Spaces designed for how people feel

Good design goes beyond how a space looks. It affects how welcomed, focused and motivated people feel.

At Ashlar ID, we design commercial environments that work for the business and the people within it. Every decision, from layout and lighting to acoustics and materials, is made with both operational needs and the full range of human experience in mind.

People

Understanding the needs of your people

Change and restructuring
Attracting and retaining talent
Performance, wellbeing and engagement
Inclusive design

Place

Shaping environments that support both operational needs and everyday experience

Relocation and new workplaces
Refurbishment and reconfiguration
Spatial planning and flow
How a space feels and performs

Culture

Reflecting how organisations work, connect and who they are

Purpose and values
Identity and brand
Community and shared experience
How your people work and interact

ASHLAR ID Ltd Gallery Image of a Recent Project

Our Approach

Look beyond the surface
The whole picture matters. How a space flows, sounds and feels throughout the day. The result is a space that looks right, feels comfortable and supports those who use it.

Designed for people
We take time to understand how a space will really be used, and by whom. That means asking questions that go beyond the brief. That insight informs every decision we make.

Made to last
Our work is guided by purpose, comfort and longevity, not short-lived trends. We focus on making the most of your investment, creating spaces that deliver value long after the project is complete.

what we do

Workplace & Commercial Interior Design

We embed ourselves in your business from the start. Understanding how you work, what you need and what you're aiming to achieve shapes everything that follows.

From concept through to completion, we guide you through the entire process, including workplace analysis, space planning, design development, specification, procurement and delivery. Whether you need the full process or support at a specific stage, we adapt to what your project requires.

Our aim is always the same: to create spaces that reflect your ambitions, support your people and help your business perform at its best.

Workplace Consultancy & Space Planning

Good space planning starts long before a layout is drawn. It begins with understanding how people actually work, how they move through a space and what they need from it at different points in the day.

Where clients want a deeper understanding of how their space is being used, we can draw on a range of analytical methods to help inform the brief. Not every project needs this level of insight, but when it does, the value it provides can be significant.

Working closely with stakeholders and teams, we develop layouts that feel intuitive and flexible, offering a range of settings that support focus, collaboration and everything in between. This creates a space that works well for those who use it, while making the best use of the space available.

Inclusive & Sensory Design Consultancy

Inclusive, sensory-aware design starts with recognising that people experience environments differently. By considering lighting, acoustics, layout and sensory impact, we help create spaces that feel more comfortable, accessible and easier to use.

Rather than designing for the average user, we design with a broader range of needs in mind. This creates environments that offer greater choice and flexibility, supporting individual wellbeing while aligning with organisational culture, values and ways of working.

What our customers say

Ashlar was invited to join the architect early in the planning, design and fitout of the Lucy Real Estate office. Debbie’s vision and obvious talent transformed a dark concrete box into a vibrant and thriving office. She worked well with the wider consultant team and with the business steering committee to deliver the project on time and budget. On the back of this success Debbie moved to successfully oversee the fitout of our corporate headquarters. I wholeheartedly recommend her services.

Ian Ashcroft

Ian Ashcroft
CEO Lucy Real Estate

Debbie's ability to listen deeply, challenge, and suggest new ideas from a position of truly understanding what we wanted - has resulted in an office space that I, and the entire team are immensely proud of. Her visits, experience, contacts, words of encouragement, and availability to me personally were what helped make it a success. This has been to date the biggest business decision I have ever made - and it was made much easier by working alongside you.I would whole heartedly recommend Debbie for any interior design project you may have.

Graham Leighfield

Founder of GEL Studios

Debbie has helped us create a beautiful workplace, working with us on a full refurbishment of our Global HQ in Oxford. She was involved from inception all the way through to completion, taking ownership of all design decisions, attending site in person for weekly meetings and communicating and managing multiple sub-contractors throughout. It’s been a pleasure to work with her. Following our latest staff survey employee satisfaction and wellbeing are at an all time high when asked about their physical working environment.

James Plummer MIWFM

Facilities Manager
Lucy Real Estate

Debbie brought a proactive and solutions focused approach to the project, introducing a variety of work settings to encourage innovation, collaboration and wellbeing. We introduced a specialist landscape designer to specifically design the building to have a low carbon impact through the planting. The feedback from our staff was overwhelmingly positive. This represented a significant investment for the business, and the result is an outstanding facility. I would highly recommend Ashlar ID for their innovative and can-do approach to workplace design.

Brook Nolson

Former COO

It was an absolute pleasure to work with Debbie on our relocation to a new Head office. Throughout the project she was an invaluable advisor, designer and facilitator – generating creative options, helping us to answer questions we didn’t know to ask and value-engineering the design to deliver optimal benefit and aesthetic within our budget. Debbie brought a such a wealth of professional and industry experience to our in-house team. She is a genuine team-worker and collaborator whom I recommend highly and would be pleased to engage again on a future project.

Ian McCagherty

CPS

I have worked with Debbie Watts for the last 6 years on a number of design and refurbishment projects with great success. Debbie has brought a high level of competency to every project we have worked on. Her strong relationship building skills make Debbie very easy to work with as she is exceptional in understanding the needs of her "client". Debbie is innovative, passionate, diligent and has amazing attention to detail I would not hesitate to recommend Debbie's services to other business.

Emma Saunders

ex KPMG Facilities Manager

Ashlar ID were instrumental in bringing the vision for the Unilever House of Beauty and Wellbeing to life. Their considered and collaborative approach played a key role in balancing the preservation of the existing environment with the need to remain faithful to the client brief. Throughout the process, Ashlar ID demonstrated a strong understanding of how to design and deliver a space that not only respects the space but also embodies the evolving identity and purpose of the House of Beauty & Wellbeing. The result is a thoughtfully crafted, sustainable environment that reflects both the character of the building and the aspirations of the teams who will use it.

Mark Owen

Global Workplace Strategy Lead

Sensory Audits & Experience Review

A sensory audit looks at how a space is actually experienced, not just how it looks on paper. Acoustics, lighting, materials, layout, wayfinding and overall sensory load are reviewed to identify what is working well, what may be creating barriers and where improvements can be made.

The outcome is a set of practical, actionable recommendations. Where appropriate, this may also include a sensory map, helping users better understand and navigate the sensory environment around them.

Projects

A selection of projects that demonstrate Ashlar ID’s approach to creating thoughtful environments for organisations and the people who use them.
Typical projects span the full design process, from site analysis and space planning through to interior design, specification and site support through to completion.

View all Projects

Unilever B & W

London

Lucy Group HQ

Oxford

Lucy Real Estate

Oxford

Inspiration Healthcare

Croydon

Ocado

Hertfordshire

Gel Studios

Swindon

Supporting Services

Measured Surveys

Accurate spatial data and a reliable foundation for everything that follows.

Furniture Dudits

Assessing existing assets for suitability, reuse opportunities and alignment with future needs.

Accommodation Studies

Understanding needs, behaviours and requirements through staff interviews, workshops and user groups.

Workplace Analysis & Reporting

Providing evidence-based insight into how space is being used and experienced.

Building Proving

Testing feasibility and validating proposals against operational requirements.

Furniture Selection & Specification

Selecting and specifying furniture that supports different ways of working, balancing new, pre-loved and reused options to create practical, considered solutions.

Drawing Coordination

Aligning information across disciplines to support clear, accurate delivery.

CGI Visualisation

Helping clients understand proposals and picture a space before it is built.

Spaces designed for how people feel - not just how they look