It seems like every coffee shop these days is taken over by people working on their laptops or meeting over coffee as part of their work day. When did the office take over public space? I’m as guilty as the next.
As the number of people who work out of their homes continues to grow, so do the number of people who can’t wait to get OUT of their pajamas and home-office to find a work-space environment that makes them feel more professional, tied-in, and productive. Enter the creative office space you can rent short-term.
The concept is simple. You book the time (hour? week? month?) , put down your credit card and are provided a clean desk in an open airy space alongside others. Catering to writers, architects, entrepreneurs, designers, filmmakers, web designers, event planners and other creative types, these collaborative work spaces offer private offices and conference rooms. But they also boast plenty of open space with comfortable seating and wifi connections where you can settle in and work, or bounce an idea off some stranger nearby who just may have a solution to your problem.
Blank Spaces, 5405 Wilshire Blvd (corner of Cloverdale) runs with the slogan “Work for Yourself, Not by Yourself.” It offers private offices, work stations, meeting rooms and communal work bars in 3 shifts – morning, afternoon and evening (until 11 pm). Upstairs, there are few distractions from the street and a lively but hard-working crowd.
The Deco Building, 5209 Wilshire Blvd (east of La Brea) is a newcomer to the block and not quite as busy, but definitely an elegant space. This architectural landmark could well offer you the most glorious interior workspace you’ll ever inhabit with its elegant deco details, stairways and grill-work polished to perfection in the open, soaring space. Offering “Style – Service – Space”, and at times a concierge up front, this is one space to impress your clients. Or buckle down to work if you can take your eyes off the decor around you.
io/LA , 7083 Hollywood Blvd, is further north on the illustrious Walk of Fame (2 blocks east of La Brea) but no worries, there is parking in the back. Their “Co-work, Incubator, Cafe” facility offers something for everyone including a public cafe where you can drop in for some creative collaboration, an “amenity-rich co-work” space where you pay a monthly fee and settle in at a desk, and the io/LA incubator which will support four new creative projects every three months. Focused primarily but not exclusively on film-related creative works, this program could be putting the “Hollywood” back in Hollywood Boulevard.
About Julie Grist
Julie co-founded the Larchmont Buzz with fellow buzzer Mary Hawley in 2011 and served as Editor, Publisher and writer for the hive for many years until the sale of the Buzz in August 2015. She is still circling the hive as an occasional writer.
