Green workplaces: Intermate across two cities
At Plantclub, we make it our goal to grow with our clients and cultivate cohesive workspaces. The best example of what this looks like in practice can be found in the Intermate offices of Hamburg and Berlin, two green workspaces separated by distance, but brought together by design.
Founded in 2015, Intermate has become the leading creator-driven social media agency with offices in Berlin, Hamburg, and Cologne and a growing team of 120 employees including those in their production company Truemates. The company is a full service marketing hub, providing consultations, project management, and strategic campaign creation and production for their clients which include TikTok, Telefónica, ALDI Nord, Beiersdorf, Volkswagen and many more.
The Intermate Berlin workplace uses various room dividers to create purposeful spaces.
For a growing social media and communications company like Intermate, consistent aesthetics and presentation are everything, which is why Plantclub was chosen to bring these two offices, first Berlin then Hamburg, to life, together.
“We were looking for a partner who would not only put plants in an office and take care of them, but also look at design and architecture. Plants bring a lot, but if you as a company don't want to look like a government agency, it comes down to the right plants, the right pots and the right amount, and this is where we felt we were in very good hands with you,” said Intermate Managing Director Jörn Mecher in a catch-up with Plantclub.
Large standing trees create warmth in a meeting room.
After completing our installation at their Berlin office last fall and the installation in their new Hamburg office in February, Plantclub checked in with the team and made a visit to Intermate Berlin for a conversation on growth, cultivating aesthetics, and employee retention.
Berlin office manager Gloria Szwajkowski commented on how, from the perspective of her role, Plantclub’s services of renting out living design elements and keeping up with their care is a win for herself and employees.
Christin Eberhardt, manager of organizational and people development spoke on the positive social aspects of having plants around, especially with Plantclub's Employee Plant Store membership perk, an online store where employees can purchase plants for their homes at a discounted rate. She added that design is extremely important to the brand, especially in terms of growth.
“We want to grow even bigger. And to get good employees and to retain them. We also need amazing offices,” Eberhardt said of the relationship between Plantclub and Intermate.
Various shelf plants complement the styling at Intermate Hamburg.
At the office, there are very minimalistic choices in terms of barriers or separation, giving way for lots of natural light to reach all corners of the space. A fiddle-leaf fig tree can be spotted through one of the large glass walls, which run along the office, distinguishing between meeting areas and workspaces. Meeting rooms are each their own unique jungle while workspaces are accented with levels of plants on shelves.
Sheila Emmenegger, service and spatial designer, described Plantclub’s design concept as bringing separated and distant spaces together, while incorporating Intermate’s design principles. An example of this can be seen in the hanging, cascading plants that have been placed in vibrant pots.
“With our plant [design] concept, we brought to a well-designed office interior the missing connection that the spaces needed in order to make the different atmospheres within it feel all part of the same strong and vibrant Intermate community,” Emmenegger said.
Pops of color, via pots or walls, was a major design feature at Intermate Berlin.
Although the Berlin office’s open layout runs in contrast to the Hamburg office which features lofted rooms, connected by winding wooden staircases, the two locations reflect an inviting, yet cohesive brand identity. Mecher explained that the Hamburg design by Plantclub, like Berlin’s, breaks up the large spaces and gives meeting rooms “a certain intimacy and liveliness.”
“The team has really celebrated it – they like all the greenery. And also for new colleagues in job interviews the plants have a direct positive effect on people,” Mecher said.
Art ties the Intermate Hamburg space together. This Kentia palm and neutral pot complement the color scheme.
Plantclub.io provides you and your colleagues with the benefits of plants, wherever you work. Rent office plants and transform your space into a green oasis, with flexible monthly membership options to suit your size. Diversify your employee perks with a dedicated company store, where you can give green gifts and your team can buy plants for their home office. Book a time to chat with us today.