From the launching of Foursquare, a mobile linked social media site, in 2009, it has rapidly grown in popularity and now boasts 20 million users globally. Their brand new HQ in New York’s Soho district represents the identity of the site through the eclectic design concept thought out by operations director, Derek Stewart and co-founder and CEO Dennis Crowley and interpreted by the professional hand of Audra Canfield of Designer Fluff.
Based on the reward system of digital badges according the number of times a user ‘checks-in’ at a specific category of destinations, the interior of the loft like space has been defined by a series of ‘check-in’ rooms. A simple background of white and grey creates a balance between the colorful elements of the concept rooms, and adds a note of businesslike sophistication to an otherwise quirky workplace.
The individual ‘rooms’ include the Socialite, representing frequenters of clubs and bars and as such this is a loud, glamorous space, complete with reflective wallpaper, velvet upholstery and a crystal chandelier! Photogenic for the photo-booth location is a space dominated by a wall of reclaimed wooden shelves holding a collection of antique cameras. Other badges which inspired the spaces are Swarm, which references a beehive in abstract form through the hive themed pattern of the wallpaper and Bookworm, a check in for libraries with recycled magazine wallpaper and books, to mention but a few!
An incredibly fun environment for a number of personnel who are mainly in their 20s and 30s, has been created using a wide range of materials, both recycled and new, with classic and contemporary themes. The addition of colorful scatter cushions by Designer Fluff, toys and games and a comfortable chill out space and bar makes for an inspirational, productive, not to mention enviable, workspace.
