At InDo Nashville, we wanted to create an environment that would be the antithesis of the gray and beige corporate world. At the same time, look nothing like the large-scale coworking chains who share a similar look and feel. We felt that if we're going to build a space for creatives, the environment needed to be unique, thought-provoking, and change the way people viewed the workplace. The last thing we wanted to be was for people to walk into InDo Nashville and say that it reminded them of somewhere else, or worse yet, for people not to react at all. I think we have been successful in that regard.
“We felt that if we’re going to build a space for creatives, the environment needed to be unique, thought-provoking, and change the way people viewed the workplace.”
So why is this important? Because we are living in the fast-moving, ever-changing digital age, where we reward innovation, and lack thereof can be your downfall. Every day, people are striving to create better, more efficient ways of doing tasks that already exist. Innovation and creativity are essential ingredients that drive new markets and create new opportunities. I believe that the environment in which a person works should, in some way, cause people to look at ordinary things in a different light. By doing so, it will unlock the part of your brain where creativity lives. With the design of InDo, you're in an environment where the creative part of your mind is consistently operating. Like an antivirus program running on your computer, warmed up and ready to be called into action when needed.
Take our UnCubicles, for instance. I built these in response to demand for a dedicated workspace that a person could come to every day and call their own. They also solved a problem with an area of dead space in our building, which was not generating any revenue. The trick was figuring out how to create affordable cubicles that didn't suck the life out an individual and fit in with our look and philosophy. I also wanted to be sure that at least two of the six would be accessible by wheelchair because I am a firm believer that everyone, regardless of their physical abilities, should be able to move around InDo Nashville with dignity and ease. It took about six months of measuring, thinking, sketching, and revising before I arrived at a design that I felt would work. I then outlined the layout with the painter's tape on the floor, took the final measurements, and got to work.
InDo Uncubicles
One of the challenges I gave myself was to use as much upcycled material as possible. That meant using paint colors that I already had, and many trips to my friends at Turnip Green Creative Reuse. The structure itself required the purchase of 2 by 4s at Home Depot, and I, of course, I used a licensed electrician to run power, but the decorations were all recycled. After 4 months of hacking around in my basement building the walls, I brought the pieces to InDo and assembled the structure there. Remarkably, they all fit together, but that is not to say I didn't screw up a hundred times in my basement. Overall, I am happy with how they turned out, but like the rest of InDo, they will always be a work in progress.
At $300 per month, they are a fraction of the cost of an office and offer a fair amount of privacy. They each are about 6' by 6' and have a window and a skylight, so they don't feel too enclosed. Members are welcome to decorate them however they please to add a personal touch to their workspace.
If you think this is something you would be interested in, please feel free to email me at john@indonashville.com,
We'd be happy to give you a tour and answer any questions you may have