Take a Peek Inside Airbnb's New Loft-Inspired Office Space in Paris
In collaboration with architectural design practice STUDIOS Architecture, Airbnb's new Paris digs embrace the company's "Belong Anywhere" ethos by turning what was once a corporate office space into a functional workspace that resembles a cozy Parisian attic loft.
The concept for the space was inspired by the City of Light, as the Paris-based Airbnb Environments Team worked together with STUDIOS Architecture to reference local restaurants, hotels, and flea markets. The team sourced furniture from Parisian flea markets and Espace des Particuliers, a local company that offers upcycled vintage pieces. The vintage finds are complemented by contemporary French designer pieces from the Bouroullec Brothers and Jean Prouvé, as well as iconic garden chairs from Jardin des Tuileries. The resulting office is a microcosm of character, history, and eclectic styles.
"Our goal was to authentically represent both Airbnb and Parisian culture and create a space that feels like home to both employees and our guests. You can truly feel it from the moment you walk in the front door," explains Rebecca Ruggles from the Airbnb Environments Team.
As part of Airbnb’s global office narrative, the meeting room designs are inspired by existing Airbnb listings around the world—in this instance, China, Tasmania, Morocco, America, and the U.K. The Environments Team engaged with local employees in an Employee Design Experience (EDX) program to help add the finishing touches to each meeting room.
Designed for 60 employees, the office provides various work configurations and spaces that include sit-stand desks, private phone booths, and a hospitality lounge. All of the spaces are configured for communal working and employees can sit at large custom-designed tables. This facilitates interaction in a way that individual desks cannot.
Hosting and inviting guests is a priority for the local team and the hospitality lounge was designed with that purpose in mind, functioning as a multipurpose event space that's flexible and able to accommodate various group sizes and needs. Named "Le Nid," the space will be open to the public for monthly events hosted by the local team, including meetups around destinations, debates on travel trends, and exclusive Experiences.
The "cuisine" is the heart and soul of the Paris office. It's a communal space for gathering that helps employees stay connected, building on local traditions where staff members eat together everyday. This creates a genuine sense of family and home in the workspace. During construction, the team discovered existing skylights and original wood beams, which they were able to expose and incorporate into the new design to offer a more open and airy kitchen space.
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