Framery: the company that built the world's first office phone booth

Framery soundproof pod in an open-plan office

London runs on dense open-plan floors, and the office phone booth was invented for exactly that problem: in 2010, in a Tampere IT agency, two employees asked their boss to take his calls elsewhere, were told to «buy me a phone booth», found none existed and built it. Framery grew from that first booth into the company that defined the soundproof pod, with the founder Samu Hällfors still at its head.

In May 2026 the brand opened its UK flagship at 63 Goswell Road, in the middle of Clerkenwell, and brought Framery Subscribed to the British market: pods rented as an operating cost, maintained, refurbished and redeployed instead of scrapped. Behind it stands a Finnish manufacturer with more than 110,000 pods in 104 countries, an Ecovadis Gold rating in 2026 and a third-party EPD for every pod in the range. La Mercanti specifies Framery for UK fit-outs alongside the Italian furniture it ships from its own warehouse, so the pods sit in the same project file, the same delivery and the same installation diary.

FAQ

Can Framery pods be rented rather than bought?

Yes. Framery Subscribed lets a company pay for pods as a predictable operating expense instead of a capital purchase; when a pod is no longer needed it is collected, refurbished and redeployed to another user. The scheme reached the UK in 2026 and sits on the same circular design that makes every component of a pod replaceable.

Where can I try a Framery pod in London?

At the Framery flagship on Goswell Road, Clerkenwell, opened during Clerkenwell Design Week in May 2026 with the current generation of smart pods on the floor. La Mercanti can arrange the visit and bring the floor plan, so the pod count and the finishes are decided in front of the real thing.

How to bring Framery into a London office through La Mercanti

For facilities teams and designers: from the showroom visit to the installation crew, one project file.

Book the Goswell Road visit

Try the pods with the drawings in hand; La Mercanti arranges the appointment and joins it.

Count desks, then divide

Framery's rule of thumb is a pod for each ten desks; hybrid floors full of short calls push the count up.

Decide: buy or subscribe

Purchase with a five-year warranty on the smart pods, or Framery Subscribed as an operating cost with refurbished pods on return.

Check the floor and the socket

A level floor and a 100-240 V outlet are all a pod needs; no building works, no landlord consent for walls.

Diary the installation and activation

Trained crews install; the activation e-mail switches on ventilation, lighting and calendar booking.