5 creative and modern office designs to get you inspired
From DJ booths and ping pong tables to fitness balls and indoor grassy knolls, the sky is the limit when it comes to office design. But an office that inspires creativity doesn’t need to be edgy or trendy to fuel the kind of imagination, community, and productivity you’re aiming for.
So what features should top your priority list?
Here’s something that won’t surprise you: Everyone’s inspiration comes from a different place. An article in HBR breaks it down to seven variables for great office design: location, enclosure, exposure, technology, temporality, perspective, and size.
Whatever the right balance for your team, here are 5 offices that look great and get the details right: From plants and natural light, to lots of electrical outlets that keep everyone powered up.
Open and bright: Eventbrite
“Natural light was the number one design request from Eventbrite employees,” reporter Madeline Stone explained in Business Insider as part of a virtual tour of Eventbright’s San Francisco office.
Big windows let in lots of light, giving the space a bright and airy feel. The office features open areas as well as closed and private meeting rooms, and different types of seating — with plenty of electrical outlets to choose from — so there’s space to accommodate different purposes and preferences. For new moms returning to office life, there’s also a quiet and equipped “Mother’s Room.”
“When Rapt Studio set out to design the space — the company’s fifth in just eight years — they used Pinterest boards to find out what Eventbrite employees wanted most in their office,” Stone said.
Bring nature into the office: Urban Outfitters
Office Snapshots describes this campus as “epic,” a 350,000 square foot community that hosts Urban Outfitters, Free People, and Anthropologie.
Built in an old navy shipyard, the aesthetic blends that history with elements of these hip brands while prioritizing biophilic design — an approach that aims to seamlessly incorporate nature: Lots of natural light, plants throughout, wood and natural materials, even a water feature.
“One notable statistic found after the move is that employee morale and wellness have increased with an overall decrease in sick time taking place. Urban Outfitters has also seen employee turnover drop by 11%,” Office Snapshots noted. “No doubt these changes have come through a combination of better work environment, as well as [amenities] like the fitness center.”
Flexible floor plan: Free
Studio, agency, co-working space…Free in Toronto, ON, Canada, has a lot going on, and their space reflects that with its flexible design.
“The conversion had to make use of the existing floor plan while creating new partitions for the gallery, offices, photo studio and editing suites,” architects Tom Chung Studio told ArchDaily. “The program uses a drapery track system to maintain a flexible floor plan that responds to different scenarios.”
Low budget, big space: Pallotta Teamworks
When LA-based Pallotta Teamworks set out to create new offices for its rapidly growing team, “there wasn’t even enough budget to heat and air-condition the space,” they explain on their site.
Called the “Apostrophe,” the warehouse conversion incorporates lumber, shipping containers, and tents — unconventional, but it works.
Design firm Clive Wilkinson & Associates said, “the resulting project generated considerable savings in use over conventional office build-outs, and reinforced [Pallotta’s] message of promoting responsible, sustainable ways of living on this planet.”
Beyond startups: McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Canadian law firm McCarthy Tétrault grabbed headlines when it challenged stereotypes and the established norms by coming up with new concepts for its offices in Vancouver and Quebec.
“Offices will be created in pavilions in the centre of each floor, with spaces where people can gather to brainstorm — or just talk,” described the Vancouver Sun’s Frances Bula. “And, in an unusual move for the legal world, where hierarchy has been key, there won’t be any difference in size or furnishings, the typical status markers.”
Instead of status, McCarthy Tétrault’s new concept creates opportunities for collaboration and a more open, bright, and contemporary space.
Want more ideas?
There are common themes in these examples — flexibility, collaborative spaces, natural light — but it’s important to create a space that reflects the culture of your own organization.
For detailed case studies, check out Office Snapshots or the Office Interiors section on ArchDaily. For visual inspiration, Pinterest is a great resources: You’ll find lots of images on relevant topics such as industrial office design and corporate office design.
