Compact Creativity: COBA’s Small Office Fit Out

COBA are a dynamic marketing agency in Cheltenham – and like any creative team, that energy needed room to breathe. With fast-paced projects and shifting priorities, their days rarely looked the same. Some mornings demanded deep focus; others needed space to collaborate. What the team didn’t need was a one-dimensional office holding them back.

Find out how this small office fit out created a workspace that flexed to the team’s needs.

The Brief

As a digital marketing agency, COBA is driven by creativity and collaboration. Their work revolves around teamwork, quick pivots and moments of inspiration – all of which their office needed to actively support.

Having recently moved into a 49m2 space in Cheltenham, they saw an opportunity to rethink how their workplace could do more than just house desks. Could it actively shape how the team worked? Could it help ideas flow faster, make collaboration more natural and also allow for quiet focus when needed? Every design decision needed to work for the people using the space.

Being a relatively small office, maximising every metre was key. That meant designing a space that could flex and adapt. For us, this kind of targeted small office interior design is a high-impact, low-disruption solution that will change the way the team works from day one.

We wanted to create a space that truly reflects the way we work. As a dynamic marketing team, it was important that the environment supported multiple functions. We collaborate constantly whether it be briefing sessions, creative reviews, team meetings and client calls, while also needing time to focus deeply on campaign execution and website builds.
 
It was essential that the space could accommodate both collaborative and focused work. We wanted a space that encouraged effective teamwork, desk spaces that allow individuals to concentrate, and a private zone for client calls with minimal disruption to the rest of the team.

Amy Hough, Director at COBA

The Solution

Staying true to their collaborative nature, we worked closely with COBA on their interior fit out to learn how their team actually functions day to day – the rhythms, the moments of focus and the creative energy. Rather than imposing a pre-defined layout, we like to encourage conversations and experimentation – it’s these insights that lead us to shape every element of the small office refurbishment.

From the colour palette to desking arrangements, every choice was guided by one principle: support the team’s work in a way that feels natural.

Space Optimisation

Before a single desk was placed, we compared floor plans with behaviours. Something we offer as part of our free space optimisation tool, we analysed the team’s routines, size and workflow. From this, we could piece together these patterns of data to build a detailed picture of what the office needed to achieve.

Armed with these insights, we divided the space into purposeful work zones. Areas for concentration sit alongside collaborative breakout spaces. Even small pockets of the office were activated to support work, ensuring every corner contributes to the team’s productivity and maximises our client’s investment.

This approach makes the office feel far larger than its actual footprint. By dedicating work areas based on real patterns and preferences, the team can easily flex between tasks without disruption, turning a compact space into a high-performing, agile environment.

Collaboration Zones

The entire office was open plan. Within this, we created a collaborative area for daily stand-ups and quick huddles. Rather than building partitions, which would eat into the already limited space, we used subtle changes in flooring to define the zone. Different textures and colours create a visual boundary, giving the area its own identity.

This collaborative zone features a wall-mounted screen and mobile stools, allowing the team to adapt the area instantly. Collaboration happens naturally here because the space is flexible and open, encouraging interaction without imposing it.

The collaboration space exceeded my expectations. The TV has become a central feature, giving us a focal point to share ideas and present to both the team and clients. The addition of the whiteboard wall has also been a great asset – it encourages creativity and makes it easy to collaborate and capture ideas in the moment.

Amy Hough, Director at COBA

The Breakfast Bar

Near the entrance of the office, we introduced what we like to call the breakfast bar. While lacking in croissants, its purpose is simple: a hot-desking area where the team can simply plug in and play! Bathed in natural light, it’s bright, energising and instantly usable. Its flexibility encourages movement as employees feel empowered to select the space that suits the task at hand.

The “breakfast bar” adds extra workspace for hybrid workers who haven’t secured a permanent desk allocation.

The Acoustic Pod

With client calls and webinars a daily reality, the team occasionally required a focused space. Enter the acoustic pod – a bookable, plug-and-play booth that slots neatly into the open-plan office.

Designed to absorb sound and provide privacy, the pod allows employees to take calls or focus on tasks without distractions. Its presence doesn’t interrupt the office flow. Instead, it creates a dedicated, high-performing space within the existing footprint, saving the cost of expanding the office or compromising collaboration elsewhere. Its modular design makes it a perfect fit for leased or shared spaces, giving flexibility without permanent changes.

Bookable Desking

With the team’s workflow planned out, we designed the desking to match. Each desk is bookable, giving employees the freedom to choose where they work depending on the day’s task and whether they’re in the office or working remotely. Acoustic screens were added between workstations, ensuring focus isn’t impacted even in an open-plan environment.

Hybrid work patterns mean not every desk is occupied every day, so the space can flex to accommodate both smaller and larger teams.

The Finishing Touches

Once the core zones were in place, we focused on the details. Flooring was selected for durability and easy maintenance – perfect for the countryside location – whilst also adding warmth and character.

Lighting was layered to complement the natural daylight flooding in, with dimmable features that give the team control over their environment. Acoustic interior solutions, like wall panels, were integrated throughout to minimise distractions.

Biophilic elements, such as preserved planters, were added to support team wellbeing by keeping the team connected to nature. Even subtle touches, like a whiteboard in the same colour as the walls, added a functional feature without breaking the design flow.

This office fit out shows small spaces can still pack a punch. With thoughtful office interior design for small offices, you can turn every metre into a high-performing, engaging area for your team.

Want to see how your office could work harder for your people? Let’s talk.