5 Creative Workspaces in the Eastern U.S.

Firm: Ai (Alexander Interactive), New York City

Look and feel of the office: Co-founder Josh Levine describes the exposed, open space as: raw, seamless, inviting, down-to-earth, and “quirky with happy little surprises trickled throughout.”

Goal of the workspace’s design: “The space needed to cultivate a happy, productive and collaborative environment where people are excited to come to work on Monday,” Levine says, as well as one that embodies the firm’s culture and staff. “We want clients to walk through our space and get an immediate sense of who we are and why we’re unique. Transparency is important to us—both internally and with our clients. We have nothing hiding behind the curtains. What you see is what you get.”

Favorite element of the office: The central lounge area, which Levine points out is great for informal meetings and is conveniently located right next to the pool table.

Workspace’s influence on creativity: “People love working here because they are surrounded by smart, down-to-earth people who they sincerely enjoy working with,” Levine says. They took advantage of the staff’s talent by using the space to foster more collaboration through an open environment with walls painted with whiteboard paint, breakout areas and common tables scattered throughout the workstations. “We find that the best ideas aren’t born in the conference room. They generally manifest during informal gatherings or side sessions. There needs to be different types of settings for different methods of collaboration.”