The Most Interesting Coworking Spaces in NYC

Remember Google’s corporate headquarters in the “The Internship,” where Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson have an alternative tour full of collaborative desks, colorful meeting rooms and extremely social employees? Well, you don’t have to work at Google to get that kind of a work environment. In fact, you can be a one-woman-business and work in a space like that.

Yup, that’s right; 9 to 5 today isn’t strictly cubicles or home offices anymore. In NYC’s modern coworking spaces you can conduct meetings and do your daily work next to others who’ve quit their daily-grind desk job in favor of something a bit more unconventional. Freelancers and entrepreneurs can work and socialize together in the same space without architectural or communicative boundaries. Multiple companies share the same coworking space, lounge areas and kitchen, which leads to a fun rhythm of the 9 to 5 flow.

We’ve been hearing so many good things about being a part of these communities that we began to wonder if we should be spending a day or two a week in one of these spaces, just for a change of scenery (and to make some new business connections). So we looked into it, to figure out which spaces would be the best fit for us. Luckily, NYC has plenty of coworking places choose from. With lots of added perks (want to take a break in the arcade room, anyone?) and flexibility (only want to work in the office one day a week?), there’s no reason not to try coworking.

Here are our top picks for the most interesting coworking spaces in New York City:

Neuehouse

With 50,000-square-foot space and multiple floors, Neuehouse is our top pick for an alternative to the typical 9-to-5 setting. Known for its good-looking members and long wait list, and boasting a vibe that easily rivals SoHo House, this is certainly the coziest and hippest of the lot.

Design: Neuehouse has several floors, all with different styles of work area. Included are open glass offices and several lounge areas with sofas in circular formations for interaction and work tasks.

As Fortune magazine so eloquently put it: “[Neuehouse has] the elements of the contemporary boutique hotel aesthetic: exposed brick, industrial lamps, wingback smoking chairs, kilim throw pillows, cowhide rugs, giant palm fronds. A magazine rack displays The Economist amid obscure literary journals, pricey art magazines, and the latest issue of Vogue. It’s eclectic chic.”

Cost: NeueHouse has four membership types:

• Atelier Membership: $1300/month – Perfect for those who don’t need a private office but would like to have a fixed, permanent location within NeueHouse – a desk to call their own. These are open spaces with dedicated “Partner Desks” ideal for those working alone or for firms of 1-4 people. Atelier members can leave their work related equipment – a computer, files, etc. – securely at NeueHouse on a permanent basis.

• Gallery Membership: $600/month – These members are typically soloprenuers or others not requiring a dedicated office for a team. They can work in NeueHouse’s easily accessed “Gallery” first level for up to 10 weekdays per month. In the Gallery, library tables are interspersed with areas of comfortable soft seating so members can choose a spot perfectly suited to the task at hand: working alone, collaborating with others in a more casual setting, or using the NeueHouse hospitality, conference, broadcast and tech resources as their needs demand.

• Studio Membership: Starting at $1600 per person, per month – The Studios at NeueHouse are private, dedicated offices for teams of 1-10. Studio spaces can be resized easily to meet the needs of a firm that is growing rapidly or even one that needs to staff up temporarily for an important project. The NeueHouse Studios are the perfect solution for firms that might have previously rented their own stand-alone offices but have become disenchanted with the complexity, inflexibility and lack of amenities that typically comes with renting small commercial spaces.
• Gallery Noir Membership: $200 per month – Only good for evening access.

Benefits: Members get access to a state-of-the-art recording studio and green room, a comfy moving screening room in the basement, a lounge, and a robust schedule of programming that aims to be like a “really cool cultural magazine” with film screenings, musical performances, science lectures, and artist talks. Members can also grab a cold-pressed juice or fresh meal from their farm-to-table (they buy produce at the Union Square farmers market) restaurant called ‘The Canteen’. Oh yeah, something to note: the coffee isn’t free here… it’s $4 a cup (but they do have free wine during happy hour).

Locations: Neuehouse has one location at 110 East 25th Street, at Park Ave.

Learn more: www.neuehouse.com – 212-273-0440

WeWork

WeWork is the most well-known in this space, and has the most locations. They provide companies with small offices separated by glass, a working 20,000 member community, and a range of career services. Founders Adam Neumann and Miguel McKelvey established WeWork in order to provide professionals with a collaborative and fun working environment.

Design: WeWork’s locations are creative, hip and inspiring. The individual offices are small and separated by floor-to-ceiling glass, with frosting up to a few feet above the desks. At New York City locations, there are comfy seating areas, theatre-style screening rooms, kitchens, and common seating areas with –get this– table tennis! The decor theme is uber modern yet comfy, with open spaces for maximum interaction.

