Over the years coworking spaces have seen an upgrade.
A room with a few desks and a kettle have become airy, inviting, creative coworking spaces with all the amenities you could need, even to run your business.
Cool, innovative, quirky, located in iconic buildings, delivering workshops, and events, these venues have become hubs for creativity, community and businesses to thrive.
If you are looking to shake up your 9-5, have a change from the home office or kitchen table, and fulfil your need for community and connection, a coworking venue could be worth a try.
We have been speaking with a few independent spaces around the country that offer different services and ambiences.
If you are passing, check them out. If you aren’t located near them, be inspired to seek out one near you.
Featured coworking spaces
• Society, Holmfirth, Yorkshire
Ecclectic, calm, and with a wellbeing focus, this coworking space is designed to give you a home from home where you can really thrive.
For women in business and female freelancers looking for a friendly, supportive place to work, to build their network, and grow their business.
Unique, creative venues with a range of state of the art amenities to help foster business growth and community connections.
A big range of spaces, events and amenities for entrepreneurs and businesses to connect and grow.
A cool, creative and productive space giving locals a place to work outside of the home with likeminded people.
Society, Holmfirth, Yorkshire
Optimal working for mind, body and soul is the focus at Society coworking, described as a place to work, play, and thrive in the West Yorkshire town of Holmfirth.
Their mantra sums up what you can expect, which may well be the unexpected: Exciting & unexpected things can happen when curious people forge connections in creative spaces.
An eclectic mix of people from all industries and professions frequent the venue from finance to fashion, law to IT, photography to education. Remote workers and the self-employed can connect, learn, create, and relax.
Located in the iconic old Lloyds Bank building, it is surrounded by independent shops on the High Street but it is inside where you get a real treat for the senses.
They have designed the space with wellbeing in mind; from the smell of their signature scent, the soulful background playlist, atmospheric lighting, soft and plush fabrics and friendly, welcoming folk. The result is a calm and ambient space in which you can produce your best work.
Their hydration station includes matcha, Kombucha, CBD, and chai. There are non alcoholic mocktails and beers for celebratory occasions, and always free coffee, refreshments and fruit.
With artwork from local artists, interior design elements from local crafts folk, and surroundings that reflect the Yorkshire landscape, Society wants to ignite the senses and make you feel most at home.
With artwork from local artists, interior design elements from local crafts folk, and surroundings that reflect the Yorkshire landscape, Society wants to ignite the senses and make you feel most at home.
Members have access to a local business hub with a diverse array of professionals and opportunities to showcase work. They also host members-only socials, workshops and in-house coaching sessions. Memberships give you the chance to feature on the Society podcast and get discounts on rooms and wellbeing workshops.
This is a break from the norm, a place to bring your laptop or set up your easel and feel inspired.
Want to try:
Half day pass: £10
Full day pass: £20
Memberships start from £25 per month
Meeting room / studio can be hired by the hour, along with private hire of the entire space for events / parties or corporate gatherings on evenings and weekends.
The Tribe Coworking Space, near Totnes, Devon
The Tribe is designed for women to literally find their ‘tribe’. A place to connect with a range of women in business and professions from marketeers, graphic designers and writers to those in the charity sector, fitness industry, and everything in between.
In the beautiful rural setting of Berry Pomeroy near Totnes, Devon, this is a warm, welcoming space where founder, Stacey, speaks to every woman personally to get to know them and help them make valuable connections.
They uniquely and unapologetically cater to women, which allows them to tailor many of their events and offerings to the needs of working women.
The school-day tariff means those who need to do the school run don’t have to pay for a full day. As well as practical workshops like branding, marketing, sales, and SEO, they also run workshops that specifically address the main challenges women face in business such as imposter syndrome, networking, and access to funding and finance.
The Tribe also run more holistic workshops catering to women’s broader needs and provide support for perimenopause, menopause, working with your menstrual cycle, nutrition, neurodivergence, maternal guilt and shame, and anything else that the community needs support with.
Their onus is on helping their community grow their network organically and have opportunities to build their business without fear or judgement.
With a real focus on creating a safe, inclusive space, this is a place where everyone is made to feel welcome, and all talents and skills are valued.
The design of the space also plays a critical role to the sense of wellbeing and emotional restoration it provides. Weaving nature into the environment with biophilic design is proven to lower blood pressure and help improve cognitive function and creativity.
With free parking, fibre broadband, drinks, microphones, studio lights, headphones, a sit-stand desk, and business books, there is plenty on offer to help you get on with your work.
Want to try?
Full day: £15
School day: £12.50
Monthly membership options
UnCommon, Fulham, London
With a zen garden, wellness area, fitness classes and workspaces catering for individuals to small businesses, there really is something for everyone at Uncommon.
