Culture

Office Space

Welcome to the golden age of workplace design: 10 businesses that just might inspire you to update your résumé By Graham Hiemstra
The decline of traditional office dress codes has radically altered the way we dress for work, and it’s only fitting that the spaces we work in would evolve as well. From Portland to Prague, the cookie-cutter cubicle farms of yesteryear are being torn up and replaced by spaces that emphasize comfort, versatility, and a healthy dose of idiosyncrasy—not unlike the clothing often worn by those who toil within their walls. And it’s not just architecture firms or creative agencies that are embracing the new wave of office design, either. Tech companies and corporate institutions like the Boston Consulting Group are turning on to the power of inspiring design. We scoured the globe to find 10 of the coolest spaces currently open for business.
<strong>INSTRUMENT: PORTLAND, OREGON | </strong>The three-story atrium and auditorium dominates the offices of one of Portland, Oregon&#x2019;s top digital creative agencies
INSTRUMENT: PORTLAND, OREGON | The three-story atrium and auditorium dominates the offices of one of Portland, Oregon’s top digital creative agencies
<strong>THE BARBARIAN GROUP: NEW YORK CITY |</strong> This marketing firm&#x2019;s office is ruled by a flowing plywood-and-resin sculpture that twists and turns to create workspaces, shelving units, and a cavernous meeting space
THE BARBARIAN GROUP: NEW YORK CITY | This marketing firm’s office is ruled by a flowing plywood-and-resin sculpture that twists and turns to create workspaces, shelving units, and a cavernous meeting space
<strong>AIRBNB: SAN FRANCISCO |</strong> The sizable space features areas whose designs are inspired by cities central to the company&#x2019;s success, like Brooklyn, Cairo, and Shanghai
AIRBNB: SAN FRANCISCO | The sizable space features areas whose designs are inspired by cities central to the company’s success, like Brooklyn, Cairo, and Shanghai
<strong>EKIMETRICS: PARIS | </strong>Estelle Vincent Architecture erected standalone wooden structures to serve as private meeting spaces in the gilded offices of this consulting firm on the Champs-&#xC9;lys&#xE9;es
EKIMETRICS: PARIS | Estelle Vincent Architecture erected standalone wooden structures to serve as private meeting spaces in the gilded offices of this consulting firm on the Champs-Élysées
<strong>NEW LAB: BROOKLYN | </strong>This vast former construction hangar at the Brooklyn Navy Yard reopened in 2016 as a multi-tenant space, and is now home to more than 70 companies, including NASA contractor Honeybee Robotics
NEW LAB: BROOKLYN | This vast former construction hangar at the Brooklyn Navy Yard reopened in 2016 as a multi-tenant space, and is now home to more than 70 companies, including NASA contractor Honeybee Robotics
<strong>THE BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP: NEW YORK CITY |</strong> Designed to maximize employee interaction, the Hudson Yards space boasts seating arrangements complete with furniture by trendy designers like Stephen Kenn
THE BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP: NEW YORK CITY | Designed to maximize employee interaction, the Hudson Yards space boasts seating arrangements complete with furniture by trendy designers like Stephen Kenn
<strong>ETSY: BROOKLYN |</strong> Half the furnishings in Etsy&#x2019;s 200,000-square-foot space are procured from local designers
ETSY: BROOKLYN | Half the furnishings in Etsy’s 200,000-square-foot space are procured from local designers
<strong>MONOTYPE: LONDON | </strong>The plywood-clad London office of this leader in font and typeface technologies is defined by 1,500 laser-etched letter M&#x2019;s
MONOTYPE: LONDON | The plywood-clad London office of this leader in font and typeface technologies is defined by 1,500 laser-etched letter M’s
<strong>AVAST SOFTWARE: PRAGUE | </strong>Security software maker Avast turned the clich&#xE9; of an executive putting green on its head, placing a golf simulator at the center of its airy office in Prague
AVAST SOFTWARE: PRAGUE | Security software maker Avast turned the cliché of an executive putting green on its head, placing a golf simulator at the center of its airy office in Prague
<strong>MAKE: CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA |</strong> Multiple buildings (some of them formed from shipping containers) unite to form a campus that serves several small businesses
MAKE: CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA | Multiple buildings (some of them formed from shipping containers) unite to form a campus that serves several small businesses
Graham Hiemstra is a Brooklyn-based writer and editor who covers design, style, culture, and travel. He’s the founder of the travel and design website Field Magazine.
  • Courtesy of New Lab
  • Courtesy of Instrument
  • Courtesy of The Barbarian Group
  • Courtesy of Airbnb
  • Courtesy of Ekimetrics
  • Courtesy of the Boston Consulting Group
  • Courtesy of Etsy
  • Courtesy of Monotype
  • Courtesy of Avast Software
  • Courtesy of Make