From Croydon to London Bridge to Shoreditch and Camden: design-led co-working spaces for creatives and techies — and lawyers and accountants

Appealing at first to tech start-ups and creative companies, many other sectors are now embracing co-working — renting shared office space and facilities – as the modern way of working.
Hot-desking from £42 a day: Huckletree’s interiors are a quirky but comfortable blend of neutrals and colour pops
Dominic Lutyens4 July 2016

Co-working in London has mushroomed. Commercial property consultants Cushman & Wakefield say the capital has more than 800 office complexes where the self-employed and people working for different firms and organisations can share space and facilities, using the chance to network and pool ideas — and locations are increasing at the rate of 10 per cent a year.

While appealing at first to tech start-ups and creatives, many other sectors are now embracing this way of working.

“Today’s younger generation craves more fulfilment from their work, shrugging off typical nine-to-five jobs in the City in search of something new and exciting,” says Reza Merchant, chief executive of The Collective, which runs two co-working spaces in London.

“This shift is reflected in what we seek from our working environments — creative design, a collaborative community and convenient, flexible space.”

Digital workers and creatives: The Den at The Collective in Bloomsbury

The co-working ethos is even spreading to large corporations. At Google’s new London HQ at 6 Pancras Square, architects AHMM designed the interior with communal spaces, including black steel and oak staircases between floors “to encourage chance encounters for collaborative chats”.

Flexibility is key, though Tom Dixon — whose company Design Research Studio created co-working space Interchange in Camden with architects Barr Gazetas — says too much can lead to gimmickry: “Tech companies have often overdosed on ping-pong tables and beanbags… it’s a balancing act between creating a playground atmosphere and somewhere calm and conducive to concentration.”

Here is our selection of co-working spaces with a strong design focus.

Bloomsbury, WC1

The Collective in Bedford Square offers meeting rooms for two to 20 people. It provides top-of-the-range printers and photocopiers and welcomes all sectors, who mingle freely. However, there’s an emphasis on digital marketing and creative agencies. Co-workers are aged from late twenties to early thirties and tend to book spaces on a monthly basis (hot-desking at Bedford Square, £180 per month).

Fresh perspective: sharing ideas out on the terrace at The Collective, WC1

Camden, NW1

Collective Temperance is charity Camden Collective’s co-working space used by the creative and tech sectors. The venue houses 125 businesses and is furnished with desks and chairs. Members book spaces on a permanent basis, but could also hot-desk.

Tenants all share the same spaces to benefit from the collaborative set-up but can choose where to sit, depending on who they want to collaborate with and swap skills. All ages are encouraged but it’s mostly occupied by twentysomethings. Members bring their own computers but can use the printers and a projector in the boardroom.

The thirties-built former hospital has been returned to open-plan spaces. Natural colours, rugged wood and exposed brick and plaster predominate, but pops of bright colour include screenprinted, textured abstract patterns in yellow, pink and blue on kitchen units. There are mobile kitchen islands for communal cooking, fold-up trestle tables and adaptable bespoke furniture throughout (hot-desking is free; office rent, from £400 per month).

Interchange in Camden Stables has 600 work stations, an events space, restaurant, café, bar, spiralling walkway, a fully glazed hot-desking area with 360-degree views, and a terrace with a vertical garden. The furniture and lighting, from cobalt blue banquettes to brass-coloured pendant lights — chosen by Tom Dixon’s Design Research Studio — are in his distinctive, bold style (£350 per month for unlimited access).

Croydon

Used only by tech firms, TMRW opened in May. Co-workers must stay a minimum of one month and bring their own computers. There’s free access to printers, scanners, high-definition TVs in all meeting rooms, wi-fi and a 3D-printing service.

The larger, more open areas are in neutral Scandi white and charcoal grey. Each desk is by a window to capitalise on daylight. The events space, seating 300-plus, is in a soundproofed basement, while audio booths allow for phone privacy. LED lighting throughout can be dimmed or its colours altered to suit different moods (co-working desk, £300 a month).

London Bridge, SE1

Club Workspace offers a calm, flexible base for companies at different stages of their development — mainly tech, recruitment and design firms — with members from 25 to 45. Sectors mix freely and sign monthly contracts. There are permanent desks and storage. Scanners and printers are provided. The colour scheme is neutral and finishes are rough-luxe, with wood, exposed brick and polished concrete. An informal-looking wood-lined “rotunda” area is used for casual meetings or business pitches. There’s a mix of task lights and soothing uplighters, with hammocks for chilling out (three days a week hot-desking per month, £250).

Shoreditch/City, EC2

Part of Alphabeta workspace which borders the City, Huckletree has diagonal stripes and neon signs at the entrance, while the reception-cum-bar is sky-lit. The venue has a strong tech focus encompassing financial technology, digital marketing, online recruitment, artificial intelligence and social media companies.

Shoreditch and the City: Huckletree co-working space has a strong tech focus, including FinTech and social media firms

Members, mainly in their mid-thirties, book on a monthly basis. Interiors are quirky yet slick and comfortable, with neutral walls and bright jolts of colour. People work at laptops on turquoise banquettes or at big shared tables with blond wood tops and yellow legs. Soft-lit breakout spaces are filled with cushion-strewn sofas. The furniture combines design classics by Vitra and Knoll with one-off vintage pieces.

There’s a 200-seat auditorium, a conversation pit with soft furnishings, a breakout space called the potting shed, featuring water flowing eccentrically up pipes resembling branches, plus a library, a formal wood-panelled meeting room and an all-white room for calm concentration. Workers bring their own laptops and phones (hot-desking from £42 per day).

Soho Works, owned by the Shoreditch House group, is in the Tea Building. Inside it looks like a private members club but it’s a serious working environment with long desks, conventional office chairs, task lights and quiet colours. There are also spaces resembling elegant living rooms and kitchens, furnished with comfy sky blue or pea green armchairs, floor lamps, breakfast bars and stools.

Monthly or daily membership: Soho Works looks like a private members' club but it’s a serious working environment

The interiors combine private studies and open-plan spaces, with ergonomic office furniture, Victorian and mid-century pieces. Colour, pattern and texture inject warmth. Soho Works targets creatives — photographers, writers, architects, TV producers — as well as entrepreneurs. Members, mainly in their mid-thirties, are keen to share desks to capitalise on communal working. Most join on a monthly basis but there’s also £50-a-day membership.

There’s high-speed internet, printers, scanners, a 3D printer and art materials, plus postage and couriers. Other facilities include a library, a café, bar, kitchen, and advice from industry experts (hot-desking from £350 per month).

Albert House in Old Street’s Tech City attracts architects and graphic designers, tech and media firms, lawyers and accountants. Members are aged from early twenties to late fifties, join for a minimum of one month and have access to scanners, printers, a 3D printer and wi-fi. Glazing between rooms gives a feeling of transparency and community, and the building has an old warehouse feel with a richly textured ceramic floor.

Colours are kept neutral, with different zones created through types of lighting and furniture. Some spaces have softer lighting and lower seating, for informal meetings (co-working space from £300 per month).