“If you get thrown into a big room of a bunch of people you don’t know, that might as well be a coffee shop,” says Kerra Michele Huerta.
The 34-year-old interior designer held memberships at two other coworking spaces before deciding to launch her own.
Bureau
Bureau, a small co-working space in NW DC, was created with women creatives in mind.
“I wanted to create a space where we could collaborate and inspire one another,” says Huerta.
Huerta believes Bureau will be the antithesis of the large, industry-diverse spaces she’s experienced and admits the space is meant for anyone looking to avoid being tossed into a large space with people they don’t know.
The Design
When walking into a place made for creatives, by a creative, one must expect that the interior will be, well, creative.
Like many of Kerra’s projects, Bureau was inspired by international travel. She drew inspiration from countries like India and Japan, emulating ideas of contrast in the culture and landscape of the countries.
“India is a nation of contrast,” says Huerta. “There can be a building that is sort of dilapidated and old, but that can be next to an incredible structure filled with color.”
“Japan uses color in a poppy, cheeky and flirtatious way that is unexpected when paired with their overall minimalist aesthetic. They have a culture of being very proper, but have these playful, cartoon elements seen in food and design.”
Aiming to create a “super unexpected” design, Kerra mashed together pastel and neon palettes to create contrast.
“I’ll have one wall that is this sort of sultry, uber feminine floral wallpaper but then next to that wall is a neon yellow chandelier. It’s an interesting mix of colors, pattern’s and shapes that you wouldn’t expect to go well together, but they just work.”
In3 DC
Progress, innovation, and inclusion. When an eclectic group of city, academic, and corporate leaders got together following the inauguration, they imagined a workspace that held fast to these three beliefs.
Months later In3 DC was born.
Situated in Washington, DC’s Georgia Ave, the space will focus on inclusion, innovation, and incubation. With boot camps, training, mentorship, workshops, and events, In3 aims to be not just a workspace but a leg up for marginalized under-resourced entrepreneurs who have found it difficult to find a home in the tech space.
“While diversity may be the buzzword of the hour, truly investing in it is still not the norm,” says In3 DC Education Coordinator KellyAnn Kirkpatrick.
A truly public-private partnership, the incubator came to fruition with the support of Howard University’s HowUInnovate ecosystem, the office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, and Clearly Innovative CEO Aaron Saunders.
“[In3 DC] isn’t about me, it’s about us,” says Kirkpatrick. “It’s about the collective effort to merge the energy and resources of all involved to truly make a difference.”
“This partnership will seek to create vibrancy and connectivity between the District’s resources, residents, college students, and universities in a way that’s never been done before.”
In3 DC’s Week of Welcome kicks off this month. Learn more and RSVP here.
Bureau photography by Reema Desai
In3 photography by Wingate Hughes
