Coworking operators are started to shift their focus towards their interior design in order to attract and retain occupants. Now more than ever, it is vital for these companies to provide amenities and designs that sets themselves apart from the beer-on-tap, foosball table, overly masculine coworking spaces that have been popularized.
Pittsburgh-based Beauty Shoppe designs its workspaces based off the cities they are located in. For example, its Detroit location that is in an old cold-storage facility features an iron spiral staircase the reflects the city’s industrious history.
Coworking company Canopy also takes pride in its unique design led by the company’s co-founder Yves Béhar, who is also the chief executive of design studio Fuseproject.
Canopy’s Jackson Square office offers a burst of pinks and greens, which was inspired by the verdigris tones of a historic building across the street. Additionally, ergonomic furniture can be found all across the company’s multiple offices.
Female-oriented coworking community The Wing is another prime example of how design can be an identifying factor of a competitor in this industry. The firm is known for in-house design team that has added millennial pink walls, color-coded books, Roman arches and a bamboo-paneled cafe. The interior of its SoHo flagship also doubles as an art gallery, where paintings done by women can be purchased.