What if an office was designed for working less? At the new office for technology company Antiwork, toiling is, as the brand’s name suggests, not the point. Instead, the company’s commitment to working less by working smarter guides the playful yet efficient office in New York’s Dumbo neighborhood, designed by Float Studios. The first reference images for the design: the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie.
The office is situated within a 1,225-square-foot space in a preexisting building. Undeterred by the compact space, Float Studios sequences the interior through unconventional doorways. Triangular openings, a nod to the brand’s triangular logo, divide the meeting room from the workstations and kitchen. The geometry, clad in a lime green, is lined on either side with transparent poles, enabling views down the length of the room.
Interiors straight out of the 1970s inform the other colorful choices in the space, from the burgundy and oxblood to mint green. Furnishings oscillate between vintage references to modern choices. Between the triangular openings, for instance, the Aria dining table from Room & Board sits in the center of the space. It’s surrounded by tubular, retro-shaped dining chairs from Bend Goods.
Beyond, the space opens into workstations. Locally fabricated custom workstations line the perimeter, the laminate chosen for its vintage quality. Float Studios also designed the U-shaped array of desks at the center, which frame a custom angled sofa forming a conversation-like pit. The set up supports the team in shifting from individual work to meetings and presentations without needing to move furniture.
Greenery, brown banquettes from West Elm, and linear suspension lights from Pure Edge Lighting finish the interior with warm, tactile touches. Antiwork’s office sweetens up what workplaces can look like by blending retrofuturism, whimsy, and the unconventional.
