{"id":42896,"date":"2023-10-20T15:24:35","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:24:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/the-new-breed-of-co-working-spaces-for-creatives-and-artists-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T15:24:35","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:24:35","slug":"the-new-breed-of-co-working-spaces-for-creatives-and-artists-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/the-new-breed-of-co-working-spaces-for-creatives-and-artists-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"The new breed of co-working spaces for creatives and artists – StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"SMITHMADE<\/div>\n

If you\u2019re a new business or entrepreneur with a fresh project on the books, you might have started researching co-working hubs \u2013 but what if your work takes up more space than your typical startup?<\/p>\n

Many tech companies are big advocates of hot desking, but artists and creative types often need more than a space to plug in a laptop.<\/p>\n

They need galleries, retail showrooms and project spaces \u2013 something that Smithmade co-founder David Dunbar thinks haven\u2019t been a priority of traditional spaces.<\/p>\n

\u201cCreatives and artists sort of wander around. They have all this ability, but because of retail costs, especially in Sydney, it\u2019s so expensive,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Dunbar and his partner Nicole launched collaborative design space Smithmade earlier this year, and now welcome a variety of bakers, bloggers, stylists and photographers into their industrial design space so their local creatives can complete a range of projects.<\/p>\n

\n
A meeting space at Smithmade. Source: Supplied <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The couple are behind retailer Mr & Mrs Smith in Sydney\u2019s Manly, and started the Smithmade showroom in an expansion into homewares.<\/p>\n

The warehouse space they settled on had an industrial kitchen and room for a studio, and now the pair feature furniture brands as concession pop-ups in the space, have food events and rent out the studio space and room in \u201cconcept stores\u201d to local vendors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe architect who we\u2019ve partnered with, he\u2019s bringing clients in and also selling custom door handles. We\u2019ve got a food blogger who wants to come in and do a cooking class. These are all actually extra incomes streams,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s moving quite quickly and it\u2019s taken off in the sense that it\u2019s quite community drive, because we\u2019re working with a couple of small manufacturers called Global Sisters [who help women start up businesses] \u2013 there are lots of ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Dunbars have spent plenty of time overseas looking at retail spaces, where they noticed the move back to high-quality showrooms that were also functional.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a really strong retail presence and they\u2019re creating these beautiful spaces,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Unlike traditional co-working spaces, Smithmade focuses on allowing other companies to complete creative projects on a more one-off basis renting out the space, or even selling their wares through a pop-up.<\/p>\n

The founders are starting to build up their own community, given the hub is located in Northern Sydney\u2019s Balgowlah doesn\u2019t have many similar spaces around.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was kind of an untapped market,\u201d Dunbar says. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of developed into a space or hub where we\u2019re driving traffic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arty co-working spaces go global<\/h3>\n

The business community spends a good deal of time fighting over the best way to organise collaborative spaces, but the showroom-project space idea is gaining traction overseas too.<\/p>\n

Here are five spaces for creative companies and what they promise business founders:<\/p>\n

Oakstop \u2013 Oakland, California<\/h3>\n

The art and business space includes a gallery space, workshops, film screenings and all important snacks in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

Fuigo \u2013 New York City<\/h3>\n

A space made especially for interior designers, with workshops for photographers, graphic designers and architects.<\/p>\n

Covo \u2013 San Francisco<\/h3>\n

A family-run project space made with architects in mind, complete with classrooms and design workstations.<\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n

A photo posted by Covo (@hellocovo) on

Impact Hub \u2013 Dubai<\/h3>\n

Mixing \u201ctechies\u201d with creatives, one of Dubai\u2019s big co-working spaces has startup networking programs and spaces for events.<\/p>\n

Interchange \u2013 London<\/h3>\n

The Interchange project is designed with designers in mind, bringing together creative folk and tech startups in a futuristic space \u2013 with lots of coffee on offer.<\/p>\n

This article was originally published on Smart Company. <\/em><\/p>\n

Follow StartupSmart on<\/em> Facebook,<\/em> Twitter, LinkedIn and iTunes. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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