Yellowtide!

Cocooned in a cheerful yellow minimalistic shell, and dotted with handpicked contemporary artworks and succulents; it’s “happy hours” 24x7 at the Kozhikode office of Limotex, designed by Humming Tree.

- Deepa Nair

“Life is too short for boring, plain walls…” say the young architect duo Mohammed Afnan and Arun Shekar who are the mains of Kozhikode based creative studio, Humming Tree. This statement is the apt tagline for their recently concluded project, an office space for construction and infrastructure company Limotex, also based in Kozhikode. With 40 years of experience in the industry and having close association with the design community, the chief at Limotex knew exactly what he wanted in his new office space. He partnered with Humming Tree after visiting Paddock (a premium auto showroom in Kannur, Kerala) created by Afnan and Arun — the client was impressed with their quirky taste in design. The brief to the architects therefore was extremely sharp: the office was to have two lives. Simply put, it should be a dynamic space which wears an “enjoy-work ethos” and one which is filled with daylight. Most importantly he wanted the workspace to shun the typical exposed material avatar prominent in most builder offices. The typical requirements for the office was minimal: a reception, lounge, workspace for five, a manager's cabin, a multi-purpose conference room, a small pantry and a washroom. As Limotex was working towards a paperless office (they were going completely digital), the storage requirement was minimal.