Set in the heart of Melbourne, MECCA Support Centre crafts a vibrant home for Australia’s largest premium beauty retailer. The mid-century warehouse offers an industrial backdrop to the centre’s richly layered interior, which draws on colour, tactility, and beauty iconography to craft an uplifting showcase of the MECCA brand.

MECCA sought a workplace that would feel energising, inviting and warm — reinforcing the company’s brand narrative, while fostering a thriving community feel for team members and visitors. Throughout, MECCA’s collaborative culture is bolstered by diverse settings to exchange ideas, concentrate and focus, and reflect and recharge, supporting the prosperity of MECCA’s growing business.

Window seats brim the perimeter of each work floor for casual breakout use, while clusters of lounge settings flank workstations, encouraging teams to gather for group tasks. Contained meeting rooms and quiet rooms offer visual and acoustic privacy, with a series of water points and lockers creating moments of reprieve between settings. This dexterous planning enables clear sightlines and an abundance of natural light across the floorplate, enhancing connection and wellbeing.

The vibrancy of MECCA’s retail stores inspired a playful, eclectic palette of finishes. Bursts of vibrant orange, yellow, red, pink and plum are tempered by subdued neutrals: walnut timber, natural leather and natural cork wall linings, and set against the warehouse’s painted brick walls, honed concrete floors and exposed services.

MECCA merges new, re-used and re-purposed elements to create an approachable tone for the workplace, effectively bridging the gap between retail store, home, and work. The site’s dramatic terrazzo double stair upon entry is retained and restored, while the existing balustrade was rebuilt to meet contemporary building standards.

Following MECCA’s strong focus on sustainability, the design team reused and reconfigured the existing workstations, and reupholstered the existing task chairs. Loose furniture and feature lighting was sourced through local and international vintage houses.

Sustainable materials such as Comcork flooring, Portugal Cork wall panelling, acoustic ceiling treatment and Tretford goat hair carpet improve environmental impact, while indoor planting improves air quality and mood.

The MECCA Support Centre demonstrates that the thoughtful articulation of brand identity and culture can elevate the prosperity of a team and its visitors.

Despite the workplace’s expansive 4500m2 footprint, the interior maintains a feeling of intimacy through its spirited use of colour, materiality, eclectic furniture and lighting. These thoughtful tonal shifts echo MECCA’s energetic in-store experience, ensuring a consistent brand experience across touchpoints.