Influenster’s Bright New Offices are an Instagrammer’s Playground

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Influenster’s New York City offices inspire creativity, collaboration and Instagram posts.

The view into “The Great Outdoors” at Influenster. Image courtesy of Influenster.

Influenster, a product discovery and reviews platform based in New York City, tripled in size over the last couple of years, necessitating a move from TriBeCa to an 18,000-square-foot space in the West Village. It brought in Scalar Architecture to realize its vision of a fun, vibrant and colorful space that is as primed for Instagram-worthy moments as it is fitted for the day-to-day work of its 80-some employees.

“The time had come to consolidate our growing workforce in a new space that projects our DNA and personality,” said Influenster CEO and Co-Founder Aydin Acar. With its themed conference rooms, an office living room called “The Great Outdoors” that offers awesome views of the Manhattan skyline and Empire State Building, and original murals by Shawn Bullen, it’s safe to say: #missionaccomplished.

What is the address of the project?

435 Hudson Street, Suite 400, New York, NY 10014

Who was the building architect and the interior architect/designer?

Scalar Architecture

When was the project completed?

March 2017

Influenster's bright, Instagram-inviting reception area. Image Courtesy of Influenster.
Influenster’s bright, Instagram-inviting reception area. Image Courtesy of Influenster.

What is the total square footage?

18,000 square feet

What is the square footage per person?

257 square feet per person

How many total employees are there and what’s the daily population?

There are 85 total employees, and the daily population is 70.

Staff work on Herman Miller desks. Image courtesy of Influenster.
Staff work on Herman Miller desks. Image courtesy of Influenster.

What is the location’s proximity to public transportation and other amenities?

The Influenster HQ is located near to MTA Subway stations for the 1, A, C, E, B, D, F and M trains. In the heart of West Village, our office is walking distance from trendy restaurants and bars, public parks, as well as a myriad of entertainment options like theaters, jazz and comedy clubs.

Which furniture brands/dealers were used? Please touch upon any notable products, how they were used, and if they solved a specific problem.

Herman Miller desks are used by our employees in the open floor plan of the office, Knoll desks are used by the management team in their respective offices while West Elm, Crate and Barrel and Vitra couches fill “The Great Outdoors,” aka the office’s living room. Each piece of furniture was carefully curated for the office to ensure comfort, durability and alignment with the brand aesthetics of the office.

"The Great Outdoors" is Influenster's office living room. Image courtesy of Influenster.
“The Great Outdoors” is Influenster’s office living room. Image courtesy of Influenster.

Is there a mobile work or work-from-home policy or are most of the employees there all day every day?

Our employees based in New York City work in the office every day, but there are employees in other countries around the globe who work from home.

What percentage of the space is unassigned?

Roughly 60 percent of the space is unassigned due to the large number of conference rooms, open workstations (for future hires) and break-out areas that are spread throughout the office.

Image courtesy of Influenster
Influenster’s mission is written on the wall. Image courtesy of Influenster

How is the company’s brand reflected in the space?

Influenster was founded on the mission to give consumers the outlet to discover, review and share, and the space was designed to reflect that ethos. Hence, every wall, corner and structure is an Instagrammable moment.

The entrance of Influenster lays the foundation for what’s to come. A mural by Shawn Bullen explains the meaning of Influenster’s mission, Vox Populi, which is Latin for the voice of the people. Upon entering the space, the curvilinear reception desk and metal-chained curtain printed with the Influenster logo serve as a focal point from which a circular footpath is created around it.

In the main office, an Influenster mural, also by Shawn Bullen, envelopes the entire wall. It is illustrated with design elements integral to our company’s foundation, such as the VoxFox (Influenster’s mascot), Chaplin (the leader of the dog pack), emojis, star ratings and more. Shawn painted the exterior of the main conference room with splotches and hues of our company color—a shade of atomic tangerine—to give the space a playful touch.

The conference rooms are all themed based on different badges that Influenster offers its members: beauty, fashionista, techie, etc. Badges are offered to members based on their activity on the platform aligned with their preferences and interests. Similarly, each room is designed based on each lifestyle bucket. For instance, the fitness room is decked out with weights, medicine ball chairs and rocking chairs to keep occupants of the room active and fit.

By the stage in “The Great Outdoors,” the wall is printed with a quote that fuels Influenster’s purpose: “’A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is—it is what consumers tell each other it is.” – Scott Cook, Co-Founder of Intuit and Director at Procter & Gamble.

The team meets for a huddle on stadium seating. Image courtesy of Influenster.
The team meets for a huddle on stadium seating. Image courtesy of Influenster.

What is the most unique feature about the new space?

The Great Outdoors is punctuated with lively accents and colors. Patches of artificial turfs are put in place of carpets to give the illusion of an outdoor terrace accompanied with real vantage points of the Manhattan skyline and the Empire State Building. One wall is flanked with cascading, giant stadium steps that double as seats for our employees during weekly huddles, while the other wall is lined with a long bar-top table for working with a view. This area was also designed to be roomy enough for yoga sessions and happy hours, as well as the filming of YouTube videos with clients, and more.

The pantry is ideal for eating and Instagramming. Image courtesy of Influenster.
The pantry is ideal for eating and Instagramming. Image courtesy of Influenster.

If the company moved out of a previous space, what was the hardest aspect of change for people?

The biggest change was the drastic increase in space and options for employees to choose their own kind of work environment. Previously, we had outgrown our space to the point where our staff had to be split up into separate offices. Moving to the new HQ in the West Village, our whole workforce could be united in one space while having the freedom to move about and choose right work environment for the right project at the right time.

These are the office's Techie and Wordsmith workspaces. Image courtesy of Influenster.
These are the office’s Techie and Wordsmith workspaces. Image courtesy of Influenster.
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