Sheldon Interiors Unveils a Sustainable, Employee-First Sydney HQ That Blends Craftsmanship and Workplace Strategy

With 5 Star Green Star and Gold WELL credentials, Sheldon’s new Sydney office delivers a calm-to-collaborative workplace experience that reflects both its team’s needs and its end-to-end design expertise.

Overview

Sheldon’s new Sydney office serves as both a vibrant, functional workplace for staff and an immersive environment that reflects the company’s integrated design, construction, and manufacturing expertise. A fusion of strategic workplace planning and artistic expression act as key ingredients within the design, crafted to inspire both employees and clients through its thoughtful layout and attention to detail.

The office is thoughtfully divided into three main zones that optimise natural sunlight and encourage movement throughout the space. The front of house area is dedicated to collaboration, offering a variety of meeting spaces designed to promote teamwork and flexible interaction. At the heart of the office lies a hospitality-inspired social breakout space, which integrates rich finishes such as a custom carpet in Sheldon’s brand colours, vibrant natural stone surfaces, and modular banquette seating. The back of house focus zones prioritise calm and productivity with carefully selected calming colours, acoustic treatments, and soft furnishings to support quiet, deep work.

Lighting throughout the office is carefully layered and technology-enabled, incorporating circadian rhythm systems that enhance occupant wellbeing and visual comfort. Building services and integrated audiovisual infrastructure operate smoothly to support daily activities without disrupting the aesthetic harmony.

Overall, the design balances aesthetic presentation with practical functionality, resulting in a flexible, inclusive, and creative environment where Sheldon’s identity comes to life and clients can tangibly explore forward-thinking office possibilities firsthand. 

Project Details & Challenges

Sheldon’s new head office was designed to achieve multiple ambitious goals, balancing operational functionality, cultural authenticity, and the technical rigour required to meet both Gold WELL and 5 Star Green Star standards, while also demonstrating Sheldon’s design and construction capabilities. 

Led by Sheldon’s in-house workplace strategy team, the planning process began with extensive staff engagement, including surveys, leadership interviews, and collaborative workshops to gather insights on work habits, comfort preferences, and departmental needs. What was discovered was a strong desire for spatial diversity, flexibility, and better alignment between each division’s workstyle and its physical environment. For example, design and sales teams required collaborative, high-traffic zones near client areas, while finance and project management teams sought quieter areas that supported focus and confidentiality. This feedback directly informed the final zoning strategy, resulting in a floor plan that transitions naturally from lively front-of-house areas to calm, enclosed work zones.

Balancing WELL and Green Star certification requirements was one of the project’s greatest challenges. Many design decisions involved trade-offs between energy efficiency, acoustic performance, and material sustainability. Achieving superior acoustic comfort without compromising ventilation efficiency required precise coordination between Sheldon’s electrical, mechanical, and partitioning teams. These competing demands were resolved through targeted material selection, modular detailing, and integrated service design, ensuring compliance without compromising user comfort. 

Supporting neurodiversity through spatial diversity was another key driver of the project. Insights from the engagement process highlighted differing sensory needs across teams. The final layout deliberately combines social, collaborative zones such as the hospitality-inspired kitchen breakout and amphitheatre with low-stimulation focus spaces like the quiet lounge and phone rooms. These environments are enhanced by the Moodsonic biophilic soundscaping system, circadian lighting, and air-quality monitoring, offering employees meaningful choice over how and where they work while reinforcing inclusivity and well-being.

Authentic cultural integration also required careful research and collaboration. Cultural storytelling was embedded through architectural and material expression rather than applied ornamentation. This includes display shelves featuring Indigenous artefacts and the CoDesign Room, where arched windows and acoustic panels showcase Indigenous artefacts. These elements were developed in consultation with Sheldon’s internal design and manufacturing teams to ensure they were purposeful, respectful, and seamlessly integrated into the overall aesthetic.

Bringing together all of Sheldon’s internal divisions on one project presented both opportunities and logistical challenges. The manufacturing factory produced the majority of the furniture and joinery, including the all-timber, demountable workstations that underpin the project’s sustainability strategy. Meanwhile, the electrical division managed the installation of AV and lighting systems, the partitioning team delivered the curved glass and operable walls, and the construction team oversaw coordination and final assembly. Maintaining alignment across these specialist divisions demanded disciplined scheduling, open communication, and collaborative problem-solving throughout the build.

Ultimately, the project’s challenges shaped its strongest outcomes. Through internal collaboration, evidence-based design, and meaningful staff engagement, Sheldon delivered a workplace that not only meets its technical and sustainability benchmarks but also embodies the company’s values: sustainable, inclusive, and proudly self-built.

Key Products 

Sheldon’s all-timber fully demountable workstations – designed and manufactured in-house at Sheldon’s Somersby factory. These modular plywood workstations highlight the company’s sustainable manufacturing capability and can be easily disassembled and reused for future fit-outs.

