One of the beautiful things about starting your own company is that YOU get to decide what your workingspace looks like. To me there is nothing more mind killing and energy destroying than the average so called efficient office (where I have worked for a few years before I ventured into childrenswear and set up my own company).
The low ceilings, the expensive but oh so ugly desks, the artificial light, the windows that cannot open, the obligatory AC system.. the smell of those places... very, very awful.
So the first office I had (after the very cliché spare bedroom, yes, I did start there too) was in an old schoolbuilding in Amsterdam in the Utrechtsedwarsstraat. It was an old classroom, and the whole building was rented out to Artists (with a capital A) of various disciplines, and I was allowed in because I could actually afford to pay rent....
This was a quite small but magnificent space, with high ceilings, high windows, a wooden floor (which I painted yellow) and I have worked there with pleasure for almost 2 years..
I have no pictures of the office, but the building looked like this
(isn't Google street view one of the best things on the net?)
When that became too small, I moved to the Haarlemmerstraat in Amsterdam, into an old factory which housed a multitude of small companies. It was one huge room of over 200 sqm with big pillars and an even higher ceiling then the schoolbuilding.
Haarlemmerstraat
And after that there were a few more, which were not so exciting. But this week on a quiet evening after everybody had left I took some pics of our current office, and realized that what we have now is really extremely nice.
And then. just a few days later, I read an article in Sprout magazine on a site that brings together inspiring work spaces. For no other purpose then to share the joy these places bring. I looked... and it was just amazing to see all these very beautiful spaces together.
Look for yourself: http://wovox.com/ and start dreaming.. exploring... changing. Life is for living and you are the only one who can do that.
Post Script: added 29th of april:
This week I had an appointment with my bank. Bank used to be boring and stuffy places. But look what they are doing now! I just love the live green wall...
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