Take a tour of Huckletree West, the co-working brand's new hub in White City

Huckletree West is a community for creatives, startups, entrepreneurs and agencies disrupting the digital and lifestyle industries.

Written By: Katy Cowan

21 November 2017

Bright, modern co-working space with black and white striped ceiling, yellow-framed glass doors, colourful wall art, green plants and open plan layout with reception desk and breakout area

Based in White City Place’s growing innovation district, the space houses private studios and flexible open plan desks. Architects Studio RHE’s vibrant, contemporary design brings together inspiring workspace and uplifting breakout areas to offer members the perfect work-play balance.

We spoke to founders Gaby Hersham and Andrew Lynch about the new space.

Describe the new space. What's so special about it?

Andrew: Huckletree West is our first West London location and is a pioneering hub for creative tech startups and businesses making a radical impact on the world. Our community of members hails from a diverse range of industries including VR/AR, fashion, fintech, health tech, leisure, and film.

Huckletree West building in White City Place, a multi-storey brick and glass co-working space with ground-floor retail, surrounded by paving and trees

What can members expect from being part of this hub?

Gaby: As with every Huckletree location, this is more than just a workplace. We’re shaping and supporting our community with all the elements they need to collaborate, crowdsource advice and share their learnings and successes on their growth journey. It’s somewhere to grow their ideas, incorporate wellbeing into their daily lives – and have fun, too!

It’s important to us to offer an engaging, diverse programme of events in-house. Our members have access to exclusive sessions with inspiring entrepreneurs such as Aron Gelbard, founder of Bloom and Wild and Alex Birtles, Head of Loyalty at Talk Talk, alongside Office Hours with industry experts offering hands-on advice to help grow their businesses. On the creative side of things, we’re excited to be teaming up with our MediaWorks neighbours Yoox-Net-A-Porter to host a series of life-drawing classes to bring our communities together.

Huckletree West's open-plan workspace with striped black and white ceiling, yellow accents, workers at desks with laptops, and modern office furniture throughout the industrial-style interior

Overhead view of Huckletree West's open-plan workspace with white desks, workers on laptops, and colourful breakout areas across multiple levels in White City Place

Are there any favourite corners or areas?

Gaby: The Meditation Yurt is definitely a favourite space with both our team and members. It’s a strictly no-tech zone, which took a little while to sink in but the idea has really taken off. It’s an area to take some time out, decompress and get re-energised. It’s a popular napping spot too – and we definitely encourage that!

Woven black branch-like structure with pink glowing interior in Huckletree West's breakout area, with seated visitors and open-plan workspace beyond

Describe the local scene

Andrew: There’s a strong media scene as you’d expect thanks to the BBC’s presence, plus ITV’s plans to move into White City Place in 2018. It’s interesting to see the academic focus building with Imperial College’s new research campus and RCA's new hub for The Schools of Communication and Humanities.

Beyond that, West London is just an amazing space to be. Both Gaby and I live in West London so admittedly we’re biased but the area speaks for itself! You’ve got the creative heritage of Notting Hill, the music and theatre scene in Shepherd’s Bush’s music and Kensington’s parks and museums. Very different to our East London roots, but no less exciting.

Vibrant mural wall with bold geometric patterns, chevron stripes and colourful abstract shapes inside Huckletree West co-working space

Members socialise and work at communal wooden tables in Huckletree West's bright breakout area, with a vibrant pink wall and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking White City

Finally, how does someone go about becoming a member? What options are there?

Andrew: Huckletree has always been about opening doors to new opportunities, making connections and building a community for our members. For that reason, we curate members around talent and cultural fit, which is far more impactful and rewarding all round.

Gaby: We invite prospective members to book a tour, get a sense of the Huckletree vibe in person and meet with our community team to discuss how we can make a tangible difference to their business. One part of that is the membership types we offer. Members can choose from flexible workspace with the option of Unlimited monthly access or Light membership, where they can drop in 10 days per month. Growing teams can choose between Resident membership with dedicated workspace, or private studios where they can build their own company culture and easily accommodate freelancers and collaborators.

Andrew: Many of our members work with clients in different parts of London. We recently introduced Crosstown access which allows our members to work across our East and West London spaces or Huckletree D2 Dublin with full access to all our events, perks and networks.