We’re in! This is our second week in the new studio in the heart of Cardiff Bay and we are loving every second.
The move went smoothly thanks to some help from our friends, and over the course of one weekend everything was shifted from Newport to Cardiff. Of course, there were a couple of teething problems with that complicated beast — the internet.
Monday morning was a tad overwhelming. Not only because we had finally made the move we had waited so long for, but also because we had a lot of stuff still to sort. In-between 'the internet' we were hurriedly trying to unpack and tidy everything to make the most of the dead time. By Tuesday morning we had all the technology in place so it was all systems go to deliver work to clients, playing catch up.
The old Toward studio all packed up, Mike's incredible 'desk Tetris in a van' trick and Tom & Mike in one last selfie in the old place.
Before and after work, during lunch, in between checking emails, every spare minute has been occupied by trying to get the new studio just right and as we share this post with you, it’s almost done.
The walls have been painted, all new furniture and equipment has been unpacked, the new sign is installed and most important of all, the new coffee machine works like a dream. We still have some wall graphics to have produced and fitted but aside from that this is well and truly the new home for Toward that we have imagined for the last few months.
Gorgeous sunrises across the Bay (Like the one Rob took, above), plenty of new places to visit for lunch, shorter commutes, we are definitely enjoying the Cardiff life.
Our new studio is in the old Natwest Bank on Bute Street. The beautiful grade II listed building was built in 1927, and houses a grand banqueting room, hidden storage rooms and an underground bank vault that is used for raves at weekends — according to the cool cats in the area! It’s no wonder the building is also a popular filming location. It has starred in Dr Who, Torchwood, Casualty and Upstairs Downstairs.
We're going all out to make the studio ours and modernising it, but the original wooden doors, massive stone exterior pillars and bronze entrance figures are a welcome reminder of the history of the building. In fact, here's a lovely description of the building. With renovation of the exterior and interior due to take place over the coming year, we’re really excited to have found the ideal space for Toward in a building with a rich history. We’re now part of that story and we can’t wait to share the place with everyone.
