Modern lounge area with green sofa, patterned bench, wooden chairs, large potted plants, wooden ceiling grid, and a red rug on a tiled floor, lit by natural light from large windows.
Photography by Jasper Fry.

June 18, 2026

Words: Annie Block

6 Bold Workplace Designs Transforming Global Offices

As witnessed in companies around the globe—fashion to finance, India to Japan—designers know that gone are the days of the blah workplace.

  • Modern office with a curved white desk, office chair, yellow dome pendant lights, decorative wall art, and a small statue in an ornate alcove.
    Photography by Studiolokeshdang.
  • A wall decorated with red, orange, yellow, and green cups and plates arranged in vertical lines above a counter with three stools and a large yellow pendant lamp overhead.
    Photography by Studiolokeshdang.
  • A person walks through a corridor with wavy yellow and red curtains and patterned walls featuring chevrons and abstract designs.
    Photography by Studiolokeshdang.
  • A modern interior with wood paneling, geometric tiles, a yellow and cream abstract wall art piece, and a partition featuring an irregular cutout with yellow string details.
    Photography by Studiolokeshdang.
  • Modern room with large oval skylight draped in yellow fabric, curved white table, colorful stools, and lockers with yellow knobs. Green cactus decorations on the right wall.
    Photography by Studiolokeshdang.
  • Modern office space with curved desks, individual cubicles, artistic wall decor, contemporary chairs, and a large yellow pendant lamp.
    Photography by Studiolokeshdang.

Spaces and Design

project Doreme, Kolkata, India.

size 3,600 square feet.

standout A sewing kit was the inspiration for the studio and showroom of this 20-year-old kidswear brand. Buttons, zippers, drawstrings, and lace are woven into the furniture and workstation partitions, celebrating the craft of garment-making. Color, functionality, and the organic forms of a child’s imagination were additional drivers. Sound-dampening, acid-lime polyester gathers around an elliptical illuminated stretched ceiling above the 20-foot-long, wavy-edged worktable, which is bordered by a run of clothing hooks that have removable stress balls for employee use; Big Bird–yellow acoustic felt forms oversize pendant fixtures; and, above Claymation-like Doga stools by Nardi, wall-mounted neon melamine crockery animates the pantry. @spacesanddesign

  • A modern office space with green marble communal tables, tan chairs, and large windows allowing natural light. Green plants and blue accent walls add color to the room.
    Photography by Tomooki Kengaku.
  • A modern, minimalist reception desk made of light-colored stone stands in a softly lit lobby with wood paneling and a cream sofa on the left.
    Photography by Tomooki Kengaku.
  • A curved, turquoise-lit wall with the illuminated Tiffany & Co. logo centered on it, set against a marble floor and background.
    Photography by Tomooki Kengaku.
  • A round white lamp with a gold base sits on a light wood and metal surface, with turquoise and gray walls and textured gray carpet in the background.
    Photography by Tomooki Kengaku.
  • A modern office interior features a blue wall with the illuminated Tiffany & Co. logo, gold accents, and contemporary wall sconces.
    Photography by Tomooki Kengaku.
  • A modern interior with a white marble reception desk, wooden walls and floor, and a geometric ceiling with recessed lighting. Blue-tinted glass doors are in the background.
    Photography by Tomooki Kengaku.
  • A modern interior space featuring a green marble countertop, brass railing, turquoise walls, large windows, and an orange upholstered chair.
    Photography by Tomooki Kengaku.

I IN

project Tiffany & Co., Tokyo.

size Four floors.

standout The jeweler’s iconic branding color and coveted creations inform the workplace located above the company’s Japan flagship. Barrisol is the conduit to the robins-egg blue glow saturating the entry and is stretched into the 22-foot-long, gemstone-shape lighting element in a corridor, where walls are paneled in gold-leafed sheets with 3D-printed texture and flooring is tailored oak parquet. Subtle contrast comes in the form of a green marble counter in the office area, where Erwan Bouroullec’s Mynt chairs ring the perimeter like charms on a bracelet. i-in.jp

  • A brown dog walks in a modern lobby with curved terracotta wall tiles, a wooden reception desk, and minimalist lighting.
    The pet-friendly Palác Akropolis office in Prague by Marco Maio Architects, which installed swaths of earthy auburn tile for an arty vibe. Photography by Alex Shoots Buildings.
  • A modern office with wooden floors, glass doors, two chairs, a desk, and a curved red tiled wall on the left.
    Photography by Alex Shoots Buildings.
  • Minimalist room with two pink armchairs, a small white table, pendant lights, a potted plant, a standing sculpture, and large beige curtains covering a window.
    Photography by Alex Shoots Buildings.
  • Two dogs play near a curved red-tiled wall in a modern office with glass-walled meeting rooms and built-in kitchen cabinets.
    Photography by Alex Shoots Buildings.
  • Three dogs run past a modern reception desk with curved wood and red paneling; office rooms with glass doors are visible in the background.
    Photography by Alex Shoots Buildings.

