An ethical beauty brand that started life in a North East kitchen has unveiled its new headquarters following a luxury fitout by a York interior design company.
West Barn Co. was created by mother and daughter duo Donna McCann-Turner and Kimberley Cattin in 2016, with one product which went on to become a bestselling beauty staple - Soap Brows.
Ms Cattin had been working as a make-up artist on the set of of top TV shows and films when she spotted a gap in the market for a wax beauty product to keep eyebrows in place, prompting the launch of the firm with her mother. Initially made and designed in her Ms McCann-Turner’s kitchen, the resulting Soap Brows product became a worldwide bestseller, used by the likes of Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish while also being stocked in high profile retailers.
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The family-run brand now has a team of just under 30 employees, which creates a range of cruelty-free, vegan-friendly, sustainable beauty products to ship to over 60 countries worldwide. The growth of West Barn Co led to expansion into a new 11,000sqft head office at Belmont Industrial Estate, Durham, after outgrowing its previous office and manufacturing space.
After taking on the industrial space at Belmont, comprising three individual units brought together under one roof, the company has invested significantly into the new space after enlisting Ben Johnson Interiors, a specialist commercial interiors firm, to create the space and design, build and supply furniture.
The new headquarters boasts a photography studio, product lab, packaging area, workspace, wellness area and its newly-launched West Barn Co. Clinic, a beauty clinic offering a wide selection of beauty treatments, carried out by experts within the brand and local therapists specially-selected by Ms Cattin and the team.
Ms Cattin said: “We are all so thrilled with our new HQ and could not have brought this vision to life without the team at Ben Johnson.
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“Every aspect of the concept complements the West Barn Co. ethos and our values, and their input on making the best use of our space whilst creating a fun environment to work in has been invaluable. I’m excited to call this new place our home and look forward to many successful years in it as we return to a shared workspace and West Barn Co. continues to grow.”
Ben Johnson Interiors has created hundreds of workspaces to inspire creativity, encourage collaboration while enhancin clients’ brand image, with clients including Newcastle based Mayborn Group, Shark Ninja, Mott McDonald, Leo Vegas and Smiffy’s.
Emma Dodsley, director at Ben Johnson Interiors, added: “It’s been a privilege to work on the new West Barn Co. HQ and the end result is a really inspiring project that shows what’s really possible in traditionally industrial spaces. Kimberley had a clear vision and objectives throughout the project and it’s really rewarding to see it brought to life and to have received such brilliant feedback from the whole team.”