A reception that looks refined and keeps conversations private

How Kingsley Napley's move to open-plan working started with the first space clients see.

The double-height Kingsley Napley reception, where a seamless Rockfon Mono Acoustic ceiling controls sound across a hard-surfaced entrance.

Six years in the making

Kingsley Napley is a leading London law firm with over 400 employees. Moving to a new office wasn't a quick decision. Over six years, the firm tested how a shift from closed, cellular offices to open-plan working could serve its people, running pilot refurbishments before committing.

The result was a move to Twenty Bonhill in Shoreditch, consolidating three offices into a single unified workspace across six floors. At its centre sits a double-height reception, the first space every client and visitor sees, designed to feel clear, confident and calm.

But a law firm's reception has to do more than look good.

Discretion and clarity, in a hard double-height space

For a law firm, two acoustic needs are non-negotiable: conversations must stay discreet, and speech must stay clear. A double-height reception full of hard surfaces and clean architectural lines works against both, letting sound reflect and carry across the space.

The design also called for a fully seamless, monolithic ceiling, a continuous surface with no visible joints at all.

And in a reception lit by downlights and direct sunlight, that surface couldn't reveal any of the lighting, audio or mechanical services hidden behind it.

Project info

Project name

Kingsley Napley Offices

Location

London, United Kingdom

Architecture

KKS Savills

Installation

Pacy & Wheatley Construction

Photography

Timothy Soar

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Products used

Rockfon® Mono Acoustic

View

A quiet meeting corner off the main reception, kept acoustically comfortable by the seamless ceiling.

Up close, the continuous Mono Acoustic ceiling holds the clean architectural lines behind the gold lighting, keeping speakers and services almost invisible even under direct light.

One seamless surface that hides everything above it

BPC Interiors and installer Pacy & Wheatley specified Rockfon Mono Acoustic for the reception ceiling. Its seamless surface holds the clean architectural lines the design called for while delivering Class A sound absorption across the space.

The system integrates lighting, audio and mechanical services without visual clutter, and the high-performance surface keeps them hidden even under direct sunlight or downlights. Durable and humidity resistant, it stays clean and stable in a high-traffic entrance.

"Mono Acoustic was chosen for its appearance but also for its ability to mitigate unwanted sound generated by hard surfaces. We are so pleased to have discovered this beautiful, fabulous product," said Paul Butterworth, Associate Director and Senior Designer at KKS Savills.

“Mono Acoustic was chosen for its appearance but also for its ability to mitigate unwanted sound generated by hard surfaces.”

Paul Butterworth

— Associate Director and Senior Designer at KKS Savills

At the reception desk, the seamless ceiling keeps conversations clear and discreet across a busy, hard-surfaced entrance.

A confident first impression

Kingsley Napley now greets clients and staff in a reception that looks refined and keeps conversations controlled, exactly the impression a leading law firm wants to make from the moment someone walks in.

Also designing a reception or workspace where a seamless look and acoustic discretion both matter? Get in touch, and we'll help you find the right solution.