What Creates a ‘Good Vibe’ in Coworking Spaces?
How the right people, routines, and interactions shape your space.
The other day, I was listening to an episode of The Wake Up on my Headspace app, where they talked about how you can feel the energy in a room the moment you step inside. Although they were talking about bad energy – like tension after an argument – it made me think about all the good energy a space can radiate.
That gut feeling is something I rely on when deciding whether a coworking space will work for me. In fact, I felt it last Thursday, when I spent the day coworking at Laundry Studios by Oneder in London Fields. I walked off the freezing London streets (if you’re here right now, you know what I mean) and into a warm, buzzing workspace filled with people.
The positivity was instant. I was there to cowork with my friends Sarah and Alicia (who has been a member for over six months), and from the moment I arrived, Alicia took me under her wing. She helped me make a coffee (oat latte, of course), get set up on the WiFi, and settle into the space. I felt very comfortable.
Whenever someone came by to chat, Alicia introduced us, and even reconnected me with someone I’d met at another coworking space last year (it’s a small world!). We wandered to the local Netil Market at lunchtime, and I ended up at the Thursday night social. Although I hadn’t planned to stay, two hours later, I was still there, chatting with members.
Hands down, it was one of my best coworking days of the year.
It also made me reflect on why those small gestures – the introductions, the warmth, the ease – make coworking feel so special. Let’s get into that.
The people and ‘vibe’
The gut reaction I’m talking about it’s just intuition. Earlier this year, Dr. Louise Suckley presented her findings about what constitutes the ‘vibe’ in coworking spaces at the Research Group on Collaborative Spaces 2025 symposium in Milan.
A poll she ran asked coworkers what sparked their emotional response to a space.
The findings?
People create the vibe.
I always say it’s people who can make or break your coworking experience. So, I wonder if my coworking day at Laundry Studios would have been just as good if I didn’t know anyone there?
Maybe, but it would have been different.
For example, Alicia didn’t really know anyone when she initially joined the space, and now she’s a core part of the community. Likewise, when I joined my last coworking space, I only knew a couple of people loosely.
But those relationships deepened because of the space, not before it.
Think about your own space for a moment: How do people connect?
Do they share similar work? Live in the same area? Have kids the same age? Or share similar challenges?
In my last space, we were a like-minded bunch of freelancers — all working independently, all based in London. There are similarities, and it’s always fascinating to see the patterns.
How the vibe actually forms
Dr. Suckley identified a few core elements that can help a coworking space reach that point where someone walks in and immediately says, “This place is such a vibe!”:
1. Encourage interaction with shared resources and facilities.
It’s always a bit awkward to introduce yourself to someone deep in focus at their desk, but kitchens, coffee stations, and communal tables soften everything. Some spaces design these moments intentionally – a tiny icebreaker like “Do you know where the mugs are?” can start a whole new connection.
Stephen Shedletzky, author of “Speak-up Culture,” talks about cranberry muffin moments: where you and someone else reach for the same muffin at the same time. Suddenly, you have to interact. And from there, something begins.
2. Establish good routines within the community
In my last newsletter, I shared Sarah Travers’s excellent onboarding advice, known as the “Welcome Phase.” Basically, if someone has stayed within a coworking community for over 90 days, the chances of them staying for over 18 months increase by 75%.
The onboarding process is really critical to bringing people into your community. But it’s not just those initial 90s days; routines can continue to shape the member experience long after someone joins.
In my old space, this looked like:
A “morning hello” from the community manager (usually followed by a quick chat).
A weekly yoga session run by one of the members, who happened to be a teacher.
Sangria every Friday at 4 pm to ease us into the weekend.
These small, regular rituals created rhythm, comfort, and connection.
In the coworking space that my brother is part of, his group has lunch at midday every single day. Likewise, Laundry Studios loves a Thursday night social!
What do these routines look like in your coworking space?
3. Organise events for people to come together
Events can be tricky for coworking spaces. They’re expensive to run, and they can sometimes slip into forced fun, which isn’t always the best environment for genuine connection. Some operators I’ve spoken to run one big annual event to bring everyone together.
The important thing to remember is: you don’t have to run everything yourself.
In my old coworking space, one particularly active member naturally took on a lot of the event energy. She wrote and hosted the Christmas quiz, created a full Murder Mystery evening from scratch, and was always the first to suggest a pub quiz or a live music night.
This type of member is referred to as a star player: someone who is deeply embedded in the community and organically takes on some of the community manager’s role, without being asked. They tend to be social, extroverted, great at bringing people together, and – most importantly – a natural fit for the space culture.
What last week really reminded me of
Coworking at Laundry Studios the other day made me nostalgic for my old community, but it also reminded me of something important:
The magic of coworking isn’t about a single room, or a building, or even whether you’re a full-time member or a drop-in. It’s always the people.
The vibe we all talk about, that warmth when you walk in, the sense of ease, the spark of connection, is created through tiny, human moments: the introduction someone makes on your behalf, the shared lunch table, the member who organises a quiz night just because they love bringing people together.
Spaces facilitate it, but communities build it.
So as you think about your own coworking space — whether you manage one or belong to one — notice the small things. The routines. The rituals. The serendipitous cranberry-muffin moments.
Those are the things people carry with them long after the workday ends.
That’s the real energy you feel when you step through the door.
And that’s what makes coworking work.
Until next week, and Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends,
Lucy