5 Top Tech Solutions For Hybrid Companies
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Taking up 3,000 square feet in an office in Northeast Portland, BeFunky‘s space brings warmth and natural elements into an industrial space. It features custom white oak workstations, a whiskey lounge, and a custom photo booth!
It’s no surprise that this hip photo app, deserves a hip office to match. We sat down with Whitney to hear about their amazing space!
© Brian Walker Lee
SQ FT
Describe the layout of your office. How does the office design encourage creativity, productivity, and team happiness?
BeFunky
The layout of our 3,000 sqft office is very open, it started out as just a giant rectangle of a space. Our kitchen and work areas combine to make up 2/3 of the space. We have an enclosed conference room with seating for 8 and an 80″ screen for presentations and collaboration. Our space also offers an elevated whiskey lounge with a fully stocked bar and a custom built photo booth. The open layout facilitates collaboration and still provides privacy. We worked hard to create a space that is warm, inviting, and that everyone wants to come to every day.
© Brian Walker Lee
SQ FT
What does your space do best?
BeFunky
Aside from providing a warm and inviting workplace, our space is best suited for hosting events. We’ve curated a few happy hours, open houses, holiday parties, and various local tech events.
© Brian Walker Lee
SQ FT
What went in to choosing the colors and materials for the office furniture, light fixtures, and other decor?
BeFunky
Our main goal in choosing colors and materials was to match the feel of the Pacific Northwest. Portland is full of mid-century modern design and a we took a lot of those concepts into consideration when we designed our space. Most of this aesthetic can be found in our whiskey lounge.
© Brian Walker Lee
SQ FT
There seems to be a lot of natural elements in the decor: reclaimed wood wall partitions, indoor plants, and custom white oak workstations. Is this important to where your office is located geographically, or to your company’s culture and values?
BeFunky
The natural decor was chosen for both reasons. We chose to go with White Oak, a type of wood found in the PNW, it’s beautiful and adds a lot of warmth to the space. We feel that this warmth plays a big part in making our space feel comfortable, and when you’re comfortable you’re more likely to be happy. Happiness is very important for our productivity and overall company culture.
© Brian Walker Lee
SQ FT
How does your space handle the issue of privacy, for those who need it at certain times?
BeFunky
Our workstations are far enough apart that, despite the openness of the space, they offer a fair amount of privacy. Much of the time our conference room is available for calls or working on the larger monitor, small team collaborations, etc. We also have a very comfortable whiskey lounge that is enclosed and provides an area of escape.
© Brian Walker Lee
© Brian Walker Lee
SQ FT
Stepping in to your office for the first time, what’s the first thing someone would notice? And what does it say about your company culture?
BeFunky
The first thing people notice is how large the space is. Stepping in for the first time, you notice the arched 30ft ceilings, the large work area and warm environment we’ve created within a very industrial building.
SQ FT
How did you find the space, and how did you know that it was the right space for your company?
BeFunky
We researched neighborhoods for a few months prior to visiting Portland, we had quite a few spaces that we looked at and actually chose one in another location that fell through after a few weeks. We lucked upon our current space, the build out wasn’t anywhere near done when we initially searched… and it wasn’t really that much closer to being finished when we decided on it. The building was recently purchased and being totally renovated at the time, but we saw the potential and immediately fell in love with it. It’s in a very up and coming area of Portland with plenty of amenities within walking distance and easy access to the freeway without being overly congested.
SQ FT
What’s the best part about the surrounding neighborhood?
BeFunky
Within 2-3 blocks in any direction you’ll find shops, restaurants, cafes, and even a high end grocery store. The neighborhood is a mixture of commercial and residential, this offers a unique energy to the area that you can’t find in the downtown area where most tech companies decide to locate.
SQ FT
What is your favorite part of the office?
BeFunky
The whiskey lounge, even though it doesn’t get as much use as I think it should. We spent a lot of time creating a really warm and comfortable lounge where we can collaborate, mingle, and/or relax.
© Brian Walker Lee
© Brian Walker Lee