For much of the last decade, coworking spaces competed on appearance. Operators transformed warehouses and underused commercial buildings into curated environments filled with natural light, exposed brick, and designer furnishings. The aesthetic was intentional: coworking spaces weren’t simply renting desks—they were selling an alternative to the traditional office.

As hybrid work becomes a permanent part of professional life, attractive design is no longer enough. Coworking spaces are competing with more convenient and less costly options, including home offices, libraries, and cafés.

The question workers now are posing is not whether a space looks inspiring, but rather, What can it do for me that these other places can’t?

The answer lies not just in how a coworking space looks, but also in how it performs.

From lifestyle to infrastructure

The first generation of coworking spaces focused heavily on culture and community. They offered startups a home base and freelancers an antidote to isolation, all while emphasizing atmosphere and informal networking.

But, as many users discovered, the chairs that looked great were uncomfortable after an hour, while the open layouts intended to encourage collaboration often made concentration difficult.

A study published in WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment & Rehabilitation reached a similar conclusion. While coworking spaces can improve productivity and well-being, inadequate infrastructure and poor spatial design can undermine those benefits.

In other words, coworking spaces need both style and functionality. 

Technology and customer service

Coworking amenities once considered premium—such as yoga classes and podcast booths—are now table stakes. Instead, reliable technology is the way to get users into the facility.

A robust digital infrastructure capable of supporting video conferencing, AI-powered tools, and cloud-based workflows is now non-negotiable for most workers. Equally important are data-security protections such as encrypted Wi-Fi and soundproof booths that offer visual and aural privacy.

On the service side, Industrious, a global chain of coworking spaces owned by CBRE, is exploring options that will make it easier to just show up and work. It’s testing outfitting each workstation with a computer monitor. Some Industrious locations also have tech lending libraries, so that those who need two or four screens—which is common for some occupations—can borrow them for the day.

While these conveniences are appreciated, Justin Clary, Director of Vertical Expansion at WithMe, argues that amenities are not the only differentiator when it comes to coworking spaces. Just as essential is ensuring that services work consistently. He uses printing to illustrate the point.

Writing for Allwork.Space's Future of Work, Clary notes that when computer printers are unavailable, unreliable, or complicated to operate, users often leave the property to find another solution. If such barriers continue to hamper one’s workflow, people will stop showing up.

The rise of microshifting

Another trend reshaping coworking design is microshifting—the practice of moving between different tasks and environments throughout the day based on changing energy levels and work requirements. An example would be writing a report in the morning, running a team meeting after lunch, and then having one-on-one chats with clients before heading home.

Interest in microshifting is growing. In its 2025 State of Hybrid Work report, teleconference hardware manufacturer Owl Labs stated that 65% of surveyed workers were considering the approach.

Research has backed microshifting’s benefits. Dr. Susan Chung, the Director of Innovation Programs at HKS, has spearheaded the international architecture and design firm’s research into brain healthy workspaces. Along with her colleagues in the Building Brains Coalition, an initiative that connects built environment professionals to those in the fields of neuroscience, psychology, climate science, and public health, she identified five space types that support the peak performance sought by microshifting.

The team refers to these environments as “affordances.” They include spaces for focus; exploration and ideation; collaboration; rest and reflection; and social connection. A workspace ideally contains them all, allowing users to move fluidly between them as needed.

Designing for microshifting

Most coworking facilities were not designed with microshifting in mind. Layouts and business models favor users committing to one space, be it a dedicated workstation or assigned office. Users have minimal control over environmental noise and stimuli; privacy depends on the availability of a meeting room or sound-dampening phone booth.

Jean Chandler, Industrious’ Vice President of Global Design, agrees. “It used to be that coworking facilities offered three kinds of spaces: private, open, or social,” she says. “We’ve found that isn’t enough.”

She and her team have developed a half-dozen options between mass open seating and personal offices. Each offers different levels of visual and auditory privacy.

The choices begin with a seat at a table in the café; it’s the most social, exposed, and boisterous place to work. Then comes the traditional long table, but fitted with small, moveable dividers over which you can see and be seen. Next is a desk with partitions that rise above the eye, a choice that reduces visual distraction and mutes environmental noise.

Cocoon-like, semi-enclosed spaces follow; Chandler believes that they will be increasingly important as people adopt voice typing. The Stack has high walls, an open ceiling, and a moveable curtain for a door. Only the user’s feet can be seen, allowing people to know if the space is occupied. The Cabin shares the Stack’s structure, but is fitted with a rigid door for increased auditory privacy.

Next is the private phone booth, a fully enclosed, acoustic-dampening space. Last is the Vault. Currently in testing, it is a shared room for deep focus where absolutely no talking is allowed.

All Industrious members—including those on the most basic subscription—can move between these spaces throughout the day. Some options are bookable. Others are so desired that members show up extra early to secure them.

“People love the idea of microshifting, but there’s a real fear of scarcity,” Chandler says. Her team continuously studies usage patterns in each facility to tailor the mix of environments to the clientele. “There are different needs for our locations with a tech- or finance-heavy user base versus those without one,” she says.

The future of coworking

The coworking industry continues to expand. According to commercial listing service CoworkingCafe, the United States surpassed 9,100 coworking locations in the first quarter of 2026, up 3.2% from the previous three months. Smaller, neighborhood-oriented coworking spaces increasingly drive the industry’s growth, bringing professional work environments closer to where people live.

The spaces that will succeed in the coming decade will be those that provide measurable benefits, including reliable technology, operational excellence, and environments flexible enough to accommodate how people actually work.

In the future, coworking spaces will continue to be aesthetically pleasing. All signs point to them still containing Instagram-worthy lounges and visual vignettes. But it will be functional workspaces and fast Wi-Fi that will keep members renewing.