Marco Maio Architects

project Realitní Fond Praha, Advokacie Praha, and 2OPF office, Prague.

size 5,000 square feet.

standout What had been dark and disjointed is now bright and open due to a total gut of the second floor in the historic Palác Akropolis, a 1927 art deco building. To continue the spirit of the 1990’s renovation by Czech sculptor František Skála, which turned the ground level into an alternative-music venue, planes of striking russet ceramic tile energize the sunlit workplace, which is shared by 25 real-estate and legal professionals. Oak flooring, frames, and reception desk and such streamlined furnishings as Marset’s Ambrosia pendant keep things clean and contemporary. marcomaio.com

  • Modern office lounge with contemporary furniture, large windows, and a person walking in the background; green plants visible in the foreground.
    Photography by HDP.
  • Two small work booths with geometric patterned walls, round wall lights, and beige chairs separated by a partition in a modern office setting.
    Photography by HDP.
  • A person stands at an open refrigerator in a modern kitchen with blue cabinets, built-in microwaves, and a curved yellow island.
    Photography by HDP.
  • Curved green shelving displays minimalist ceramic vases and bowls; modern office space with plants and seating is visible in the background.
    Photography by HDP.
  • Modern office space with plants, a long cushioned bench, tables and chairs, and large windows providing natural light. Curved ceiling light and cityscape visible through the windows.
    Photography by HDP.

Bean Buro

project Financial company, Hong Kong.

size 54,000 square feet.

standout Spreadsheets and nature aren’t a typical pair but they coalesce in this three-story office. Throughout are elements that nod to mangroves, which play an essential role in Hong Kong’s marine ecosystem but, here, impart vibrancy, spark creativity, and foster teamwork. Lapping water is evoked in the LED-trimmed ceiling above what’s called collaboration island, flanked by live greenery, and the social hub’s custom woven-vinyl flooring, its red tones derived from the client’s branding. The color of that water is referenced in turquoise built-ins and then, in the pantry, contrasted by yellow and royal blue, which bring vitality, warmth, and depth. beanburo.com

  • Modern reception area with a striped circular desk, hanging lights, plants, and large windows, featuring a red ceiling with a circular light fixture.
    Photography Courtesy of Headsquarter.
  • Top-down view of a spiral staircase surrounding two pink chairs, a small round table, a red rug, and a green potted plant on a marble floor.
    Photography Courtesy of Headsquarter.
  • A modern lounge with peach-colored walls, cushioned chairs, round side tables, a grid-patterned rug, wall lights, a large window, and a wall-mounted TV.
    Photography Courtesy of Headsquarter.
  • A modern podcast studio with two microphones on adjustable arms, red chairs, red curtains, and a round blue table under warm lighting.
    Photography Courtesy of Headsquarter.

Studio Aisslinger

project Headsquarter, Zurich.

size 44,000 square feet.

standout It may look like a boutique hotel, but this venue is actually a coworking flagship—the fifth and largest in the city for Swiss premium workspace provider Headsquarter, all by Aisslinger, which has more than 60 hospitality projects in its portfolio. The studio’s signature comfort, luxury, and story-based concepts have been inserted into the renovation of this five-story building, which, dispersed among some 550 workstations, offers such amenities as a red-drenched podcast studio and a peach-toned call-game room with playful Portello tables by Jortex. Similarly two-toned is the custom stained-oak reception desk welcoming the community. aisslinger.de

  • Modern indoor atrium with large hanging cylindrical mesh sculptures, lush green plants, checkerboard floor, and a mix of seating areas under a white translucent ceiling.
    Photography by Jasper Fry.
  • Modern lounge area with green sofa, patterned bench, wooden chairs, large potted plants, wooden ceiling grid, and a red rug on a tiled floor, lit by natural light from large windows.
    Photography by Jasper Fry.
  • Modern interior with geometric tile patterns, a green ceiling, wooden furniture, a checkered reception desk, and a partition with a diamond cutout design.
    Photography by Jasper Fry.
  • A small, wood-paneled room with a high counter, a single barstool, an open book, and a ceiling light, viewed through a green door.
    Photography by Jasper Fry.

Tabitha Isobel; Studio Multi

project Conductor, London.

size 37,000 square feet.

standout Thanks to a shared interest in providing low energy–use but highly functional, adaptable, and joyful concepts, architect Multi and designer Isobel fashioned this biophilic coworking outlet that’s both of today and yesterday. Reflecting the site’s past as copper-making workshops, the two-story new-build has an industrial-inspired rust-ochre palette, as seen in reception’s tiling—the desk’s volcanic ash glazed and the floor’s ceramic. But crisp, fresh greens abound too, particularly in the 33-foot-high atrium, where a veritable jungle of live plants thrives under Vibia’s gauzy 6-foot-long Array pendants and a skylight softened by retractable sail-like blinds. tabithaisobel.co.ukstudiomulti.com

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