CAT A+ Fit-Out Done Right: Inside a Recent Soul Spaces Project

CAT A+ fit-out has become one of the most talked-about products in the London office market  and with good reason. For landlords, it offers a way to stand out in a competitive leasing environment. For tenants, it promises a space that is ready to move into without the time, cost, and disruption of a full fit-out. But there is a significant gap between a CAT A+ space that delivers on that promise and one that simply ticks a box.

We recently completed a CAT A+ fit-out on behalf of a landlord client in East London, and it is a project we are genuinely proud of. Not because it was straightforward, it wasn’t, but because we approached every decision with real thought about what would make the space work for the right tenant. This post shares what we did, and why we think it matters.

The challenge that sits at the heart of every CAT A+ project is the same: how do you create a space with genuine character without making it so specific that it alienates potential tenants? Too safe and the space disappears into a sea of identical offerings. Too bold and you narrow your audience. Getting that balance right requires detailed, careful thinking at every stage of the process.

1. Forward Planning: Space Planning Is Not a Formality

Before a single material was selected or a contractor engaged, we invested serious time in space planning. This is not a step to rush. The layout of a CAT A+ space will be the single biggest factor in whether a prospective tenant can picture themselves in it and whether their solicitor can make the numbers work.

We modelled multiple configurations, analysing different meeting room locations and their impact on the open-plan area, natural light, circulation, and flexibility. Where do you position the meeting room so it doesn’t block the best part of the floor? How do you preserve sightlines to windows whilst still creating a sense of enclosure in the right places?

This kind of rigorous upfront thinking is what separates a space that feels considered from one that feels compromised. By the time we moved into delivery, we had high confidence that the layout would work  not just aesthetically, but practically for the type of business likely to take it.

2. Analytical Thinking: Designing for the Right Tenant

One of the most important questions to ask at the start of a CAT A+ project is: who is this space actually for? The answer shapes every decision that follows.

This particular space was sized for around 20 desks which tells you a great deal about the likely tenant profile. Businesses of this size have very specific priorities.

They are not looking for a corporate campus. They want a space that feels like theirs: functional, characterful, and complete.

We mapped that understanding onto the specification. For a business of this scale, the non-negotiables are:

• An acoustic booth for private calls without it, the office fails on day one

• One well-designed meeting room that is genuinely fit for purpose

• A tea point that feels considered, not afterthought

• Their own WC facilities, shared amenities are a dealbreaker for many at this size

• Real character, something that makes the space feel worth coming into

On character: we were fortunate that the building itself gave us something to work with. High ceilings and exposed brickwork are the kind of raw features that tenants respond to emotionally. But they do not expose themselves. We made the deliberate decision to strip back and celebrate those features rather than cover them, and that choice defined the feel of the entire space.

3. Colour Palette: Distinctive Without Being Divisive

Colour is where many CAT A+ fit-outs lose their nerve. The default instinct is to go neutral white walls, grey accents, inoffensive throughout. The logic is understandable: you do not want to put off potential tenants. But the result is a space that is forgettable, and forgettable does not let in a competitive market.

Our approach was to choose a palette that suited the building’s character whilst still making a statement. The anchor colour was a deep burgundy rich, warm, and genuinely distinctive. Applied with restraint, it gave the space an identity without overwhelming it. Paired against the raw brick and high ceilings, it felt intentional rather than imposed.

The principle we follow is that colour should be confident but considered. It should make the space feel individual like someone made a decision without making it feel like it belongs to someone else. That is a fine line, and getting it right takes experience and an honest conversation about what the market actually responds to.

4. Flexibility: Thinking Through How the Space Will Actually Be Used

A CAT A+ space is, by definition, one that a tenant moves into and adapts minimally. That means the decisions you make during delivery have to anticipate how a wide range of businesses might want to use the space  because you will not be there to ask them.

One area where this matters enormously is power. We gave careful thought to the location and density of power and data points throughout the floor plate, ensuring that multiple furniture layouts and working configurations could be accommodated without requiring significant additional works. For a tenant, this translates directly into reduced fit-out cost and faster occupation. For a landlord, it is a genuine selling point.

The underlying principle is simple: every decision made during delivery should reduce the cost and complexity of occupation for whoever takes the space. Flexibility is not a feature, it is a discipline.

5. Professionalism: Protecting the Landlord’s Asset

This is the section that does not always make it into the brochure but it is arguably the most important of all. Great design and thoughtful specification mean nothing if the delivery is not executed to the highest professional standard.

Our role as main contractor on this project was not just to build a beautiful space. It was to protect our client’s asset and ensure that every element of the works was delivered with longevity in mind. That means:

• Full lighting commissioning not just installation, but calibration and sign-off

• Fire alarm certification to the required standard

• Complete Operation and Maintenance (O+M) files handed over at practical completion

• Snagging resolved before handover, not after

• A space left in a better condition than we found it

These are not extras. They are the baseline of what a professional main contractor should deliver. But the reality is that they are not always delivered and when they are not, it is the landlord who carries the cost and the risk. Our commitment on every project is that the paperwork, the certification, and the finish are as strong as the design.

Conclusion: The Difference Between Good Enough and genuinely Great

It is easy to do an acceptable CAT A+ fit-out. Lay a floor, paint the walls, install some lighting, add a kitchen. Tick the boxes, hand over the keys. Plenty of people do exactly that.

The pride we take at Soul Spaces is in doing something better and that requires genuinely thinking about both sides of the equation. What does the landlord need from this investment? And what will make the right tenant walk in, look around, and say yes?

Those two questions are not always in tension. In fact, when you answer them properly, the result is a space that is better for everyone: faster to let, more valued by the tenant, and a stronger long-term asset for the landlord.

That is what we set out to deliver on this project. And it is what we set out to deliver on every project we take on.

Interested in talking through a CAT A+ project? Get in touch with the Soul Spaces team