The design strategy behind one of the world’s leading coworking brands | Jean Chandler of Industrious

From architecture school to leading design at global coworking brand Industrious, Jean Chandler has seen the workplace from every angle. In this episode, we explore how coworking spaces create buzz, why people “vote with their feet,” and what it takes to design offices that feel more human.

Key Insights

1. Workplace success is measured by people choosing to show up, because vibrant spaces generate energy, connection, and a stronger desire to return.
2. Flexible work environments should offer varied settings for focus and collaboration while adapting to changing occupancy patterns throughout the day and week.
3. Combining data-backed design standards with local market knowledge helps coworking spaces remain scalable without losing their regional identity.
4. Hospitality-driven workplace design reduces psychological friction through warm materials, familiar layouts, accessible staff, and thoughtful details that anticipate people’s needs.
5. Designing shared spaces like a home kitchen creates an approachable community hub where people can connect, refuel, and feel a sense of belonging.
6. Designers can produce more thoughtful and creative work by accepting that design is an evolving continuum rather than searching for one perfect, permanent solution.
    

Learn more about Jean Chandler
Jean Chandler, IIDA, NCIDQ, is the Head of Design for North America and Europe at Industrious, where she helps shape engaging, adaptable workplaces across more than 160 locations. With over 20 years of experience in shared workplace and global headquarters design, she has designed millions of square feet for organizations including Google, the NBA, and Deutsche Bank. Jean is a recognized voice in workplace design, exploring how spaces created at scale can become more welcoming, inclusive, and resource-efficient through flexibility, hospitality, and circular design principles. Connect with Jean on LinkedIn

Learn more about Wesley Edmonds
Wesley Edmonds is the Director of Workplace at OFS, where she combines her background in interior design with a passion for relationship-building, workplace strategy, and the future of work. After beginning her career as a commercial interior designer, Wesley transitioned into the furniture industry, bringing together design expertise and business development to help create more thoughtful, human-centered environments. As a contributor to Imagine a Place and host of In the ROOM, she is dedicated to fostering meaningful conversations that inspire designers, challenge industry thinking, and explore how the spaces we create shape the way people live and work. Connect with Wesley on LinkedIn.

Read More about Wesley in the Imagine a Place Journal

Learn more about In The ROOM. 
In the ROOM is a podcast series from Imagine a Place that brings listeners into candid, on-site conversations with the designers, strategists, and creative leaders shaping the future of work, culture, and human-centered spaces. Hosted by Wesley Edmonds, Director of Workplace at OFS, the series is recorded live inside ROOM’s modular, soundproof environments at leading industry events, offering a front-row seat to bold ideas, emerging trends, and the people redefining how spaces help us feel, connect, collaborate, and live. Follow Imagine a Place on LinkedIn.