Designed for a tech start-up focussing on cloud-based services, we tried to capture the relaxed and open work atmosphere popular in Silicon Valley office design. But in contrast to the lavish budgets these companies enjoy, our challenge was to create a fun working environment on a very limited budget. Using a combination of second hand furniture and a dogged search and sifting through Taobao’s extensive – but very uneven – marketplace of affordable furniture, we were able to source a range of fresh and good-quality furnishings.