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This article was published on March 17, 2015

10 startup HQs that put corporate cubicles to shame


10 startup HQs that put corporate cubicles to shame

Goodbye disheartening cubicles, white walls, and eye-blinding lighting. Hello graphic wallpapers, artistic decor and unconventional office spaces!

No longer are employees confined to solitary seating arrangements and lonely lunch breaks. Thanks to companies like Google and Facebook, more and more businesses are joining the trend of designing their office spaces to reflect colorful variety and a modern company culture.

Startups make for a natural environment for this trend to continue, embracing an approach focused on comfort and inspiration, while putting less effort into achieving maximum space efficiency.

From Amsterdam to Zurich, Tyba’s European startup tour has revealed some remarkable, well-designed office spaces. Here’s 10 of the slickest startup HQ’s. The best news? They’re hiring!

Memrise // London, UK

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Photo credit: Jennifer Balcombe

You can literally make yourself at home inside the Memrise HQ. This converted chapel is home to an eclectic selection in furniture and interior decorations. There’s a nice contrast between modern Nordic design and aged antiques, culminating in a one-of-a-kind environment. Oh, it also includes a huge comfy bed for when you feel like taking an office nap.

Key features: A grand piano, a four-poster bed, and Mousha the cat.

Comerge // Zurich, Switzerland

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Photo credit: Stefy Gutovska

Located in Zurich, Comerge’s offices are a tribute to spaciousness, simplicity and light. It features a weird-but-cool TARDIS-like contraption, of which we can only speculate on its uses. Employee desks include quirky decorations and cool paperweights, and of course friendly folks doing their work. Friendly folks who go skiing together on the weekends.

Key features: Sunlight, a cozy lunch bar and the absence of solid walls.

Urbanara // Berlin, Germany

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Photo credit: Thomas Stiebenz

You probably wouldn’t expect anything less from one of Europe’s trendiest capitals. Urbanara’s headquarters come off as a living room that’s been refitted for office work. It’s what you’d expect from a homeware brand. A place where you can feel at home.

Key features: Heavy timber beams, whitewashed walls, designer lampshades and two friendly office dogs.

TravelBird // Amsterdam, Holland

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Photo credit: Eduardo Martin

TravelBird team members need only to move their head around in order to get visually stimulated. Multicolored bird cages, miniature airplane models and floating globes all contribute to this creative and unique space that ‘TravelBirdies’ call their nest.

Key features: cool-looking disco balls, bird cages hanging from the ceiling and enough globes to fill a ball pit.

eRepublik Labs // Madrid, Spain

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Photo credit: Cristina Gutiérrez

Bright colors and fancy lighting make this office space feel like it’s out of a movie. Surrounded by their own self-produced office art, kitchen bar, and (of course) gym, eRepublik team members are taking the new age of unconventional work settings to another dimension.

Key features: Vibrant colors, an old-school arcade game and a lot of art.

Voiceworks // Amsterdam, Holland

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Photo credit: Eduardo Martin

Why rent a conventional office space when you can just build one out of old shipping cargo-crates? At Voiceworks, outside-the-box thinking happens inside the boxes that make up their industrial-looking company pad.

Key features: Huge windows that flood the office with sunlight and a building that could easily double as a game of Jenga for giants.

KesselsKramer // Amsterdam, Holland

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Photo credit: Jaimie Peeters

KesselsKramer’s office is part of a former nunnery that has now been transformed into a gigantic playground for advertising stars. Equipped with classy pre-war furniture and swaths of astroturf, the office both compliments and cheekily contrasts the preserved features of the nunnery’s original interior.

Key features: Indoor picket fences and hedges, original nunnery features retained and a variety of cool vintage stuff.

Sociomantic // Berlin, Germany

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Photo credit: Thomas Stiebenz

Combining elements of the past with accents of the future, Sociomantic’s office space feels like a giant time machine of interior design. In between hard work and intense games of pool, team members can chill out in a kitchen that looks like a Williamsburg-style burger joint.

Key features: The huge chandelier hanging, interior walls featuring crafted brickwork and high ceilings.

Znaptag // Stockholm, Sweden

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Photo credit: Stefy Gutovska

Anyone lucky enough to get the chance to join the Znaptag team will be able to call this refurbished toll house their professional home. Surrounded by green trees in the summer, the offices aren’t what you’d expect from a tech startup.

Key features: A lot of greenery, illustrated wallpaper and vintage posters.

Mobypicture // Amsterdam, Holland

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Photo credit: Jaimie Peeters

Last but not least, life as an employee at Mobypicture is a beach. Well, actually it’s more of a canal, as this company camp floats on top of Amsterdam’s famous waters. Don’t worry, no sea legs required. The offices stay perfectly still, even with folks walking up and down the decks.

Key features: You’re on a boat.

If you think your company’s headquarters deserve a shout-out, or you’d like get featured on Tyba, you can do so here. Hire the best of Europe’s startup talent by posting a job to TNW Jobs, powered by Tyba.

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