Located in the heart of picturesque Fulham in south west London, it is a short walk from the river and Hurlingham Park, and easily accessible on the tube from Putney Bridge.
Offerings include lunchtime yoga sessions and a fully stocked cafe with speciality snacks and artisan coffee. There are showers and storage for bikes and you can even bring your dog!
But of course, it is designed with work in mind as well.
Private booths allow you to do some deeper focused work, the communal hot desk area gives you space to work while also being part of the community, or if you need to host a meeting, there are fully equipped rooms available to meet your needs.
The venue also lends itself well to small businesses who are looking for space to build their team and grow. Private offices can cater to two people up to dozens with several desks and are inclusive of all rates.
Members can access all the amenities and different areas from the privates spaces to the collaborative areas and the different events held regularly throughout the month.
Member breakfasts and evening drinks give you a chance to network and get to know others using the space.
Uncommon is one of the larger coworking venues on our list and has five different locations in London, although all have their own unique personality and ambience. As a member you sign up for your home location, however, the benefit is that you may occasionally be able to use one of the other venues if they can accommodate you.
Want to try?
The options range from a private office to a fully flexible day pass plus the weekend pass for when you need to get your head down and get some extra work done out of the home. Membership prices are monthly and you can use the space every day of the week.
Private Office starting from 2 desks: £550 + VAT per desk
Dedicated desk: £499 + VAT
Hot desk for flexible working: £299 + VAT
Day pass: £40 + VAT
Weekend Pass: £35 + VAT
Colony, Manchester
Based in Manchester, Colony also has several coworking venues around the city, each with its own identity. The award-winning workspaces are designed to inspire you to work and make connections to help you grow as a business.
Each venue has a social space, break-out areas, meeting rooms and dedicated work desks and private phone booths. However, depending on where you want to work, your needs on the day, or even what the weather is doing, you can choose a venue to suit, as all members get access to each coworking space.
There is the professional, more industrial design of the Piccadilly space right in the heart of the city near the train station. Its three Ancoats venues each have roof terraces to work from on a sunny day or hold a client meeting. There is the cool simplicity at the Silk Street venue. The Flint Glass Works is a hive for entrepreneurs with a warehouse feel with exposed brick and lots of natural light. Jactin House housed local mill workers during the industrial revolution and offers extensive workspaces, a screening room, and more recently, a brand new podcast recording studio available to hire.
Their facilities really put collaboration, community, and business growth at the heart of what they offer.
The Colony team take pride in building a strong community and helping their members make valuable connections. Often this happens through casual introductions, but they also have a monthly events programme that includes social and professional events and a communal brunch. These give people an opportunity to network but also do something fun and educational together.
Want to try?
Memberships all come with 24/7 access and range from floating desks you can use at any Colony location to dedicated desks or private office spaces for teams of two to 50. Their flexible day passes also include options to hire meeting rooms or office space for a team.
Floating desk: £200 + VAT
Dedicated desk: £250 + VAT
Private office: from £300 + VAT per desk
Day pass: from £20 +VAT
Haatch Desks, Stamford
In the beautiful Georgian town of Stamford, there’s a hive of productivity in the loft-style interior of Haatch Desks’ The Hub.
With its vaulted ceilings, exposed brickwork, timber and scaffold desks, this is a modern, creative coworking space with an industrial edge.
Predominantly this is one large, open space with several coworking stations, with comfortable chairs and many with monitors.
If you simply need to get some work done, the spots are spacious and the Wifi is fast.
For extra privacy, there are private booths where you can take video calls, and their egg ‘pods’ for phone calls.
If you are a remote team needing some office space for a day, meeting rooms are available (from 1-1 to a 10-seater boardroom) and breakout areas.
What many of the members praise is the kitchen area, well stocked with teas, coffee, biscuits and refreshments. It’s a clean, well-equipped space with a small eating area where workers often assemble to chat and get to know each other.
The bonus is that you are a stone’s throw from the High Street, and Stamford’s vibrant coffee shops, bars and restaurants are all on your doorstep.
They also have a larger sister venue down the A1 in Peterborough. This has individuals desks and office space available.
Want to try?
Meeting rooms: From £10 + VAT per hour
Part-time desks (3 days a week): £290 + VAT per month
Full-time desks (7 days a week): £390 + VAT per month
Find out more about Haatch Desks
About the author
Louise is an award-winning journalist and speaker who focuses on working from home, remote work and wellbeing. She is the founder of The Homeworker, which is dedicated to helping you thrive when you work from home. The Homeworker publishes articles that are designed to keep you healthy, happy, fulfilled, and more productive in work and life.
