Spaceworks at 25: Reflections on the past, the present and the future

Turning 25 is a milestone that invites a pause. Spaceworks has grown, shifted and reinvented itself many times over the past quarter century, shaped by our clients, our team, the industries we work in and the wider world around us. This anniversary gives us a chance to look back, take stock of where we are now and consider where we are heading.

The Past: Foundations, Firsts and the Forces that Shaped us

The early days of Spaceworks were defined by a very different design world. Plans were hand-drawn and faxed. Design conversations centred on efficiency, such as squeezing more people into less space and treating hotdesking as the future. Breakout spaces were often just spare couches in the middle of a battery farm of desks.

Neurodiversity, wellness, focus work and human experience were not part of the vocabulary yet.

Our early projects taught us a lot, sometimes the hard way. Some clients challenged every boundary. Some projects tested our patience and perseverance. And just when momentum built, the GFC Global Financial Crisis arrived and reshaped the industry and Spaceworks. It forced us to be lean, creative and resourceful.

There were defining moments too.

Our first major national rollout with Whitcoulls opened the door to retail at scale and marked a shift in who we were becoming. That project taught us about brand consistency, stakeholder management, sequencing and how to deliver pace with precision. It remains a foundational chapter in Spaceworks.

What stands out from those years is both the growing pains and the growing up. Every challenge gave us the wobbles and strengthened our resilience. Every success expanded our capability and, at times, made us question if we could have done more. Every sector we stepped into sharpened our thinking and elevated our design practice. And just when we thought we had achieved something big, we realised there was still so much more to learn.

The Present: An Industry Evolving and a Practice Maturing

Today’s design landscape is almost unrecognisable compared to where we started.

Retail, once declared dead. Amazon and online shopping were going to be the only way. In fact, it is very much alive and now deeply experience-led. Offices, also predicted to disappear in favour of working from home, have evolved into purpose-driven, hybrid-ready environments. Hospitality continues to reinvent itself in response to changing expectations.

Clients now speak openly about wellbeing, neurodiversity, focus work, community and culture. The conversation has moved from “how many desks can we fit” to “how do we create a space where people thrive and our business succeeds”.

Technology plays a larger role than ever. For us, digital tools have replaced tracing paper. Collaboration across locations is normal and expected. Working in a silo is dark ages behaviour. AI is becoming part of the design process, not to replace designers, but to extend what is possible and enable speed to market.

What has not changed is our belief that design is a strategic tool.

It is a calculator for business success.

It is a way to express culture, shape behaviour and unlock human potential.

Twenty-five years in, Spaceworks is a design studio that understands both the responsibility and the opportunity that comes with this.

The Future: The Next 25 Years and the Next 6 Months

Looking ahead, design will continue to adapt to people and to the pace of change.

We see a future shaped by:

• human-first spaces that support wellbeing and diverse ways of working
• data-informed design and AI-assisted decision making
• workplaces that balance flexibility with genuine connection
• retail and hospitality that emphasise authenticity, community and experience
• sustainability as a fundamental measure of success

While the next 25 years will bring new shifts, the essence of what we do will remain unchanged. We will continue designing spaces that help people and businesses thrive.

To mark our 25th year, we will spend the next six months sharing stories from our journey. These will include the rollouts that shaped us, the lessons that stayed with us, the colourful moments we still talk about, and the people who have helped define our evolution.

This is not a glossy highlight reel, it is the real story, warts and all.

Thank you for being part of the first 25 years, we look forward to what the next 25 will bring.