Coworking spaces are popping up on street corners around the world. The trend is so popular that one global coworking company was recently valued in the billions of dollars.

What Gives?

Due to an increasingly mobile workforce, people can work wherever and whenever they like. While a lot of workers enjoy this freedom, they also miss the camaraderie of a shared office. Enter coworking, the fast-growing solution that allows people and companies to rent professional space as needed.

This billion-dollar idea is a win-win for everyone: corporations save money on renting and maintaining huge pieces of real estate and equipment while individuals have access to a real working environment within their price point (much easier than staking claim to a corner table in a loud coffee shop).

News is spreading that people who work in these spaces thrive even more than they do in traditional office settings. It seems that working in a coworking community — since it typically consists of individuals from different types of businesses and companies — reduces pressure, and people are more…well, themselves!

Creating a Comfortable Place to Work

While most coworking spaces offer office and conference room rentals, they also embrace open, collaborative areas where everyone works alongside each other. There are plenty of break areas, relaxation rooms, and kitchens, along with other amenities like game rooms and even shower facilities.

Trends are showing that coworking design favors bright colors and quirky decorative accents — like modern art and greenery — over traditional office trends like muted tones and bare walls.

If you are thinking a coworking space sounds more like someone’s really amazing house, you are not mistaken. As the line between home and office blurs, workplace design is now being inspired by residential design. Plus, most people feel most comfortable at home—so why not recreate that comfort during the workday?

Now that coworking spaces are seeing so much success, their unique design aesthetic and community philosophies are encouraging traditional businesses to shift toward creating similar types of comfortable spaces — spaces that encourage creativity, inspire innovation, and contribute to overall well-being.