Polytec – supplier of melamine finishes and timber-look panelling used across joinery and wall features, contributing to a cohesive material palette and a Level A Green Star rating.

Dulux – EnvirO2 low-VOC paint range used throughout, supporting WELL and Green Star targets for indoor air quality and sustainability.

Interface – supplier of modular carpet and flooring solutions, used to define zones and movement paths while meeting sustainability and acoustic standards.

Autex – acoustic panels installed throughout focus areas, meeting the acoustic performance requirements of the targeted Gold WELL rating.

SNB Stone – supplied the natural quartzite and marble stone used in the kitchen and feature areas, adding tactile warmth and material richness.

Tech Solutions

Moodsonic Soundscaping System – A biophilic soundscaping technology installed across the workplace to enhance focus, well-being, and inclusivity. It supports neurodiverse workstyles by adapting sound profiles to different zones, from quiet focus rooms to social breakout areas.

Integrated AV Setup – throughout the office, Sheldon’s electrical team implemented a connected AV system to support client presentations, internal collaboration, and live demonstrations.

Circadian Rhythm Lighting System – designed to promote wellness and productivity, this system adjusts light levels and tone to support the body’s natural cycles.

Air Quality Monitoring Sensors – part of the WELL accreditation strategy, sensors track temperature, humidity, and CO₂ levels to maintain comfort and indoor air quality.

Energy-Efficient Motion & Lighting Sensors – integrated throughout the workplace to reduce power consumption and align with 5 Star Green Star requirements.  

Overall Project Results

When designing Sheldon’s new Sydney headquarters, the goals extended well beyond creating a visually impressive workplace. The project set out to achieve multiple objectives simultaneously — meeting 5 Star Green Star and Gold WELL targets, showcasing Sheldon’s full in-house capabilities, and, most importantly, delivering a truly employee-first environment that reflects the needs of the modern worker.

The result is a space that celebrates flexibility, creativity, and craftsmanship, while offering a sense of belonging and pride for the team that inhabits it.

Almost immediately after the relocation, feedback from staff confirmed that the new workplace marked a major step forward compared to the previous office. Employees consistently highlight the atmosphere, design quality, and functionality as major improvements. The central CBD location has also had a tangible impact on engagement, with more team members inviting clients and visitors to experience the space firsthand. Many note that the office’s design and energy are key reasons they enjoy spending time there.

Six months post-occupancy, Sheldon has received a wealth of feedback from both staff and clients who have toured the new office. The most celebrated feature across both groups is the central breakout and kitchen area, which greets visitors immediately after exiting the lifts. This hospitality-inspired hub has become the heart of the workplace — a vibrant, social environment that encourages connection and community. With its sweeping skyline views, modular banquette seating, natural stone kitchen island, and a pool table beneath a mounted screen, it sets a welcoming tone and leaves a strong first impression. Over time, staff have embraced this area for daily catchups, celebrations, and even after-hours gatherings, reinforcing its role as a unifying element within the office.

Another standout space frequently mentioned in feedback is the Internal Divisions Library. Designed as an interactive zone showcasing Sheldon’s design and manufacturing capabilities, it features curated materials, project boards, and trade samples — offering an immersive environment where designers and clients can collaborate. This area has become one of the most unique and distinctly “Sheldon” spaces in the layout, embodying the company’s multidisciplinary expertise.

The creative lounge is another highlight, much loved by the client-facing teams. Furnished with vintage pieces and collectibles that reflect Sheldon’s creative character, the lounge provides a relaxed yet professional setting for informal meetings and relationship building. Similarly, the Focus Spaces and Wellness Room have been praised for their acoustic comfort, offering staff quiet, restorative areas for concentrated work away from the noise of the high traffic social areas. 

Overall, The feedback has been resoundingly positive, and moving into the future there is a high confidence that Sheldons Sydney office will continue to synegise high performance & genuine enjoyment — an authentic reflection of the company’s ethos and capability.

Main Contributors:

A defining part of this project’s story lies in the strength of Sheldon’s own divisions coming together to deliver the new Sydney headquarters. Foremost among them, Sheldon’s Manufacturing Factory played a pivotal role, – producing a large portion of the office’s joinery and furniture, including the all-timber, fully demountable workstations that embody both craftsmanship and sustainability. Based in Somersby, this facility enabled a high level of design precision and coordination, ensuring materials were locally sourced, waste was minimized, and every detail met the design intent.

Beyond manufacturing, Sheldon’s electrical division oversaw the integration of the workplace’s AV, lighting, and sensor systems, while the partitioning and construction teams brought each element together on site. Whether it’s manufacturing, construction, strategy, partitioning, electrical or mechanical each division contributed its expertise to realize a cohesive space that not only reflects Sheldon’s multidisciplinary capability but how collaboration between teams can elevate both process and outcome.

Meet the Design Team

Sheldon Interiors

Photography

Simon Whitbread