Living and working in the Chicago suburbs just got a lot easier thanks to the boom in amazing workspaces.
By Danielle Braff
You’ve got kids, pets and a spouse. No wonder it’s hard to work from home (been there, done that!). So we found the best work spots in the burbs, ranging from coffee shops to dedicated co-working spaces. Find what works for you.
Forest Park and La Grange: Suite Spotte This new co-working space and shared office space in Forest Park and in La Grange has a shared co-working area, phone booths, dedicated workstations and private offices. It’s open 24 hours a day, and every member has access to the conference room and huddle rooms (smaller conference rooms). They offer single day, 10 day and monthly memberships.
Berwyn: Lunges ‘n Lattes This is a coffee shop that also sells smoothies that also offers fitness classes and a play space for the kiddos. They’ve got vegan options, gluten-free choices, open gym for children ($5 for two hours) so you can work, get caffeinated and have on-the-spot childcare. It’s a working parent’s unicorn.
Naperville: Klique Creative Unlike most co-working spaces, this one looks like a boutique home. Because it once was a home. It’s a bright, sunny, open space created from a rehabbed second-floor home in downtown Naperville. This is open Monday through Friday, and they offer access to a conference room and an outdoor deck/ work area. But this is different from traditional workspaces: you’ll be sitting at a table or on a couch rather than at a dedicated desk. It’ll feel like a home office away from home.
Deer Park: Co-Optim This is a fancy co-working space, and you may remember it if you used to live in Chicago (they also have a branch in the West Loop). Not only does it look fancy (cue the chandelier-like lights, and the thoughtfully-decorated chic space) – but it also has fancy amenities. There’s a fitness center, a coffee bar with complimentary Starbucks, sit-stand desks and even babysitting services (OMG). They offer a courtesy van if you need a pick-up or delivery, along with an outdoor patio. Oh, and it’s dog-friendly.
Arlington Heights, Geneva: 25N Co-working It looks like the office we always dreamed of having: rustic yet modern, with comfy leather couches and chic lights exposing the lightbulbs (you know – the type you want in your own home, but realistically, for some reason, in your home, they’d look like you were in the middle of a construction project). Anyhoo. They offer everything you could expect from a high-end co-working space, including hourly rates, large meeting rooms and concierge.
Regus: In more than 20 suburbs, including Lake Forest and Orland Park These workspaces are very corporate but they work well (no pun intended). They’re housed in large office buildings that have extra space, and they look like, well, offices. Each branch offers slightly different amenities at various prices, but all offer a day rate and a monthly rate.
Oak Park: Oak Park Public Library Want to work for free outside your house? At the Oak Park Public Library’s main branch, they’ve got a handful of offices with glass walls (so they have tons of light) that are available for patrons (reserve them online). These are shockingly easy to snag, and they offer free Wifi, a totally quiet spot – and did we mention free?
There are hundreds of towns to choose from. How do you figure it all out? You simply don’t, without getting a Suburban Jungle Strategist to help you through it all. Schedule here for your strategy session with our innovative suburbs strategy team. All services are completely free.