Sure, your office might have a cool coffee maker but does it have a selfie mirror that celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton have? Probably not — unless, of course, you work at one of these companies. We checked out some of the most unique spaces in the city to see how some New Yorkers spend their weekdays. Prepare to have extreme office envy.
A company that serves creative types must have an office that reflects art and imagination. Squarespace’s West Village headquarters does just that. Colleen Finnegan, manager of employer brand, walked us through her favorite elements.
How many employees work at the office?
We have 520 employees in our NYC headquarters.
How big is the space?
Our New York office spans three connected floors with a dedicated lobby and roof deck that clocks in at just under 100,000 square feet.
When did you move in?
March 2016.
What's your favorite part of the space?
Actually, I have three — it’s too difficult to choose! First, our roof deck is beautifully designed and features a stunning view of the NYC skyline. It's a great place to sit outside for meetings, and an excellent refuge if you want to take a break from your screen. Second, I have a hard time sitting still, so I am thankful for the many nooks, crannies and communal working areas that pepper our space. Third, our gender-neutral bathrooms. It's so important to have the facilities and amenities that allow all of our employees — regardless of gender — to feel comfortable at work.
Is there anything unique about your office?
Our bookshelves! They’re full of interesting artifacts, books, and pieces of artwork that rotate on a consistent basis. Also, our conference room names are unique and entirely employee-generated. Each floor has a different theme for the naming convention of the rooms. For example, where I sit, each room is named for a local spot and musician, such as Bey Ridge, Janet Jackson Heights, Kanye West Village, David Bowery and more!
Fintech company Fundera is located exactly where you think it would be: in the financial district. The company’s mission statement is so central to their every day that it’s incorporated directly into its office decor, and each room has a story — Communications Manager Shira Almeleh shared some of the details.
How many employees work at the office?
About 70 employees.
How big is the space?
10,000 square feet.
When did you move in?
April 2016.
What's your favorite part of the space?
My favorite part of the space is the common area near the kitchen. It has really comfy couches and chairs, and a gorgeous view of the Brooklyn Bridge (especially at sunset)! It’s a great spot for casual meetings, changing scenery during the work day, or post-5 o’clock beers on a Friday. Our team often uses the space as a gathering spot when hosting guest speakers.
Is there anything unique about your office?
We are a very mission-driven company, and we do our best to make our office space reflect our mission to serve small business owners. To that end, we’ve decorated all of our conference rooms in honor of the small businesses we’ve worked with. For example, the “Hickies” themed room incorporates the product — plastic shoelace replacements — in a beautiful design on the walls. “Furbabies” is a dog-themed conference room that’s named after a dog treats company we’ve funded as well.
In addition to decorating the conference rooms this way, we’ve also painted our company’s values in bright orange on the main wall. It’s a constant reminder of where we’re going as a company and helps employees stay focused and motivated.
Fintech company Cadre is located in the middle of the uber-trendy Nolita and Soho neighborhoods, and its office decor measures up to its surroundings. Originally located on the seventh floor of the Puck building, the company outgrew the space within the first year. Since moving to the current location, the team hand-selected all of their finishes and furniture. Catie Case, culture and events manager, showed us what that looks like.
How many employees work at the office?
65 and growing!
How big is the space?
10,000 square feet.
When did you move in?
June 2016.
What's your favorite part of the space?
From a design perspective, my favorite is our largest conference room, Nolita. We’re lucky to have giant windows throughout the entire office and this room is particularly bright and airy. Art is prominently featured in Nolita — both a cool modern abstract oil painting along with a vintage Puck Magazine print that celebrates our building’s unique history as a publishing house. The room’s large custom white boardroom table is sleek yet comfortable and we’re fully tech-equipped so we can have virtual meetings with employees in other locations (we just opened our second office in Toronto.)
Is there anything unique about your office?
Our conference rooms are named after hip international neighborhoods (e.g. Wynwood, Harajuku, Le Marais), which inspired the art in each room. We sourced vibrant, interesting photos from each neighborhood and had them custom framed by Framebridge.
It doesn’t get more zen than Zeel. The company, which provides on-demand massage services, has a spa-like office that serves as a welcomed escape from its surrounding midtown neighborhood. CEO and Founder Samer Hamadeh told us exactly what it’s like to come to work every day.
How many employees work at the office?
50.
How big is the space?
5,868 square feet.
When did you move in?
January 2017.
What's your favorite part of the space?
As a health and wellness company, Zeel prioritizes employee health and wellness. The Zeel headquarters has its very own on-site spa massage room, where employees enjoy regular and complimentary in-office massages as a rejuvenating workplace wellness perk.
Is there anything unique about your office you'd like to share?
Zeel’s headquarters was specifically designed to foster a collegial work environment. The workspace features open-concept desk layouts, standing desks for better posture, great sunlight, one-flight access to a shared building roof deck, a kitchen bar area and a ping-pong conference table.
Influenster is an app and website where millions of consumers come to rate, review and share products. The company was founded on the mission of giving consumers a destination to discover, review and share, and its office was designed to reflect that ethos. Trish Turrin, HR manager at Influenster, gave us a behind-the-scenes look at their office.
How many employees work at the office?
58.
How big is the space?
18,000 square feet.
When did you move in?
March 2017.
What's your favorite part of the space?
As the ‘living room’ of our office, our ‘great outdoors’ room is simultaneously a space for working, eating, playing and working out. The furniture is punctuated with lively accents and colors as well as patches of artificial turf to give the illusion of an outdoor garden terrace. One wall is flanked with cascading, giant stadium steps that double as seats during weekly company huddles while the other wall features a long table for anyone who wants to work with a view. Over in the gaming corner, we have an arcade game station and a ping-pong table for tournaments and friendly competitions.
Is there anything unique about your office you'd like to share?
Every wall, corner and structure is an Instagrammable moment. One of our conference rooms, the InfluenSTAR room, has the signature Lovewall mural by James Goldcrown that offers a fun backdrop for visitors to take photos. Tucked away in the vanity area is an eight-foot-tall selfie mirror that is one of only seven mirrors to exist worldwide — other versions of this mirror are owned by people such as Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton!
