Details matter. Since starting the space in summer 2014, we’ve learned quite a bit about what works and what doesn’t. One thing that we enjoy most though, is paying attention on details that individually might not make a huge difference, but together make a things so much better. This article is way to share some of our favorite parts of the coworking space. We have a couple goals in it: 1) to share the excitement of our space to any reader and 2) to help other spaces, offices and home office folks identify ways to improve their own work environments.
Shoes, Tires, Mattresses & Chairs
There’s a school of thought that recommends invest in things that go between you and the hard ground. For example, it’s almost always better to invest in a good pair of shoes, over a nice pair of slacks because while aesthetics can be important either way, gravity is still going to be relentless.
For our coworking space, we wanted to help our members in their fight against gravity, which is why we invested in higher quality office chairs that help fight fatigue while looking great. You can see these awesome Autonomous AI chairs in action at our photo album on our Facebook if you’re into that sort of thing.
Stimulate the Senses
We’re going all-in on creating a productive workspace. Sure we have the fastest internet in Valparaiso, but sometimes you have to see things to believe it. So for our visual stimulation we use the occasional bold, energizing orange wall to stimulate energy and creativity in the space. We also picked an office space in downtown Valparaiso that has a tremendous amount of natural light with big windows and skylights. Even our furniture layout is built to be stimulating to the eyes. In the spirit of eyes and ears, our music selection is also adjustable by members to stimulate the mind, and our default music selection keeps everyone actively engaged in their projects.
While looking great is nice, we wanted to make sure everything felt great, physically. So our chairs are ultra comfortable, our space in cleaned frequently, and there are a ton of books and things around the office to pick up and have a tactile response. This is an interactive space, as we find that supports getting stuff done. Beyond touch, even our office scent has a slight twist of citrus to again help stimulate the space.
What about taste? I’m glad you asked, we stock premium coffee and teas for sure, but also sparkling waters and carbonated drinks. The occasional craft brew or delicious wine are also easy to find in the space. And who doesn’t love a good mint, like all the time? We’ve got those and granola bars to help sate hunger while people are crushing away on making things happen.
Standing Tall
Of course we have some standing-height desks, and some of our reserved desks are of the premium sit/stand variety. Despite having great chairs, we want to make sure our members have the opportunity to get up, stretch the legs, and combat the dangers of sitting for too long.
We also have laptop stands and encourage their use to help place the screen at a higher level than a normal laptop would allow. This helps our members look straight ahead instead of looking down at a screen. It’s a small thing, but it’s a big investment in our community.
So much more
This is a work in progress, we have a bunch more to talk about, like the little whiteboards all over the space, the power outlets at every desk, the globe to track our member’s success across the world, the book library to grow our minds, the crazy awesome wifi access points, the many different ways to make coffee, the hidden rooms for concentration, and more that I’m probably forgetting.
Really though, just come visit
We want to sweat the small stuff, so our members can do the big stuff. Come schedule a tour to see for yourself. And if you have any suggestions, please just shoot us a note (or come visit!)