a woman walking through a gray office
Photography by Studio Millspace.

June 30, 2025

Text: Wilson Barlow and Lisa Di Venuta

7 Creative Offices Designed To Encourage Socialization

Cozy lounges, iconic furnishings, energizing colors, funky art—workplaces around the world entice employees with amenities often not found at home.

Discover Workspaces That Spark Joy + Collaboration

Vacanza Accessory by Waterfrom Design Co.

  • A woman sitting on a couch in a room.
    Photography by Studio Millspace.
  • A room with a table and chairs in it.
    Photography by Studio Millspace.
  • A woman sitting at a desk in a room.
    Photography by Studio Millspace.
  • A room with a plant in the middle.
    Photography by Studio Millspace.
  • A woman walking through a room with a blue table.
    Photography by Studio Millspace.
  • A room with a table and chairs in it.
    Photography by Studio Millspace.

“Put on your jewelry, and life becomes a holiday.” Such is the tagline for this client, which Waterfrom translated into a Taipei office with a mindset of open perspectives via a meandering, exploratory circulation. Jewel-like, custom galvanized-steel partitions reflect natural light while freezer-grade yellow plastic curtains and indigo-dyed plywood walls bring bold color. Also custom, a communal worktable promotes collaboration, and details such as angled storage add a dash of whimsy to daily tasks.

Design Studies Collaborative by O’Neill Rose Architects

  • A long table sitting in a room next to a staircase.
    Photography by Brooke Holm.
  • A wooden ceiling.
    Photograpy by Michael Moran.
  • A blue building with a red door and a white fence.
    Photograpy by Brooke Holm.
  • A staircase with a glass railing and a metal handrail.
    Photograpy by Brooke Holm.
  • A room with a table and chairs and shelves.
    Photograpy by Michael Moran.

Originally built as a Boys and Girls Club in 1930, which became a Greek Orthodox church 30 years later, the beloved landmark in Sunset Park retains its facade, now painted blue, and inside, its wood joist ceiling. Among the reuse-minded updates for the two-story interiors for what is now the Brooklyn office of ONR’s nonprofit architectural research arm is flooring of discarded ash or stone salvaged from a supplier that was closing. New is a 6-by-20-foot skylight and a perforated steel–enclosed staircase that leads to a roof garden.

Oddfellows by Casework

  • A woman walking in a room with a wooden wall.
    Photography by Kara Mercer.
  • A room with a desk, chairs, and a computer.
    Photography by Kara Mercer.
  • A living room with a couch and a coffee table.
    Photography by Kara Mercer.
  • A long hallway with wooden floors and white walls.
    Photography by Kara Mercer.

The digital animation studio, self-described as “builders of moving experiences” for the likes of Adobe and Google, occupies a two-story, former 1960’s candy distribution center in Portland, Oregon, which the local interiors studio imbued with a resimercial sensibility that fosters creativity, collaboration, and precision. Custom rift-sawn white-oak millwork, a dowel-detailed partition and break room, and layered vintage and commissioned art—including works by Robert Longo and Oddfellows’s own creative director Yuki Yamada—shape clean-lined work areas, while the ceiling-beamed lower-level lounge, originally candy storage, invites sketching, reading, even cocktails.

Spiegel Clubroom by Studio Besau-Marguerre

  • A store window with a red chair and a red chair.
    Photography by Silke Zander.
  • A room with a green couch and a green chair.
    Photography by Silke Zander.
  • A pink coffee table.
    Photography by Silke Zander.
  • A wall of magazines.
    Photography by Silke Zander.
  • A mirror hanging on the wall.
    Photography by Silke Zander.
  • A room with a yellow wall and a round mirror.
    Photography by Silke Zander.

Faithfully incorporating elements of yet respectfully updating Verner Panton’s 1969 interiors for the German publisher’s flagship, the local firm outfitted zones in similarly vivid colors but in a pared-down, 21st-century palette of fuchsia, forest green, and goldenrod. The latter appears surrounding Besau-Marguerre’s polished stainless–steel North luminaires by E15, which have been arranged in groups of four to nod not only to the circular motif of Panton’s Spiral lamp, installed here in a lounge, but also pay homage to his famous canteen installation at the company’s former HQ.

Federico Giner by Clap Studio

  • A green and white tiled wall.
    Photography by David Zarzoso.
  • A green staircase.
    Photography by David Zarzoso.
  • A white building with a black door.
    Photography by David Zarzoso.
  • A white table.
    Photography by David Zarzoso.
  • A room with a green ceiling and white curtains.
    Photography by David Zarzoso.

Likened to a walk among the clouds, the century-old educational furniture brand’s headquarters in Tavernes de la Valldigna, Spain, was conceived by the Valencia studio to balance work and rest, to foster concentration in a calm and serene atmosphere. That’s achieved with custom partitions of white lacquered steel mesh and diaphanous curtains that filter light while gently delineating showroom and office zones. Upstairs is more energetic, with green lacquered details, terrazzo flooring, and a full kitchen and bar for employees. Ceilings, walls, and floors were finished in neutral tones to allow such pieces as the FG System modular desks to shine.

Confidential Gaming Client by ZikZak Architects

  • A large display of letters.
    Photography by Andriy Bezuglov.
  • A person walking on a box with a pair of shoes.
    Photography by Andriy Bezuglov.
  • A woman is sitting at a table in a room.
    Photography by Andriy Bezuglov.
  • A table with a bunch of pac pacs on it.
    Photography by Andriy Bezuglov.
  • A room with a blue wall and a white ceiling.
    Photography by Andriy Bezuglov.

Much like a sports arena, these quarters reverberate with adrenaline. Meeting rooms painted in primary colors connect via sliding glass walls to accommodate large gatherings. Custom Pac-Man LED sconces and MDF coffee tables shaped like keyboard buttons make it clear this Kyiv, Ukraine, place is all about gaming. The playful aesthetic continues in the social hub, where a sofa in racetrack-checkered upholstery is backdropped by rows of motorcycle helmet sculptures in powder-coated steel.

Oliver Wyman by Roar

  • A room with a bed and a desk.
    Photography by Yasser Ibrahim.
  • A white carpet.
    Photography by Yasser Ibrahim.
  • A large white counter.
    Photography by Yasser Ibrahim.
  • A kitchen with a bar and a table.
    Photography by Yasser Ibrahim.

For its Middle East HQ in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,, the U.S. consulting firm enlisted the Interior Design Best of Year Award–winning firm for a scheme that resonated with the modern workplace yet maintained cultural context, such as reception’s sculpture of a falcon wing, a national symbol. In the think-tank room, custom tiered seating is embellished with traditional Najdi textiles, its glass wall hosting film etched with words by a Saudi poet. In the streamlined café, sculptural pendant fixtures are reminiscent of the region’s woven baskets.

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