LONDON.- Island Records and EMI have unveiled a redesigned shared headquarters in King’s Cross, London, following an 18-month collaboration with Interesting Projects and Studio Eye, the labels’ in-house creative studio.
Conceived as a hybrid between workplace and exhibition, the project brings together more than 70 historic and newly commissioned artworks, photography and ephemera spanning the cultural histories of both labels. Works by Annie Leibovitz, Thierry Noir, Jeremy Deller, Corbin Shaw, and Anton Corbijn are integrated throughout the space.
Founded in Jamaica in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Island Records built its identity on counterculture and global influence. EMI, established in London in 1931, became synonymous with British icons that transformed the music industry. Together, the labels represent artists including Bob Marley, The Beatles, U2, Grace Jones, Elton John, Taylor Swift, Amy Winehouse and Lola Young.
Located in the Pancras Square development, the office is designed as a creative hub for artists and staff, with panoramic views across London. The interior translates each label’s identity into a distinct material and colour language.
Island’s signature yellow Pantone 109C is paired with vivid pink Pantone 671C referencing its progressive and folk era between 1967 and 1970. EMI’s British roots are expressed through a subtly deconstructed Union Jack palette of red, white and Yves Klein blue. These tones are embedded within colour-matched ALPI wood joinery, stainless-steel wall fabrication and bespoke art framing, creating a cohesive architectural framework for the collection.
At the centre of the workspace is an immersive listening room fitted with bespoke RN1 & M210 studio monitors by British hi-fi manufacturer TPI Aerospace anchored by a work by Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller. This is accompanied by a custom High-Output system for Island’s breakout area. A bespoke kiosk presents artist merchandise and streetwear collaborations with Aries Arise, Always Do…, Corteiz and others, positioning retail culture within the architectural narrative.
The Island Records area features a hand-painted mural by British Jamaican sign-painter Jorge Jacobs which was originated by the Nurse Signs collective in Jamaica, reinforcing the label’s transnational identity.
Rather than treating the office as a conventional corporate interior, the design positions it as a spatial archive - one that reflects nearly a century of musical production while supporting the next generation of formidable artists from the UK.
James Mason and Joana Filipe, directors of Interesting Projects: "This project sits at the intersection of our practice. We design spaces that encourage creativity and exchange, and we bring exhibition thinking to workplace environments, shaping them as curated, narrative-led experiences. For Island Records and EMI, the office became a spatial expression of musical legacy, where materiality, colour and art function both as an archive and as a foundation for the labels’ next chapter."
