Creative space for a creative platform

/ Interior /
Even if you haven't ordered anything on Etsy yet, you've probably at least heard of Internet Shopaholic Rae, the world's largest online marketplace for handmade, vintage, and limited edition clothing. And we want to tell about the obscenely free manners and unheard-of comfortable conditions for employees at Etsy's new headquarters in Brooklyn.

The apotheosis of libertarianism: for each employee - one chair for relaxation, Wellness zones, etc.and on the roof. The interior design, created by the architects of one of the oldest American Gensler studios, blurs the boundaries between the workplace and the living environment. When you look at bright pictures from the open spaces and showrooms of Etsy, you get the impression that these people are not working, but just having fun.

Image source: gensler.com

In fact, only the technical staff are chained to their workplaces, and all other employees move between spaces along intricate routes, choosing a convenient place to do business, depending on the mood, tasks and weather outside the window.

Does orthogonality oppress?

When the management of Etsy reserved for its headquarters two buildings built in 1927 and 1949, united by common terraces, the developers from Gensler faced the task of creating a comfortable environment for more than 19 employees of the online platform on an area of ​​500 square meters. At the same time, at least half of the furniture and interior items had to be produced by craftsmen and studios that sell their products on Etsy.

Image source: gensler.com 

"The space was in surprisingly good condition," said Gensler studio design director John Mulling.

John Mulling: "It was an empty shell with beautiful concrete floors and vintage green window frames that we left as is."

When Etsy employees were asked what they thought of simple orthogonal workspaces, people reacted negatively. As a result, spaces are divided by many partitions, racks, screens, and the movement of employees along complex trajectories resembles chaotic Brownian motion.

So that the motley culture of Etsy does not cause dizziness among the employees themselves, the designers used calm gray and white shades for the background, installed strict metal stairs in the mezzanine spans, and decided on the ceilings in a traditional white color.

Image source: gensler.com

Image source: gensler.com

And the designers have created a sufficient number of isolated quiet spaces for work that requires concentration.

A side effect of a comfortable office

Having implemented the idea of ​​controlled chaos in Etsy and enlivened interiors with bright murals, Genlser designers certified more than two dozen new design solutions that they want to use in the future. In 2017, this office was recognized as the best "green project of New York".

Image source: gensler.com

Image source: gensler.com

And in general, the joint work of architects, Gensler designers and Etsy masters led to an unexpected effect. Such comfortable working conditions put at risk the values ​​of the Etsy company, namely the principle that employees should spend their personal time outside the office. Now, according to Etsy's corporate communications specialist Arianna Anthony, when employees don't want to go home, "we're forced to call people to leave the building."