It’s hard not to be instantly inspired by the DIY-influenced workspace of Lauren Blake Marinelli, director of brand partnerships at Brit + Co, the one-stop shop for the maker community. Brit + Co encourages its users to explore, make, learn, and shop, with the latest tech news, helpful tutorials, curated offerings from artisans, and daily inspiration.
Brit + Co is all about empowering women to unlock their creativity, and Marinelli sees her pastel-accented office as an extension of her work. From a washi tape-framed gallery wall to handmade accents to an in-office 3D printer, Lauren’s office oozes creative spirit. In fact, much of the decor in her office comes directly from Brit + Co.
We chatted with Marinelli as part of The Desktop, a series that highlights some of the interesting and inviting offices at WeWork. Marinelli shares where she draws inspiration from inside these glass walls.
“Our bright and colorful work environment inspires me to constantly brainstorm unique ways to partner with brands. It’s also a nice reminder to smile.”
“We are a satellite office, since our main headquarters are based in San Francisco, so we wanted to recreate the same feel and aesthetic as our HQ. WeWork provides us with all of the benefits of having a comfortable work space and gives us access to meeting spaces so we can invite clients to our office and give them a little taste of the Brit + Co world.”
“3M is one of our biggest brand partners, and everyone at Brit + Co loves washi tape. It’s so versatile! Washi tape is a simple way to spice up a room or add some flair to a handmade card. In the office, you’ll see that I used it to make a DIY mouse pad and to ‘frame’ the photos on the gallery wall.”
“We use the desk for all of our creative projects. We always test out new Brit + Co DIY Kits — my favorites are the Wood-Burnt Cheese Board Kit and the Etched Champagne Flutes Kit. We’ve also made candles, organic soap, terrariums, cards and more!”
“As a company, we champion creativity at every level and internally we have a mandatory “creativity day” every quarter where everyone is tasked with learning a new skill. It’s really nice to take a step back from the day-to-day and make something.”
“The ice cream motif was born when Brit Morin and Brit + Co partnered with Shutterfly to create unique decorative accents. We chose to include them in the office to remind us of warm weather (especially when it was unbearably cold this winter). Plus, who doesn’t love ice cream?”
“I’ll be the first one to admit that I didn’t think I could be creative in my personal life. I just needed the encouragement and inspiration (there are plenty of easy DIY projects out there!) to celebrate that, whether it’s styling my outfit for the day or cooking dinner for my husband, that I was and continue to be creative.”
“Most people think the “Co” in Brit + Co stands for company. It actually stands for community. We’ve built an incredible community of female makers at Brit + Co and we want to give them a voice in the movement. Their work is creative and innovative. They deserve a platform to share their work.”
Photographs by Lauren Kallen