Is this the world's coolest office? Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen turns Cotswolds castle into HQ with an ice cave and a Star Wars cinema
Designer and TV presenter Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen has helped a company turn a Cotswolds castle into a cool space for its employees, complete with an ice cave and a Star Wars-themed cinema room.
While many employers might decide that they're being generous by providing an office kettle to staff, Chris Morling, founder of comparison site money.co.uk, decided his growing workforce was worth splashing out on.
The team of 50 were asked to describe their ideal headquarters and many of their suggestions were acted upon.
Interaction, a Bath-based design and build specialist, joined forces with Llewelyn-Bowen to transform the 10,000sq ft, Grade II-listed castle in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, into an engaging working environment.
The bathrooms were inspired by the steampunk craze and The Rolling Stones - with lip-shaped urinals - while one office has been designed as a ski lodge and another as a library, complete with a secret passage hidden behind a bookcase.
It's easy to see why money.co.uk is often described as one of the best places to work in the UK and, as well as the lavish offices, employees enjoy an annual all-expenses-paid break to far-flung cities, get three days off a year to volunteer for charity and finish early every Friday for beers.
If your workplace bores you stupid, you might also want to point your employer in the direction of Google, where meetings are conducted in indoor helicopters, buses and hot-air balloons, staff can take naps in sleeping pods and even zip between floors via firemen's poles.
Other companies with enviable offices include Innocent Drinks, which has hung bunting everywhere and offers employees smoothies on tap; Airbnb, whose San Francisco offices are a colourful fusion of global influences, including a Mexican log cabin, a Shanghai loft and a Cairo-inspired cafe, and Lego, whose HQ in Billund, Denmark, features a slide and play areas full of the classic toy bricks.