Here’s What Makes Airbnb’s Office So Inspiring

Here’s a sneak peek at Airbnb’s Gensler-designed offices. If you’re a facility manager looking to create an inspiring and dynamic workplace, take note.

It takes time to design a functional office space. Not only do you need to balance the individual needs of your teams, you also need to think about how your decisions will affect corporate culture. Your office space has the ability to inspire your employees and spur innovation, mirroring the forward-thinking aspects of your business. Airbnb, the world’s most successful home-sharing platform, is the perfect example of a company that has achieved just that with their office space.

1. The office has mastered spatial diversity

Airbnb’s headquarters is designed to represent many of the Airbnb listings around the world. This has lead to a workplace that offers versatility in work environments for its employees. If you’re a facility manager looking to bring diversity and adaptability to your employees, how do you do it in your current workspace? Painting rooms or walls with a variety of colors is a simple way to express different moods and change brightness within a space. It’s also important to maintain an underlying theme in order to avoid making the space feel chaotic and disorganized. Ideally, your design should work with your layout to improve office wayfinding and promote productivity—while giving employees the option to decompress and socialize when needed.

Planning a new office layout? Get an idea of your space before implementing new designs.

2. The space embraces culture-driven design

Office designs that directly promote a company’s values make it easier to sustain culture and attract employees that are a great fit for the team. The founders of Airbnb embedded their culture into the office by emphasizing design, openness and worldliness. Log cabins, meeting tents, war rooms and presidential suites can all be found within Airbnb headquarters to represent the range of homes Airbnb has welcomed into their network over the years. Facility managers can take this example and reinforce culture in the workplace by implementing strong visuals and office design. Adding artwork, plants and furniture that reflect the company’s values help instill a consistent sense of the office culture.

Want to ensure your office space reflects your values? Read on here.

3. Natural light brings the outdoors in

Airbnb brings the outside in—their office features large warehouse windows, skylights and whitewashed walls. From the glassy atrium to their green walls, the space is designed to bring San Francisco’s bright, airy feel to the office. Paired with their open, exposed hallways, the office promotes a natural flow of movement through the space. Not only does this make the workday much nicer, but employees can benefit healthwise from the natural lighting.

Is natural lighting a priority in your company? Find out how light can promote a healthy corporate culture.

Airbnb’s offices are the product of world class design and heavy investment—but the workplace’s strengths are built on basic principles. Managers won’t need to purchase a new warehouse to replicate Airbnb’s success—designing with culture in mind and adhering to principles around lighting, space and color can all help create an inspiring and productive workplace.

Find out how OfficeSpace software can help you redesign your office space. Looking for more inspiration? Find out what makes Facebook HQ so attractive.

Photos: Open Grid Scheduler, Pixabay / jdpereiro, Shutterstock / Goran Bogicevic, Shutterstock / bbernard