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Jyoti Mann
- Pinterest's Dublin office is extremely eye-catching, to say the least.
- The design reflects local culture and aims to spark creativity among employees.
- The company told BI that office attendance increased by 55% after the new workplace opened in April.
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Imagine walking into work, and it feels like you're traveling around Ireland — that's exactly what Pinterest's Dublin office is like.
From having its own pub to a Celtic forest-themed workspace, it's more than just aesthetics; it's designed to reflect its local culture and spark creativity.
Having a cool and quirky workplace is also a way for companies to get employees excited about working from the office.
Kathy Aberin, Pinterest's director of workplace design and construction, told Business Insider that the company saw a 55% increase in office attendance once it opened the new Dublin office in April.
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She wanted to build the best office with spaces to help employees succeed at their jobs and make sure they feel comfortable.
"That's really the goal, and if the attendance follows, that's just the icing on the cake," Aberin said.
After all, people feel more productive when they feel relaxed and if the environment is engaging and boy is the Dublin office eye-catching.
Take a look inside:
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Aberin started the design concept with Pinterest boards
Aberin said most of Pinterest's real estate projects start with surveying locations, whether by the leadership or local team. They then try to understand the needs of local employees and map out the design concept they might want to see.
"Most of the time, they really want to celebrate the locality of their office, and that's actually what the Dublin team came up with," she said. "We really want to celebrate all of the amazing things about Ireland, and that is the design concept for this office."
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New offices can take about a year from inception to the move-in date
The turnaround time on opening a new office is pretty quick. Pinterest starts with the initial design, visuals, and concepts and then hires a local architect to do much of the heavy lifting. Depending on the size of the space, the design element takes a few months, and then construction can be between 9 to 18 months.
"But while they're there, I want them to have that kind of positive energy and be inspired to do great work in our offices," Aberin said. "What makes me happiest is when people say that they are inspired to work, and they feel happy to be at work, and they are proud of their office."
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Having Guinness as the main beer on tap was a no-brainer
Aberin said not having a pub and not having Guinness was a non-negotiable for the Dublin-based workers.
"That was clearly everyone's number one choice and what everyone was having," she said.
The pub also has bar snacks stocked, such as scampi and bacon chips, which are local favorites.
But the Dublin office is not the only Pinterest workplace with a bar. In the Toronto office, which is based out of a 1920s building, a hidden bookcase opens up to a speakeasy, a homage to the Prohibition Era.
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The pub has a snug which has a TV in it where employees can chill
The snug also has video games and a karaoke machine, making it a great place for people to relax after work and release some stress. Its nautical theme resembles the stormy seas of Ireland.
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The Celtic forest area has a sensory feature that reflects the outside weather
A pair of audio-visual engineers programmed a system to sync to the weather. When it's sunny outside, you will hear birds chirping in this workspace and raindrop sounds when it's raining outside.
Aberin said they initially programmed it to check the weather every hour, but the weather changed so much during that time that they adjusted it to every 20 minutes.
Within the forest area, there are soft seating and workstations complete with a second monitor and keyboard.
There are also some hidden features in the forest like decor resembling moss, mushrooms, and animals.
Each room has a different theme
One of the meeting rooms is based on Ireland's rail system, which has green and yellow trains. So Pinterest incorporated these colors into the space's color palette.
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Employees chose the name of the coffee shop after a local historical park
There's also a conference room that's designed after a local ice cream shop that's near the beach.
One room took inspiration from the nearby Trinity College library
The library of Trinity College Dublin, which dates back to 1592, has wooden bookcases and iconic arches, which Pinterest gave a nod to.
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There's also a hidden monochrome room off the library
It has Celtic designs and the room was inspired by illustrations from the Book of Kells, an illuminated religious manuscript from the medieval period, which is kept at Trinity College.
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Pinterest used to work out of a WeWork in Dublin
Aberin said the office grew to a number where it demanded they have a direct lease but that the company was within the range it had benchmarked as what peers spend on such projects.
"If you look at the Celtic forest, for example, a lot of people come back, and they have comments about that, but that was not expensive," she said. "It cost a couple 10s of 1000s of dollars to do."
She added that it was a creative way to fill a space that differs from what other companies do and that it has a "big visual impact with an incremental cost increase."
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Reflecting local culture in design is important
An office design that reflects the local culture is important because it helps foster a sense of belonging.
"It's a sense of 'they see and understand us,'" Aberin said.
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