Steven Bartlett completes renovation of London HQ for rocket-fuelled growth

Steven.com and Flight Story, the growth and marketing companies founded by entrepreneur, investor and Diary of a CEO host Steven Bartlett, recently opened their doors to their redesigned global headquarters in Shoreditch, London. Two years after moving in and beginning work on the dramatic development, Bartlett has now unveiled their new home. Designed by Sheila Bird Studios and Steven Bartlett himself, the workspace is anchored by a full-scale rocket installation and a private high-performance gym.

Conceived by Bartlett as an extension of the culture at his businesses, it is a reflection of the company’s evolution into one of the UK’s most-watched growth businesses. The visual centrepiece of the office is a full-scale rocket installation, positioned as the symbolic heart of the office. Visible on arrival and integrated into the working environment, the rocket is a manifestation of intent and motivation for employees; a permanent reminder of the company’s trajectory and their own personal success. The rocket was fabricated by Amron Architectural, specialists in bespoke architectural metalwork and large-scale installations.

Steven Bartlett said: "I believe that each company has to consider its unique mission and reverse-engineer the optimal working conditions to achieve it. With this office I hope we’ve built a space that does that.

He added: “We’re building a company that is unlike any other in the UK and this office is the clearest expression of that and the culture we’re building. To some the rocket might be absurd, but for me it’s the perfect reminder, every day, of where we’re all going and the standard we hold ourselves to.”

The space was designed by Sheila Bird Studio, who has worked with Steven and Flight Story since the company’s early days in Manchester. The design process behind the office was unique as the design requirements and use of different spaces had to rapidly evolve with the accelerating growth of the business during the design and installation process.

 "Flight Story is unlike any client we’ve worked with. One of the most fascinating things about this project was how fast the business was moving in relation to what we were trying to do in the physical world. One moment a space was going to be the studios, then an incubator, and then as we started to build it ended up being the HQ for Steven.com. The other interesting aspect of the project was the juxtaposition of material palettes. Layering the existing exposed industrial Victorian features with biophilic and space age design references helps create a space that is grounded in heritage but looks to the future”

The second major feature of the space is a fully bespoke private gym, designed personally by Bartlett in collaboration with specialist trade partners. Embedded inside the headquarters rather than treated as a perk or amenity, it embodies the company’s belief in the importance of physical and mental performance for creative and commercial output.

Build and fit-out were delivered by Contact One, who provided both labour and materials for the gym construction, with equipment supplied by Skelcore, specialists in commercial-grade strength and conditioning equipment. The intention is not to present a polished showroom but a working environment with character in a building that reflects the personality of the company that occupies it, and that signals to clients, partners and prospective talent the standard at which Flight Story operates.