Design That Speaks For Itself - PMG’s Melbourne Office

For a practice responsible for shaping workplaces across Australia, designing its own office presents an opportunity to put decades of expertise into practice. PMG Group's Melbourne workplace does exactly that, translating the firm's integrated approach to design and delivery into a carefully considered 300 sqm interior.

Founded in 1995 by John Muhary, PMG Group is an Australian workplace design and delivery practice with offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide. Their recent design for White Fox Global HQ received recognition as a Commercial Finalist in the 2026 Corian Design Awards, as well as a Sustainability and Wellness Leadership Award Finalist at the 2026 Corenet Global Australia Chapter REawards. Among their other notable achievements is their 2023 Queensland Commercial Category win at the polytec Design Awards, recognising its 1,400 sqm speculative suite at Brisbane's Midtown Centre.

The core intentions that shaped PMG’s Melbourne office design were creating a space that can evolve and grow as the practice does, ensuring distinct work zones, and including a communal space that fosters social connection - all within a relatively compact 300 sqm space. A central theme of the interior is placing a distinctive furniture piece to define each work zone.

The standout of the entire space is an artfully executed sculptural bench. It anchors the centre of the whole workplace as PMG’s materials library. Beyond its striking visual presence, the bench itself serves as a clever storage solution for an extensive material and sample selection, with custom joinery delivered by GT Built. Warm light glows from beneath, giving it an illusion of hovering above the tiled floor. Its leg carries a unique rotating cube detail. One side is equipped with stool seating, whilst the other side encourages standing movement around the bench, allowing ample space for teams to browse the materials.

Beside the materials library is a kitchen and common area, a refreshing step away from the workflow. A large window floods this corner of the workplace with natural light and is framed by a plush seating nook and an abstract artwork upon its adjacent wall. A spacious kitchen bench draws in moments of connection. Clever lighting choices further emphasise the setting, including downlighting from under the bench and lining the perimeter of the kitchen. The Solt Linear Pendant by Alex Earl, is the focal point of the kitchen. Warm light glows from inside artfully hand-cast glass, suspended by a sleek brass rod.

The lighting throughout this project stands out.

"Rather than treating lighting as a separate layer, we wanted it to become an extension of the architecture itself, using light to create an experience, evoke a sense of atmosphere and enhance the way people engage with the space. The idea was to create soft, subtle yet impactful feature moments that not only complemented the architectural design but elevated it, bringing another layer of depth, warmth and character to the overall space," - Nicky Karim, Head of Design - Victoria.

Lighting was integrated into the curved internal coffers of the materials library and the rectangular internal coffers of the boardroom. Alex Josevski from Alva Electrical offered crucial expertise within this complex installation.

Natural light fills the main work zone with surrounding views of the city. The planting palette breaks up the workstations. Grey boards line the wall spaces between windows for pinning images and throwing around ideas. The room feels alive with creativity and provides both solo desk space as well as scattered moments of collaborative seating. Workstations by Create Workspace and task chairs by Humanscale were carefully selected to ensure ergonomic support for long periods of focused work.

Without reliance on walls, the open space is divided by intentional ceiling and flooring choices. Warm cork flooring by Market Timbers distinguishes the communal area, transitioning to Integra Surfaces’ tiles within the kitchen. Milliken carpet defines the back-of-house work zones, while Interface carpet establishes a subtle distinction in client-facing spaces. Similarly, an exposed ceiling is retained in work and casual zones, whilst Elite Office’s feature ceilings give the boardroom and materials library a more formal feel.

Despite having distinctive zones, the entire workplace shares the same visual language with a soft, muted colour palette of sage, burnt orange, creams and greys. At the heart of this aesthetic balance is Signorino stone, used for the benchtops and surfaces throughout the space.

What’s impressive is PMG’s adaptability throughout the creation process. This design continued to evolve whilst under construction - a challenge that had to be expertly coordinated with trade, delivery, electrical (Alva Electrical) and AV (SKS Technologies) teams in mind.

PMG’s Melbourne office is a tangible expression of the practice’s design philosophy, giving clarity to any client that enters, without having to say a word. As office design evolves beyond rows of desks and clinical white lighting, PMG continually showcases how much more workplaces can innovate.

Credits

Workplace Design & Delivery

PMG Group

Feature Furniture

District

Workstations, Meeting Tables & Chairs

Create Workspace

Ergonomic Task Chairs & Monitor Arms

Humanscale

Stone Surfaces

Signorino

Architectural Joinery