10 Creative Workstations to Get Your Juices Flowing

BY SARAH ANG4 HOURS AGO

If you’re going to slave away at your desk from early in the morning until late at night — we're looking at you, startup hopefuls — you might as well enjoy the aesthetics.

An effective workspace should facilitate thinking, creativity and productivity, as well as build community. And by looking at the interior spaces of some of the coolest companies, it’s clear that brick-and-mortar offices are shifting away from an era of nondescript cubicles and into a more contemporary, open-environment design characteristic of tech startups.

SEE ALSO: 10 Creative Solutions for a More Productive Workspace

Below, we’ve compiled 10 of the most imaginative, design-forward workstations out there. Any of these desks would instantly give an office a more inviting vibe. Go ahead and take a seat.

• 1. Hully

  

  Michele Franzina and Italian design company Venezia Homedesign created this multi-purpose workstation that’s about as comfortable a desk as we’ve ever seen. The Hully is color-customizable and made of stress-resistant polyurethane foam on a metal frame.

  Repositioning the seat cushion onto the armrests creates a laptop desk, and pairing two chairs face-to-face easily creates a more private niche -- perfect for phone interviews.

  IMAGE: DESIGN YOU EDIT

• 2. Laptop Pods

  

  Plus Architecture and its designer Emma Selzer created these laptop pods, made of stacked, laser-cut plywood. They’re meant to bring together the 242-unit apartment complex in Melbourne that Plus Architecture designed with community as the overarching theme.

  IMAGE: PLUS ARCHITECTURE

• 3. Le Bureau de Paolo

  

  French designer Sam Baron’s “Le Bureau de Paolo” incorporates storage into its innovative design -- desk drawers are suspended right into the legs of the teak wood workstation. Now you’ll always have space for all office-related knickknacks.

  IMAGE: SECONDOME

• 4. K Workstation

  

  A single cutting of molded bamboo-laminated plywood creates this curvy workstation, which maximizes often underused wall space. It creates an all-in-one solution -- a desk, backboard and several overhead shelves -- for shelving and desk space.

  IMAGE: MISO SOUP DESIGN

• 5. balKonzept

  

  Michael Hilgers’ multifunctional balKonzept transforms an outdoor space to be more accessible, especially if there is limited space. The combination table-planter, made from weatherproof polyethylene, hangs on the side of any balcony, and the rail-resting caddy provides a flat work surface.

  IMAGE: BALKONZEPT

• 6. Kororo Desk

  

  This Japanese, birdhouse-inspired cubicle is made of plywood and offers a sense of privacy, while the painted interior keeps things cheery. Two window panels also open up on the side of the workstation for more space.

  IMAGE: TORAFU

• 7. HIDEsk Folding Desk

  

  Inspired by various mobile devices, German designer Michael Hilger’s aluminum and plywood pop-up office is perfect for confined spaces. It folds up like an easel, allowing you to store it nearly anywhere. There is also an option for flexible shelving.

  IMAGE: NOROOM

• 8. WorkaWay

  

  More and more companies are embracing alternative work environments, changing the way we work and the look and feel of a traditional office. And sometimes you just want to work outside. In collaboration with InfoStop, Netherlands-based company WeLL Designcreated the outdoor WorkaWay workstation that’s ideal for those on the go.

  It’s rotatable, equipped with solar panels and a built-in computer, and is suitable for parks, campuses and public transportation spaces.

  IMAGE: WELL DESIGN

• 9. Locus Workstation

  

  We’ve all heard about the negative effects a 40-hour-a-week desk job can have on our bodies. Focal Upright Furniture designed these standing desks specifically for the digital age. The height and incline of the seat and desk are both adjustable; coupled with its ergonomic design, the Locus give you the health advantages of standing, while offering a comfortable leaning option. Hello, good posture.

  IMAGE: FOCAL UPRIGHT FURNITURE

• 10. Patataj

  

  Never grow up with designer Zuzanna Malinowska’s rocking horse desk for adults. Perhaps a little whimsy is just what you need to finish that proposal.

  IMAGE: ZUZANNA MALINOWSKA

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Lead image: Torafu