Serious Work, Fun Work Space?
Take a look inside some of these huge companies. Not what you expected?
“1. Moo (London, England)
Online business card manufacturer Moo has headquarters that are as vibrant as the cards it prints. The offices, located in London’s Shoreditch neighborhood, boast an open floor plan with colorful accents — plus plenty of baked goods on hand for the employees.
Image: Trifle Creative
1. Moo
Each of Moo’s conference rooms is named after a print color: Yellow, Magenta, Cyan. The White room, pictured above, is outfitted with comfortable couches and an elegant carpet, giving the space a cozy, homey feel.
Image: Trifle Creative
2. Dropbox (San Francisco, Calif.)
Dropbox‘s San Francisco space, designed by Boor Bridges Architecture in collaboration with Geremia Design, is sleek and modern without feeling sterile. Palm trees and colorful upholstery give the industrial space, outfitted in washed black walnut and raw copper, a touch of warmth.
Image courtesy of Boor Bridges Architecture.
Image: Bruce Damonte
2. Dropbox
Geremia Design furnished the space with artistic flourishes including a ping-pong wall installation and a music room, pictured above, complete with a grand piano and a custom chandelier designed by Lindsey Adelman.
Image courtesy of Boor Bridges Architecture.
Image: Bruce Damonte
3. Skype (Palo Alto, Calif.)
Skype‘s 90,000 square-foot Palo Alto offices infuse the workday with a dash humor; those red telephones on the Astroturfed wall of the game room are nonfunctional, having been left behind by the office’s previous tenant.
Image: Bloomberg/Bloomberg/Getty Images
3. Skype
The work area features an open floor plan and several comfortable sitting areas for employees to get together and collaborate. The space takes its design cues from the great outdoors; the slate-colored “rocks” are actually cushions.
Image: Bloomberg/Bloomberg/Getty Images
4. LivingSocial (Washington, D.C.)
LivingSocial‘s Washington, D.C. space, designed by OTJ Architects, mimics the city proper with exposed brick columns, posters of metro maps and planters full of greenery.
Image: The Washington Post/The Washington Post/Getty Images
4. LivingSocial
The office is dotted with both recreational and meeting spaces that encourage movement and collaboration among employees. These areas are designed to bring elements of the outdoors indoors, as with the bike rack and colorful mural pictured above.
Image: The Washington Post/The Washington Post/Getty Images
5. Path (San Francisco, Calif.)
Path‘s San Francisco offices pay homage to Mother Earth with ample blond wood furnishings, accents of greenery and plenty of natural light.
Image courtesy of Geremia Design.
Image: Keeney and Law
5. Path
The conference rooms are comfortably outfitted with large couches, as well as wall-sized chalkboards and whiteboards for brainstorming.
Image courtesy of Geremia Design.
Image: Keeney and Law
5. Path
Unique lighting adds an offbeat element to the sleek, functional workspace.
Image courtesy of Geremia Design.
Image: Keeney and Law
6. LivePerson (New York, N.Y.)
Online marketing firm LivePerson accents its two-floor New York workspace, which boasts amenities such as a communal kitchen and in-house gym, with bold colors and the occasional carpeted wall.
Image: Mapos
6. LivePerson
Communal spaces are tricked out with plush carpets and couches, monitors for Skype calls, and — less functional but more fun — a hammock.
Image: Mapos
7. Etsy (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Etsy‘s Brooklyn headquarters capture the website’s personality: Cluttered and crafty, the office overflows with knickknacks and tapestries, paper flags, and one nine-foot-tall cardboard owl named Mr. Grit. It even has its own t-shirt press.
Image: Etsy, Inc.
7. Etsy
The “Wu-Tang Clams” conference room, pictured above, is filled with cozy mismatched furniture, bright colors, and oddities such as a tree-ring carpet and wall-sized quilts.
Image: Etsy, Inc.
7. Etsy
Several brightly painted, cabinet-sized booths designed for making phone calls are stuffed with plush toys.
Image: Etsy, Inc.
8. Epic Systems (Verona, Wis.)
Medical software manufacturer Epic Systems‘ multi-campus Verona, Wis. headquarters are, well, epic. One of its many themed hallways, pictured above, mimics a New York City subway car (albeit with more comfortable seating). The company’s in-house dry cleaning service is even called the “New York Sock Exchange.”
Image: Mashable Composite. Images: Glassdoor
8. Epic Systems
The campus’ sprawling boardrooms and hallways layer disparate themes, from intergalactic auditoriums to Medieval-era meeting spaces and an Indiana Jones-inspired tunnel, pictured above.
Image: Mashable Composite. Images: Glassdoor
8. Epic Systems
Even the areas inspired by nature are extravagant, like this bright green hallway and bamboo-lined staircase (above, left), and a meeting space designed to look like a treehouse (right).
Image: Mashable Composite. Images: Glassdoor
9. Airbnb (San Francisco, Calif.)
Airbnb‘s San Francisco headquarters were inspired by travel, naturally, with conference rooms modeled after the site’s most interesting rental locations. The space above mimics a modern apartment in Amsterdam.
Image courtesy of Airbnb.
Image: Carlos Chavarria
9. Airbnb
The windows of this greenery-embellished interior wall offer a view into several differently-styled conference rooms.
Image courtesy of Airbnb.
Image: Carlos Chavarria
10. GitHub (San Francisco, Calif.)
Open-source software startup GitHub enlisted interior design firm Studio Hatch to deck its open plan office with gleaming wood and exposed brick.
Image: Custom Spaces
10. GitHub
The front third of the office is given over to an employee lounge and party area with a DJ booth and an impressively stocked bar.
Image: Custom Spaces
10. GitHub
This meeting room, one of many themed areas in the office, is a nearly flawless imitation of the Oval Office.
Image: Custom Spaces
11. Box (Los Altos, Calif.)
Box‘s Los Altos offices are so sleek they almost don’t look like a workspace. A blue lounge contrasts nicely with the yellow accents of the office areas.
Image courtesy of Box.
Image: Box
11. Box
A two-story spiral slide descends into the lobby. Employees must take off their shoes and shout, “All clear!” before jumping in.
Image courtesy of Box.
Image: Box
12. AOL (Palo Alto, Calif.)
At AOL‘s West Coast headquarters, design firm O + A accented an expansive, industrial space with colorful upholstery, bold graphics and creative lighting.
Image courtesy of O + A.
Image: Jasper Sanidad
12. AOL
Glass-walled offices are offset by communal and recreational areas, keeping the space open and unified.
Image courtesy of O + A.
Image: Jasper Sanidad
12. AOL
AOL’s most architecturally noteworthy meeting rooms, these oval pods designed for informal gatherings, are spread throughout the office.
Image courtesy of O + A.
Image: Jasper Sanidad
13. Evernote (Redwood City, Calif.)
Evernote‘s light-filled Redwood City offices, also designed by O + A, use simple materials such as plywood and chalk for a finish that is more than the sum of its parts. The company commissioned artist Dana Tanamachi the draw the custom chalk mural with the Evernote motto, “Remember Everything,” along one wall.
Image courtesy of O + A.
Image: Jasper Sanidad
13. Evernote
Comfortable, eclectic seating and informal relaxation spaces distributed throughout the office — including a cushioned staircase — encourage impromptu meetings and collaboration.”
Image courtesy of O + A.
Image: Jasper Sanidad
Article source: Mashable