Max Interiors: Partnered with Waiopehu College and transformed its school canteen into a dynamic café space with a host of furniture options

Waiopehu College is a co-educational secondary school located in Levin in the Manawatu-Whanganui region of North Island. The school has over 600 students enrolled between Years 9 and 13, and it is celebrating its golden jubilee in 2023. 

Waiopehu College’s Business Manager Carol Shore approached OfficeMax looking to make furniture changes for their school canteen space. Sharryn Martin, OfficeMax's furniture specialist, came out to inspect the space and come up with some ideas.

The Challenge

Carol wanted to transform the large hall and change its existing chair-table styled canteen space to something modern, appearing more like a café, with flexible and mobile furniture arrangement.

“Our students recently took a trip to Wellington Girls’ College and liked how their canteen hall was set up. We took inspiration from their fit-out and shared our vision with Sharryn.”

Carol Shore,
Business Manager, Waiopehu College

Budget and timeliness were vital in this project for Carol. The café space needed various furniture options, which were quoted over their budget by other providers and had long lead times for getting installed by a set deadline. 

The Solution

Sharryn visited the school, measured the hall space, and drew a 3D layout with different options. The 3D designs helped Carol envisage what furniture options they could explore, how they could be set in the hall, the colour combination, and any possible layout changes that could be done digitally before finalising the furniture. 

We also organised trials of the café seating and arranged fabric and Melteca samples for the school to review and make their selection.

The school selected a combination of bright and dark-coloured seating, light-weighted rectangular, square, and round tables, leaners with barstools, and banquet sofas against the walls. 

“The 3D layout helped us visualise how the furniture will fit into the vast hall and get the spacing right between them.”

Carol Shore,
Business Manager, Waiopehu College

Efficient communication and delivery speed were essential to the whole project. OfficeMax ensured all information - 3D layout, digital assets, price quotes, final orders, and installation - was done quickly and per the school’s flexibility.

OfficeMax handled the project at a time when different levels of Covid-19 lockdown were ongoing. The suppliers were informed of the limited access to onsite deliveries. They ensured the whole setup was completed within the school holiday period so they can avoid coming in close contact with students.

“Our students were amazed to see the new setting, which included different types of layouts all in the same space. Besides the café feel, the leaners with barstools help students use the space as a collaboration table and work on projects together.”

Carol Shore,
Business Manager, Waiopehu College

The Results

This fitout solution completely changed the face of the canteen space. 

• The variety of furniture installed gave the vibes of a modern café and brought a fresh new look to the canteen space. 
• The mix of bright and dark-coloured furniture made the lunch hall appear more vibrant and welcoming. 
• The fitout chosen was light and could be moved easily to make space in the hall for student training and public events.
• Despite logistical challenges, OfficeMax completed the project on the school's budget and timeline.

“We’ve had several student training and public events, such as High Tea for an elderly women’s group in this hall since the new furniture. It takes a team a few minutes to create a custom setup required for the event and reset it back to its default position easily.”

Carol Shore,
Business Manager, Waiopehu College