Island Records and EMI’s London HQ is designed like an art museum

Island Records and EMI have come together under one roof at a newly unveiled shared headquarters in King's Cross, London, the result of an 18-month collaboration between spatial design studio Interesting Projects and Studio Island, the labels' in-house creative team. But rather than merge two identities into one, the studios treated the brief as a curatorial challenge, bringing two labels with distinct personalities and legacies together in one space.

The answer was to approach the space like it was an exhibition. 'Commissioning and collaborating with Interesting Projects stemmed from my deep admiration for their exhibition design for the Keith Haring retrospective at Tate Liverpool in 2019,' explains Holly Williams, creative director at Studio Island, of why the design duo made a natural choice for this project.

Inside Island Records and EMI's London HQ: ‘a museum to the labels’

James Mason and Joana Filipe, directors of Interesting Projects, approached the commission like 'a museum to the labels', explaining the ask was for 'a space that feels alive, relevant and connected to the way music is made and experienced today'.

That thinking plays out as two parallel stories. Island's entrance is staged like, well, a stage, its base nodding to carnival sound systems, opening into a mural of Bob Marley's ‘One Love’, painted by British-Jamaican signwriter SignsbyJorge as a twin to an original in Jamaica by the Nurse Signs Collective. Both murals carry the signwriters' mobile numbers, painted on; Williams explains that 'if you need a mural, you know who to call'.

EMI's entrance takes a different route, built as a curated archive of memorabilia, photography and correspondence, including a letter criticising the label's decision to sign the Sex Pistols. Further in, a Corbin Shaw textile piece, Just Four Lads From Liverpool, reworks Burberry check into a Beatles homage. 'Corbin was top of our list for EMI because his practice explores Britishness, identity and often masculinity,' Williams says.

The two labels touch in the kitchen and dining area. A window was cut into the kitchen wall onto the Island side, framing a photograph of a young Amy Winehouse from the Frank era. Opposite, in a separate eating space, a matching window opens onto EMI's red wall, where Corbin Shaw's Beatles piece sits in conversation with an iconic shot of the Spice Girls.

'Island Records and EMI are united by a commitment to exceptional artists and enduring music, while each has its own distinct identity,' says Louis Bloom, president of Island Records EMI Label Group. 'The new office brings this shared ethos to life with a bold, collaborative space that celebrates the heritage of both labels while inspiring creativity, connection, and the next generation of artists.'

For Williams, the best thing about the project is the learning opportunities it has brought. EMI's history mural alone spans almost a century of British music milestones, including the fact that King George VI's 1939 speech declaring Britain's entry into the Second World War was recorded at Abbey Road. 'Through the art,’ she says, ‘staff and artists have learnt more about the history of both labels.’