The new shared headquarters of Island Records and EMI is located in Pancras Square, in London’s King’s Cross. More than 70 artworks, photographs, and historical pieces—including works by Annie Leibovitz, Anton Corbijn, Jeremy Deller, and Thierry Noir—are integrated directly into the everyday workspace. The project was designed over the course of 18 months by interior design studio InterestingProjects in collaboration with Studio Island, the record labels’ in-house creative team.
Why Was the Office Designed Like a Museum?
The goal wasn’t simply to decorate the office with art, but to make the musical history of both labels part of the architecture itself. The headquarters combines workspace, archive, and exhibition space into a single experience, without separating everyday work from the legacy of the two brands.
Island Records and EMI: Two Different Histories Under One Roof
Island Records was founded in Jamaica in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong with an initial investment of $10,000. Its roster has included Bob Marley, Grace Jones, U2, and Amy Winehouse. In 1967, after moving to Notting Hill and shifting toward progressive rock, the label adopted a pink record label that became iconic between 1967 and 1970. That same shade—Pantone 671C—now identifies Island’s area within the new headquarters, paired with the brand’s historic yellow, Pantone 109C.
EMI, founded in London in 1931, represents a more traditional side of the British recording industry, with a history connected to artists such as The Beatles and Elton John. Its section of the headquarters uses a palette of red, white, and Yves Klein blue, creating a fragmented reinterpretation of the British flag.
Rather than merging both identities into a single corporate aesthetic, the design keeps them distinct, giving each its own visual language, colors, and materials within the same building.
QWho Designed the Island Records and EMI Headquarters?
InterestingProjects was founded by James Mason and Joana Filipe, who met while sharing a studio in London in 2015. Mason trained in interior design, previously worked at Brinkworth and Fitch, and has designed more than 70 luxury retail stores around the world. Filipe holds a master’s degree in fine art sculpture, previously worked at the Victoria & Albert Museum, and leads the studio’s exhibition design practice.
InterestingProjects was also responsible for designing the first major Keith Haring retrospective in the UK, presented at Tate Liverpool in 2019, where blocks of color were used to organize the exhibition according to different periods in the artist’s career. That same approach—using color as a narrative system rather than simply as decoration—was applied to the Island Records and EMI headquarters.
Studio Island, the labels’ 12-person in-house creative team, also participated directly in designing the space. The team is responsible for the visual identities of artists including Lola Young, The Last Dinner Party, and Kae Tempest.
Highlights of the Interior Design
- Listening room: Equipped with RN1 and M210 studio monitors by British manufacturer TPI Aerospace, with a work by Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller as its centerpiece
- Jamaican mural: Hand-painted in the Island area by British-Jamaican sign painter Jorge Jacobs, based on a proposal by Jamaican collective Nurse Signs
- More than 70 artworks and archival pieces: Displayed throughout the building rather than concentrated in reception areas
Why This Office Couldn’t Belong to Any Other Company
Unlike many contemporary creative offices—with interchangeable combinations of pale wood, plants, and inspirational quotes that could belong to almost any industry—the Island Records and EMI headquarters builds its identity around nearly a century of specific musical history.
