate with all parties involved – they worked wholeheartedly and did their best.”

“Now our office is so cozy that we invite guests here and organize more events. We wanted employees to feel like they are working with colleagues at home. We believe we have achieved this goal,” said Lember.