Working from home has its perks — freedom to throw in a load of laundry, the flexibility to take the dog for an afternoon walk, more relaxed “professional” attire. But, there are also disadvantages too, especially if you live with a partner or roommates and you’re constantly battling for bandwidth.
If you could use a little change of scenery or you just want to strike a better work/life balance, consider paying a visit to Boulder’s newest coworking space, Kiln.
Kiln, which opened in Boulder in October, offers 22,000 square feet of boutique office and workspace, as well as all the amenities you’d expect from a coworking space — comfortable desks, fast internet, printing services, a beverage station, mail services and free parking.
But Kiln goes above and beyond those standard coworking perks with offerings designed to help creatives and entrepreneurs launch and market their businesses. Kiln features private phone booths, a lending library, a prototyping library cart, free cloud services, filming equipment, a podcast studio and an in-house theater.
“For individuals and teams, there’s just an influx of different platforms they can use throughout the space to either express themselves or sell themselves, curate some content,” said Allison Kloek, Boulder site director. “The main propeller behind all the design choices is that it’s meant to be a place where people feel inspired.”
Though COVID-19 has put a damper on Kiln’s ability to host community events and programing, expect to see fundraisers, networking events, film screenings and tons of other gatherings once it’s appropriate to do so again.
The space itself, located at 2101 Pearl Street in downtown Boulder, is bright, airy and comfortable.
“It’s a soft color palette with a Scandinavian minimalist design,” Kloek said. “It’s a super energizing space. We have tons of plants, a lot of natural light. There are lots of skylights and en suite windows. There’s lots of soft seating scattered throughout the space. It’s like a breath of fresh air coming into our space.”
You might start your day at a traditional desk or work station, then wander down the hall to work on your to-do list on a comfortable chair.
Kiln wants to be more than just office space, too. In addition to fostering a sense of community among members, the space wants to be a hub for the Boulder community more broadly.
“We’re looking for unique ways to partner with local businesses and nonprofits and even student-led organizations and bring them into our space, since we have a theater and large conference spaces,” Kloek said. “It’s a great way to interact and even add some value to the community. The majority of businesses in Boulder lead with the mantra of giving back or giving first and I think our facility allows us to do that in a lot of unique ways.”
Kiln also has three other coworking spaces, all located in Utah.
Kiln offers three membership tiers, which all include 24/7 access to the space and all of its amenities:
- Club membership: Drop-in and find a desk. Monthly rates starting at $345.
- Resident membership: Dedicated work station, with a lockable cubby. Monthly rates starting at $545.
- Private/studio membership: Fully private offices of varying sizes that can accommodate up to 20 people. Monthly rates starting in the low $1,000s.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kiln has implemented an array of procedures and processes intended to help prevent the spread of the virus, including a sophisticated hospital-grade HVAC system that keeps the air clean and the space well-ventilated. They’ve increased the frequency of cleaning and installed one-way traffic flows throughout the space. There are touchless options for food and beverage, as well as single-serve packaging. There are self-cleaning kits throughout the space and conference rooms, and masks are required at all times.
