The Shift, Gurugram | Custom Design Stories

The Shift, designed by Custom Design Stories, rethinks the conventional office environment through a people-first and adaptive approach. Located in Gurugram, the workplace spans 22,000 SqFt and responds to evolving work patterns through openness, flexibility, and spatial diversity.

Led by Aditya Tognatta and Ananya Sharma, Co-founders of Custom Design Stories, along with project lead Smruti Thergaonkar, the office moves away from rigid workplace structures. Instead, it establishes a contemporary ecosystem shaped around collaboration, focus, and everyday interaction.The project aligns spatial planning with the client’s premium identity through a carefully curated palette of materials, finishes, and layered environments.

Spatial Planning at The Shift

The workplace unfolds across three levels, transitioning gradually from public functions to more private workspaces. The lower level accommodates reception, display areas, meeting rooms, workstations, and a cafeteria. As a result, this floor supports visitor-oriented activities and everyday office interactions. The intermediate floor expands the workstation zones while introducing collaborative and informal settings. Above, a structurally inserted mezzanine creates a third level dedicated exclusively to the organisation’s promoters.

Across the office, the planning follows an open-layout strategy. Semi-enclosed zones accommodate department heads while preserving visual continuity across the floor. Consequently, daylight and external views remain accessible throughout the workspace rather than being restricted to executive areas. This approach translates into multiple workplace typologies. Acoustically controlled cabins and private focus zones support concentrated work. Meanwhile, breakout areas, collaborative settings, and flexible seating clusters encourage interaction and adaptability.

No two people work alike. One key design intention was to acknowledge the firm’s neurodiversity. For some, focus settles in quieter corners; for others, it emerges through interaction.
– Aditya Tognatta

The Shift and the Evolution of Workplace Collaboration

Meeting spaces within The Shift adopt a multifunctional approach. In addition to formal client meeting rooms, the office incorporates cafeteria booths, phone booths, and smaller seating clusters. These spaces support both internal discussions and external interactions.

As a result, conversations occur fluidly across the office without depending entirely on dedicated conference rooms. This planning strategy reinforces flexibility while supporting changing workplace dynamics.

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Material Palette and Interior Expression

Materiality forms a key layer within the office narrative. The reception area functions as more than a transitional zone. A marble-clad feature wall with brass inlay establishes a refined first impression, while teakwood flooring and bespoke furniture reinforce the client’s premium identity.

As movement progresses through the office, materials begin to define spatial zones. Directional vinyl flooring introduces visual movement across workstation areas and broadens the perceived scale of the floor plate. Oak worktables further strengthen this openness, while yellow-toned semi-enclosed cabins create contrast within the neutral base palette.

Color also plays a strategic role across the office. Collaborative zones incorporate blue tones, while purple hues define the cafeteria environment. Together, these interventions introduce controlled vibrancy without overwhelming the workspace.

Conference and Executive Spaces at The Shift

The intermediate-level conference room adopts a layered spatial language. Green-stained veneer walls wrap around an inner glazed partition, creating depth and enclosure. Above, a ceiling graphic representing the client’s signature masterplan anchors the room within the larger context of the organisation’s developments.

The mezzanine level introduces a contrasting spatial experience. Double-height volumes, skylights, and uninterrupted views define the executive areas. MD cabins sit around skylit zones that highlight wood-panelled and stone-clad surfaces. Beyond these cabins, the executive lounge opens beneath a laterally vaulted ceiling. Bespoke furniture arrangements reinforce the scale and openness of the setting. HVAC challenges introduced by the large vertical span are addressed through displacement ventilation operating near floor level. This strategy minimises both visual and acoustic intrusion.

Because the system runs at a lower level, the ceiling remains clear of fixed services. This enables the workplace to evolve, allowing worktables, partitions, and seating to be reconfigured as needs change.
– Smruti Thergaonkar

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Design Approach

The workplace shifts away from the idea of the office as a purely function-driven container. Instead, it operates as an adaptable and collaborative environment shaped by use.

With The Shift, we wanted to move away from the office as a purely function-led container and create a space that feels adaptive and collaborative.
 – Ananya Sharma

By responding to evolving work cultures and multiple modes of interaction, The Shift establishes a workplace ecosystem that prioritises flexibility, openness, and long-term adaptability.

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Disclaimer: The information herein is based upon information obtained in good faith from sources believed to be reliable. All such information and opinions can be subject to change. Furthermore, the image featured in this article is for representation purposes only. It does not in any way represent the project. However, If you wish to remove or edit the article, please email editor@biltrax.com.