The traditional office isn’t the only place people get work done anymore.
Some people work from home full-time. Others split their week between home and an office. Freelancers and business owners may not need a permanent office at all. And while working from the kitchen table has its perks, there are plenty of days when having a dedicated place to work makes a big difference.
That’s where coworking fits in.
So, what is coworking? It’s a way to use a professional workspace without having to lease and manage an entire office yourself. You might stop in for a day, grab a desk a few times a week, reserve a meeting room when you need one, or work from a private office on a more regular basis.
At Brick House Blue, the idea is pretty simple: give people a comfortable, professional place to work while giving them the flexibility to choose what works for them.
What Is a Coworking Space?
A coworking space is an office environment shared by people who don’t necessarily work for the same company.
On any given day, you might find a remote employee on a video call, a consultant meeting with a client, a small business owner working through their to-do list, or a team getting together for an in-person workday.
Everyone is there to do their own work, but they’re doing it in the same professional environment.
And that’s part of what people enjoy about coworking. You can put your headphones on and focus when you need to, but you’re not spending the entire day by yourself. There are also meeting rooms and quieter areas available when the work calls for something different.
It’s less about everyone working together and more about having options throughout your day.
Coworking vs. Working From Home
Working from home can be great. There’s no commute, your kitchen is a few steps away, and you have plenty of control over your schedule.
But it doesn’t work perfectly every day.
Maybe the dog starts barking in the middle of an important call. Maybe the laundry sitting across the room becomes strangely interesting when you’re trying to finish a project. Or maybe you’re simply tired of spending your workday in the same place where you spend the rest of your time.
A shared office space gives you somewhere that’s actually set up for work.
You can get out of the house, settle into a desk, take calls, meet with clients, and head home when the workday is finished. For people who like remote work but don’t necessarily want to work from home five days a week, coworking offers a useful middle ground.
Who Actually Uses Coworking Spaces?
Coworking used to have a reputation for being mostly for freelancers, entrepreneurs, and startups.
You’ll still find plenty of them there, but the mix has become much broader.
A typical flexible workspace might include:
- Remote employees who want to get out of the house
- Freelancers and consultants
- Entrepreneurs and small business owners
- Sales professionals working between appointments
- Hybrid teams meeting in person for the day
- Growing companies that aren’t ready for a traditional office lease
- Professionals who occasionally need somewhere to meet clients
There isn’t really one “type” of coworking member.
Some people use the space every day. Others might come in once or twice a week. Some primarily need a place for meetings. What they have in common is wanting a professional workspace without being tied to a traditional office setup.
What Kind of Workspace Can You Choose?
If your mental picture of coworking is a giant room filled with people sitting shoulder-to-shoulder at long tables, that’s only one small part of it.
Modern coworking spaces usually give you several ways to work.
Open Coworking Areas
This is the most flexible option.
Find an available desk, table, lounge chair, or another comfortable spot and get to work. It’s a good fit when you don’t need the same desk every day and like being able to change your surroundings depending on what you’re working on.
Private Offices
Sometimes you need a door you can close.
A private office gives you more privacy while still keeping you connected to the larger coworking environment. It can be especially useful if you spend a lot of time on calls, handle confidential information, or simply do your best work with fewer distractions.
Meeting Rooms
You may not need a conference room every day. But when a client is coming in, you’re interviewing someone, or your team needs to sit around a table and work something out, it’s nice to have one.
Brick House Blue’s meeting rooms provide professional spaces for meetings, presentations, interviews, brainstorming sessions, and team workdays. You can also reserve a meeting room without being a coworking member.
Why Choose Coworking Instead of a Traditional Office?
For a lot of people, it comes down to flexibility.
A traditional office can mean signing a long lease, paying for more space than you need, buying furniture, setting up the internet, and taking care of all the little things that come with running an office.
Coworking removes much of that responsibility.
At Brick House Blue, members can choose from options such as day passes, coworking memberships, dedicated desks, and private offices. High-speed internet and shared amenities are already there, so you can walk in and focus on the reason you came: getting work done.
There’s also something to be said for simply being around other people.
Remote work can occasionally feel isolating, especially when your only conversations during the day happen through a screen. A coworking space gives you the chance to have a quick conversation over coffee, meet another local professional, or just work around other people without giving up the independence of remote work.
How Do You Know if a Coworking Space Is Right for You?
Think about what your current workday is missing.
Do you need somewhere quieter than home? Do you meet with clients regularly? Would you like to work around other professionals a few days each week? Do you need a private office without committing to a traditional lease?
Then go see the space.
Photos can tell you what a coworking space looks like, but they can’t really tell you what it feels like to work there. Visiting gives you a better sense of the noise level, seating, atmosphere, amenities, and the people you’ll be working around.
Brick House Blue offers tours, day passes, and the opportunity to try the space before deciding which option makes the most sense for you.
Looking for Coworking in Columbus?
Finding coworking in Columbus doesn’t have to mean commuting downtown every morning.
Brick House Blue offers coworking and flexible workspace options at locations throughout Central Ohio, including Dublin, Hilliard, New Albany, and Plain City.
Whether you need somewhere to work every day or just want an occasional change from your home office, there’s room to find a setup that fits the way you work.
Explore Brick House Blue locations to find the space closest to you, or schedule a tour and spend some time seeing what coworking is actually like.
