This article is part of the Places to Work feature in St. Louis Magazine‘s January 2018 issue.
The corporate aesthetic is over, says Juan Devia, an architectural designer at Space. First everybody fought for an office; then “the trend was to take all the walls down. Now, everybody is working in a way that works specifically for them. Some offices are so flexible, there are no assigned places. You work anyplace you want.”
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But where’s your stuff?
In a locker, or in common storage. Even in assigned workstations, storage is hyper-efficient, with lockers (so jackets aren’t strewn) and secret desk compartments (in which to hide away clutter).
The infamous cubicle has been rethought: Instead of wobbly, muffling gray panels, workstations are artfully oriented so people face away from one another. Because natural light’s a priority, private spaces are more transparent, Devia says. If you’re self-conscious sitting in a glass bowl, there’s glass that turns opaque at meeting time, glass that’s frosted up to eye level and clear above. Soundproofing is paramount.
Rooms aren’t dedicated to a single function anymore: A breakroom might also be a meeting space. Corporate logo colors aren’t splashed everywhere; branding is subtler. “People are stepping away from the crisp, hard-edged corporate look and using materials that are more like home,” Devia says. You might read your memos on a comfy sofa beneath palm fronds (plants are ubiquitous, softening all the big screens).
Bottom line? Workplaces are easing away from rigid hierarchy and “corner office” territoriality. They’re fluid, efficient, and cozy, and you stake out the kind of space you need.
