The Surprising Truth About Creating the ‘Vibe’ in Coworking Spaces
Why ‘good vibes’ in coworking spaces are more than just buzzwords.
When I walked into my regular coworking cafe last week, a new sign by the entrance caught my eye. It turns out that they’re introducing some thoughtful guidelines for how we use the space.
It covers things like:
Gently reminding the community not to bring in food and drinks from outside.
To support the space (which is free to use), they’ve asked the community to buy a little something from the cafe every couple of hours.
Encouraging respect and consideration of other coworkers.
My favourite line is how they’ve explained their intentions for the space: “designed for dynamic exchanges and creative sparks.”
This coworking cafe (it’s Locke Hotels on Tower Bridge Road, by the way) is approaching rules and communication differently from the likes of Starbucks who, as I’m sure you’re aware, recently introduced a new policy banning ‘lurkers’ from hanging out in their cafe spaces.
Even more shockingly, Starbucks US outlets are restricting non-paying customers from using their toilets. I don’t know where you might be based but if, like me, you’re in London, then you know there’s a real lack of public loos around. So, thankfully, Locke Hotels hasn’t gone overboard with the rules (especially when it comes to toilets).
It turns out that Locke Hotels truly listens to its customers. After sharing this signage with my LinkedIn audience, I received an overwhelming response. However, that dreaded hyphen was the one thing coworking folk couldn’t get over!
After seeing comments about their spelling mistake, the Locke team took action and updated their signage, commenting that the hyphen conversation brought their team many laughs when they saw the post.
Now that’ll do! The new signage at Locke Hotels Tower Bridge ‘coworking’ space. Photo credit: Hugo Carvalho Borges
If this response doesn’t scream ‘hospitality,’ I don’t know what does!
Locke Hotels clearly values its customers and works hard to create a ‘good vibe’ in the space. That’s why their messaging strikes such a fine balance between boundary setting, mainly just informing people not to bring food from outside in, and being super welcoming – the bit about how to join the WIFI being a brilliant example.
The coworking space is extremely popular – in fact, it’s almost impossible to get a seat there after 10 am. With people working, chatting, and enjoying a coffee, the space is what I’d describe as a ‘good vibe.’
But, what makes a ‘good vibe’ in coworking?
A couple of weeks ago, I joined the Research Group on Collaborative Spaces (RGCS) Symposium 2025 at the Politecnico di Milano to talk about my Master’s research and tap into some of the insightful conversations on the topic of ‘in-betweeness.’
Introducing the coworking concept as in between people and space, Dr. Louise Suckley talked about her research, exploring the atmosphere in coworking spaces, specifically — what exactly constitutes the ‘good vibe’ in coworking.
You know the one, the rush you get when you step into a workspace (I call it the ‘infectious energy of coworking’), the social and emotional meaning of coworking, and what people bring to it.
This was all conducted in a survey, exploring whether the ‘vibe’ was influenced by sociomateriality – the link between an object, materials, and the social – or by the people.
Sociomateriality could be linked to your response to the furniture in a space. Workspaces appearing like lounges or hotel lobbies evoke feelings of calm, while spaces filled with ergonomic office chairs and desks incite productivity.
When you step into a coworking space, you assess whether you’ll feel comfortable, focussed, cosy, inspired, energised, positive…the list goes on depending on your intentions for using that space.
This can be based on the workspace design. But, according to the survey findings, the ‘vibe,’ atmosphere, feeling…essentially the emotional response to a coworking space, is created by the people who use that space. They bring the value, the experiences, and the cultural values that all tie together.
A sense of community can be felt through having conversations, being co-located, and being present with others. The research advised that community could be built through:
Having shared resources and facilities to encourage interaction
Establishing good routines within the community
Organising events for people to meet and come together
As I listed through my ins and outs for 2025, “community is the key” for this year of coworking. So, how are you creating a ‘good vibe’ in your space?
Our coworking community after a game of darts at Flight Club.
My experience of the ‘vibe’ in coworking
Louise’s talk reminded me about my previous coworking experiences, and what I’d constitute as a ‘good vibe.’
When I moved down to London back in 2022, I was looking to join a coworking space, one like I’d joined when I lived in Edinburgh (where I previously worked near home). After going to an event at a coworking space in Whitechapel, I thought I found it. It was a beautiful space and looked like a fancy cafe. It had comfortable seating, a bold colour scheme, plants, many windows bringing in natural light, and even a garden.
After the event, I joined the workspace on a 10-day monthly pass. But, by the end of month three, I’d only been in twice over the last four weeks.
What happened when I started going to the coworking space, I realised the ‘good vibe’ I’d experienced at the event was really down to the people who were at the event, not just the stunning workspace design. But those people weren’t space members.
When I came into cowork at the space, it felt empty, everyone had their heads down, plugged in. Over time, I just didn’t feel very welcome in the space. So, I stopped going to their events. Then I stopped going to the coworking space altogether.
But, in that period, I started going into another coworking space. It wasn’t a super nicely designed space but there was something about it – the kitchen located in the middle of the workspace naturally brought people together, especially on Fridays, when the community manager would make sangrias, gathering everyone before we headed home for the evening.
Over time, I began sitting with the same group of coworkers. The office chairs were comfortable and sturdy, the desks gave me ample space to spread out. We were mainly creative freelancers and began sharing ideas and tips, eventually filling our coworking days with knowledge-sharing, pitching, and laughter.
We had many fun social events together in the workspace – a Murder Mystery night, followed by a Christmas quiz, dinners and activities out in the local area, and were in the throes of organising an Easter games night last year, when we were told that the workspace was moving.
Following the move, the community began to break apart. I left in October, after two years, mainly because the commute just got too long for me. But the ‘vibe’ also changed as a result of the shifting dynamics of the space and the people.
So, what constitutes a ‘good vibe’ in coworking? Perhaps it’s the perfect combination of community and space coming together at certain moments in time to create awesome dynamics, places for exchange, inspiration, personal development and more.
I’d love to hear what you’re doing in your space to create a ‘good vibe.’ Please get in touch, I love hearing from you.
Our Christmas quiz team 2023, organised by the incredible Catherine Park (centre).
Let’s connect this month
February is a busy month, and I thought I’d share where I’m going to be, just in case our paths happen to cross:
Culture First: Leading the Way in Commercial Real Estate – Friday 7th February, 9am, Space House. This upcoming Brave Ideas event in the morning will reshape how we think about the commercial real estate industry's impact on workplace culture.
Atomic Habits for Creatives: Goal-Setting Workshop – Monday 17th February, 10am, Work.Life Old Street. I’m so excited to organise this upcoming event for creative freelancers, business owners and solopreneurs in Shoreditch. We’ll mingle and connect over coffee and breakfast, before getting down to a structured goal-setting session, and cowork together in the afternoon. All are welcome, please help me spread the word!
Workspace Design Show 2025 – Wednesday 26th and Thursday 27th February, Business Design Centre, Islington. I absolutely love attending the London Coworking Assembly sessions at WDS. If you’re coming along, I can’t wait to see you!
One of my previous freelancer meet ups!