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Staff Meeting in the Diner? Or the Bathroom? 12 Creative Office Spaces

  • You think those fancy swivel chairs in the conference room are the best part of your office? <a href="http://www.thisaintnodisco.com/book/"><em>Where We Work: Creative Office Spaces</em></a>, from the creator of design website <a href="http://thisaintnodisco.com/" target="_blank"><em>This Ain't No Disco (It's Where We Work)</em></a>, features 45 creative firms around the world whose offices just won't settle for cubes. Here's a look at 12 of those office spaces.
  • <strong>Adams & Knight, Inc.<br> Avon, Connecticut</strong><br><br> The centerpiece in this ad agency's office is a retro diner where lunch is served every day, complete with vintage vending machines and advertisements. The retro theme is carried through the rest of the office space, from the Herman Miller work chairs to the old movie posters lining the walls into the theater where presentations are shown.
  • <strong>Hornall Anderson LLC<br> Seattle, Washington</strong><br><br> This strategic brand design firm has some quirky details in the design of its workplace. A steel-plated logo wall in the reception area features client logos that the agency created. Every conference room in the city-block-long office space is named after <em>Zoolander</em> references (think Mugatu, Blue Steel, and the Center for Kids Who Don't Read Good). And shown here is the company's off-beat version of a trophy case--27 years' worth of awards and trophies are haphazardly piled into a glass case, simply stating "Many Awards. Many Thanks."
  • <strong>Nothing Commercial Creativity<br> Amsterdam, The Netherlands</strong><br><br> Nothing's business concept circles around creating something out of nothing. The interior structures of their office space is an example of what they can do out of the "nothing-ness" of a cardboard box. The structures are made of reinforced cardboard, laser-cut and slotted so no glue or hardware was needed. What's really cool is that theoretically, the company could disassemble its office, pack up and move somewhere else--talk about sustainability! Just avoid those coffee spills at your desk...
  • <strong>Creative Alliance<br> Louisville, Kentucky</strong><br><br> This ad agency works out of a renovated 1913 bank building. The architects and designers had a challenge in creating sufficient individual work spaces and gathering spaces while keeping the original architecture of the building intact.
  • <strong>Syzygy Deutschland GmbH<br> Hamburg, Germany</strong><br><br> The employees of this office requested to have a "puzzle" designed in their workplace, allowing them to sit inside a table instead of at one. A system of movable, interchangeable desks was created, so employees could easily collaborate and vary the size of their workstations in the minimalist-designed space.
  • <strong>JWT Global Communications<br> New York City</strong><br><br> Unity was important in the redesign of this Lexington Avenue ad agency. There are no private spaces in the office, and vertical movement between its five floors helps interconnectivity. Bright colors and different themes accentuate the various meeting areas and conference rooms throughout the workplace.
  • <strong>Trust Creative Society<br> Tampere, Finland</strong><br><br> An in-house restaurant at this design firm stemmed from a common passion for food, and fits in well with the employees' focus on comfort in their workplace. Blackboards, sleek white furniture, and hardwood floors accent the homey space, which also includes a yoga room and movable desks.
  • <strong>Naked Communications<br> Sydney, Australia</strong><br><br> "Home" is the theme in this office--decorative wallpaper, opulent mirrors and wall hangings, retro accents and yard sale-style knickknacks all help to create spaces that give employees and visitors a sense of being at home. Even the most unlikely home spaces like a bathroom serve as a meeting space.
  • <strong>Loja Communicacao<br> Rio de Janeiro, Brazil</strong><br><br> No, this isn't a swanky cocktail lounge--this ad agency (whose name translates to "shop communications") runs out of a commercial retail space. The large glass front doors open up into a space filled with warm colors, animal print and luxurious furniture, and hanging fabric partitions separate the workspaces.
  • <strong>Burnkit<br> Vancouver, Canada</strong><br><br> This 14-person creative agency is located just steps from a shipping port. The focal point in the warehouse-turned-studio-space references its next-door neighbor--two large metal shipping containers were sandblasted and repainted.
  • <strong>NORTH<br> Portland, Oregon</strong><br><br> Pine wood and brushed metal are recurring materials in the "base camp" of this creative collective, adding warmth and personality into the confines of its structure. The underlying inspiration in the office's design is the workings of a scientific expeditionary camp--hence the rectangular modules used as various meeting spaces like the one shown here, a cantilevered box stacked on a raw steel production module.
  • <strong>thelab<br> New York City</strong><br><br> In a warehouse on the west coast of Manhattan, a media arts company set up camp in a space that once was an Andy Warhol-frequented night club in the '80s. Among other details in the office that contribute to its general warmth and sense of community, two roof decks were built facing east towards the Empire State Building and west overlooking the Hudson River.
  • 01 /13 You think those fancy swivel chairs in the conference room are the best part of your office? Where We Work: Creative Office Spaces, from the creator of design website This Ain't No Disco (It's Where We Work), features 45 creative firms around the world whose offices just won't settle for cubes. Here's a look at 12 of those office spaces.
  • 02 /13 Adams & Knight, Inc.
    Avon, Connecticut