Cost: Two membership types are offered for WeWork: the Commons Flexible Membership and the Full-Time Desk & Office Membership:

• The Commons Flexible Membership grants full access to WeWork’s membership benefits and flexible availability at of WeWork’s communal spaces for $45 per month as a starting price. Perks include access to one of WeWork’s coworking spaces once a month for free and $50 per additional day, a $25 per hour fee for conference rooms, a $50 per month company postage service, high speed internet, 150 plus discounts and benefits, access to WeWork’s Online Professional Network, guest reception & community managers and kitchens with complimentary beverages.

• The Full Time Desk & Office Membership is the premium option WeWork offers, starting at around $650 per month (pricing varies by location) for a 1-person office, and $3600 for an office space that can fit six people. With this membership, you’ll have access to your WeWork office space on unlimited workdays, three hours per month conference room time, free company postage service and all the other technological, economical, social and beverage perks of The Commons Flexible Membership.

Benefits: Benefits include free micro-brewed coffee and beer (because that’s obviously the most important!), bocce and arcade rooms, weekly events (here’s a list of the upcoming ones), affordable healthcare plans, low merchant credit card processing fees, discounts from a range of companies, career-building social events, access to WeWork’s Online Professional Network, concierge service and summer camp (with talks from awesome guest speakers like the founder of Reddit, etc).

Locations: WeWork has 14 coworking spaces in New York City, all below 42nd Street, including Bryant Park, Chelsea, Gramercy, SoHo, Murray Hill, Park and West Broadway to name a few. Each location is designed differently; decor varies but overall the same sophisticated and comfy concept remains evident at each WeWork New York City coworking space.

Learn more: www.wework.com – 877-247-9083  – joinus@wework.com

In Good Company

In Good Company is the perfect co-working space for women who want to connect and interact with other female New York City professionals. Yup, you read that right. This bright and clean coworking space is for women only, and includes a great balance of personal and collaborative work space. Coaching and classes are available and meant to empower women in the workforce and establish networking bonds for professional growth.

Design: Minimal modern decor is the theme of In Good Company’s offices. White computer desks with simple decor are arranged to give professionals some privacy but the ability to chat and collaborate with other women in the room. The desk arrangement is clustered nicely and artwork is featured on the office walls. The interior evokes a calm and easy-going work environment at In Good Company.

Cost:

• Community Membership starts at the price of $400 per year for individual professionals and $2000 per year for companies with 50 plus members.

Benefits: Not only do women have a great co-working space, but they are welcomed to coaching and classes hosted by In Good Company’s professional network community.

Location: In Good Company is at one location: 16 West 23rd Street, on the 4th floor

Wix Lounge

A member of Wix? If so, you are one of the lucky professionals who can apply for six months of free coworking space at the Wix Lounge in New York City. In addition to the collaborative atmosphere, the Wix Lounge also provides free internet and an anytime caffeine-fix. Just make sure you create a Wix website for your business, as previous membership to this website builder is required prior to joining.

Design:  Colorful seating areas are the main decor at the Wix Lounge. The interior design gives a fun and youthful vibe with hints of blue, gray and yellow pillows and couches. Long wooden tables are also included here where individuals can work on their computers and socialize in the same environment.

Cost: 

• A 6-month Wix Lounge membership is free for professionals who subscribe to Wix’s online website services, but there’s a waiting list to apply.

Benefits: Perks include a large professional community to work with, free onsite workshops and classes, access to Wix experts, social events and -oh yeah- a coffee bar. From design, business and social media workshops, to fundraisers, techie panels, product launches and fashion shows, the Wix Lounge offers a free and fun community work & play hub.

Clients: Professionals of various backgrounds who have a Wix membership and frequently use Wix’s online services.

Want More?

Not yet satisfied? Here are some more worth checking out:

• Projective Space: With two locations in the Lower East Side, you can choose if you want a modern loft feel, or a cozy farmhouse feel. While active at Projective Space, on average the amount of capital that members have raised is $800,000 and up to $15M+. Teams have grown from 2 employees to 25 employees and many have been acquired by the likes of Amazon, Apple, TripAdvisor and Yahoo. They hold lots of events hosted by successful founders (especially in tech), where you can ask questions and learn from them. Communal membership is $455 per month, and Dedicated Membership dues are $555 per person, per month.

• Joynture: A 14k sq ft coworking and office space in the financial district at 48 Wall Street that has Parisian-style architecture. It’s $400/month for 24/7 access to the coworking desks and lounges.

• Fueled Collective: If you like plush leather couches, impeccably designed conference rooms, year round ice cream, and ping pong tournaments… not to mention, amazing views of lower Manhattan and a killer snack bar, then this is your kind of coworking space. Located in the heart of SoHo, a desk here is $800/month.

Do you have favorite co-working space in New York City? Share with us!