A Space within a Space

Amy Feezor — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:00:52 +0000

Boundaries can be beautiful — especially since a little solitude might be a necessity for some people to be more creative. But where to find real privacy in the middle of a busy open-floor plan? Here are some ideas we discovered in workspaces across the continent.

Milwaukee’s Design Fugitives design firm created Think Tank, an inexpensive yet beautiful solution that’s flat-packable, shippable, and easy to assemble. The space can be climate controlled, contains lock-able doors, and uses a clear polycarbonate roof.

Jeff Wardell and Claudia Sagan converted two shipping containers into a home office and a guest bedroom inside their huge warehouse space in San Francisco (a 3,200-square foot former Chinese laundry and tooth-powder factory).

An classic Airstream trailer (also featured in the opening photo) works overtime as a quirky conference room in the offices of The Merrick System, a Toronto-based advertising and digital agency.

The headquarters of Loosecubes — a company dedicated to the art of coworking — employs a humble canvas tent in the middle of its spacious Brooklyn studio. (Can we assume that the Eames molded plastic armchair is moved inside the tent for brianstorm sessions requiring a little extra creativity?)

Photos: Linked to their sources

Temporary Workspace Escapes

Amy Feezor — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:45:09 +0000

Your home office may be comfortable, customized to your specifications, and as hard-working as you are—but sometimes everyone needs an escape from the everyday work routine. One way to shake things up? Coworking, or sharing an office environment with others working on their own projects.

Communities like LooseCubes.com that let you find temporary space to rent by the day or the month (like Hoboken, NJ’s MissionFifty, above) are a smart place to start. Look for workspaces that inspire, teach you something, or that simply give you a fresh perspective. Here are a few spots available across the country that recently caught our eye.

Brainstorm with clients (or alone) while sitting in an Eames Molded Plastic Side Chair in the brightly lit Allen + Killcoyne Architects studio in New York City.

Need breathing room? The airy 16,000-square-foot CoCo is housed in the historic Minneapolis Grain Exchange.

Surprising nooks and crannies in Brooklyn’s newly renovated Love Brigade might inspire a little creativity.

Learn lessons in organization from spaces like this architect’s office in Berkeley, CA (take a look at their rainbow-colored filing system).

Spacious, streamlined, and equipped with Yves Béhar’s innovative SAYL Chair: office space from Packouz in New York City’s Soho neighborhood.

Even the Loosecubes office in DUMBO, Brooklyn, has space to rent—plus a tent, lawn chairs, and an Eames Molded Plastic Armchair to boot.

Photos: Loosecubes.com

Herman Miller blog: Lifework » loosecubes

A Space within a Space

Temporary Workspace Escapes