    The centerpiece in this ad agency's office is a retro diner where lunch is served every day, complete with vintage vending machines and advertisements. The retro theme is carried through the rest of the office space, from the Herman Miller work chairs to the old movie posters lining the walls into the theater where presentations are shown.
  • 03 /13 Hornall Anderson LLC
    Seattle, Washington

    This strategic brand design firm has some quirky details in the design of its workplace. A steel-plated logo wall in the reception area features client logos that the agency created. Every conference room in the city-block-long office space is named after Zoolander references (think Mugatu, Blue Steel, and the Center for Kids Who Don't Read Good). And shown here is the company's off-beat version of a trophy case--27 years' worth of awards and trophies are haphazardly piled into a glass case, simply stating "Many Awards. Many Thanks."
  • 04 /13 Nothing Commercial Creativity
    Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Nothing's business concept circles around creating something out of nothing. The interior structures of their office space is an example of what they can do out of the "nothing-ness" of a cardboard box. The structures are made of reinforced cardboard, laser-cut and slotted so no glue or hardware was needed. What's really cool is that theoretically, the company could disassemble its office, pack up and move somewhere else--talk about sustainability! Just avoid those coffee spills at your desk...
  • 05 /13 Creative Alliance
    Louisville, Kentucky

    This ad agency works out of a renovated 1913 bank building. The architects and designers had a challenge in creating sufficient individual work spaces and gathering spaces while keeping the original architecture of the building intact.
  • 06 /13 Syzygy Deutschland GmbH
    Hamburg, Germany

    The employees of this office requested to have a "puzzle" designed in their workplace, allowing them to sit inside a table instead of at one. A system of movable, interchangeable desks was created, so employees could easily collaborate and vary the size of their workstations in the minimalist-designed space.
  • 07 /13 JWT Global Communications
    New York City

    Unity was important in the redesign of this Lexington Avenue ad agency. There are no private spaces in the office, and vertical movement between its five floors helps interconnectivity. Bright colors and different themes accentuate the various meeting areas and conference rooms throughout the workplace.
  • 08 /13 Trust Creative Society
    Tampere, Finland

    An in-house restaurant at this design firm stemmed from a common passion for food, and fits in well with the employees' focus on comfort in their workplace. Blackboards, sleek white furniture, and hardwood floors accent the homey space, which also includes a yoga room and movable desks.
  • 09 /13 Naked Communications
    Sydney, Australia

    "Home" is the theme in this office--decorative wallpaper, opulent mirrors and wall hangings, retro accents and yard sale-style knickknacks all help to create spaces that give employees and visitors a sense of being at home. Even the most unlikely home spaces like a bathroom serve as a meeting space.
  • 10 /13 Loja Communicacao
    Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    No, this isn't a swanky cocktail lounge--this ad agency (whose name translates to "shop communications") runs out of a commercial retail space. The large glass front doors open up into a space filled with warm colors, animal print and luxurious furniture, and hanging fabric partitions separate the workspaces.
  • 11 /13 Burnkit
    Vancouver, Canada

    This 14-person creative agency is located just steps from a shipping port. The focal point in the warehouse-turned-studio-space references its next-door neighbor--two large metal shipping containers were sandblasted and repainted.
  • 12 /13 NORTH
    Portland, Oregon

    Pine wood and brushed metal are recurring materials in the "base camp" of this creative collective, adding warmth and personality into the confines of its structure. The underlying inspiration in the office's design is the workings of a scientific expeditionary camp--hence the rectangular modules used as various meeting spaces like the one shown here, a cantilevered box stacked on a raw steel production module.
  • 13 /13 thelab
    New York City

    In a warehouse on the west coast of Manhattan, a media arts company set up camp in a space that once was an Andy Warhol-frequented night club in the '80s. Among other details in the office that contribute to its general warmth and sense of community, two roof decks were built facing east towards the Empire State Building and west overlooking the Hudson River.
Sheryl Sulistiawan 04.27.10 11:32 AM

You think those fancy swivel chairs in the conference room are the best part of your office? Where We Work: Creative Office Spaces, from the creator of design website This Ain't No Disco (It's Where We Work), features 45 creative firms around the world whose offices just won't settle for cubes. Here's a look at 12 of those office spaces.

Slideshow Credits: 02 / Photo by Woodruff/Brown Photography; 03 / Photo by Nick Merrick; 04 / Photo by Joachim Baan; 06 / Photo by Uwe Gaertner; 07 / Photo by Eric Laignel; 08 / Photo by Jaani Vaahtera; 09 / Photo by Lionel Alphonse; 10 / Photo by Alexandre Salgado; 11 / Photo by Josh Dunford; 12 / Photo by Jeremy Bittermann; 13 / Photo by Peter Jennings;

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