By: KeyCrew Media
Ask ten people in Los Angeles, California, to define “flex office,” and you will likely get ten different answers. Some picture a shared desk in an open room. Others picture a private office with a shorter lease term. According to Jerome Chang, founder of BLANKSPACES, one of the oldest coworking brands in America, the best way to understand flex office is to stop thinking about office space and start thinking about hotels.
“Coworking is very much like that,” Chang said, comparing his industry to the difference between a boutique hotel and a big chain. “It’s the Ace Hotel to the Sheraton.” The rooms might be functionally similar, but the experience, the vibe, and the type of guest each one attracts are completely different. Flex office works the same way. Some locations are lean and functional. Others are built around community and design. Neither is wrong; they just serve different tenants.
The Real Difference Is Flexibility, Not Furniture
The core feature that separates flex office from a traditional lease is not the desks or the decor. It is the commitment. A standard office lease traditionally runs five years. Flex office, by contrast, can be arranged month to month.
Chang compares it to booking a hotel room instead of signing an apartment lease. An apartment locks a tenant in for twelve months at minimum. A hotel lets someone stay for a night, a week, or however long they actually need. Traditional office tenants used to have only one option: sign for years, whether they needed that much time or not. Flex office gives them a second option that matches how they actually plan to grow.
Private Offices Are Now Part Of The Mix
Coworking started with hot desks, one open room with Wi-Fi and shared tables. That has changed. Many flex office locations, including those run by BLANKSPACES, now include a real mix of private offices alongside open areas.
The split matters. A traditional executive suite operator, the kind offered by companies like Regus or Premier Office Suites, might dedicate 70 to 75 percent of its floor to private offices, with a front desk and a formal, buttoned-up feel that tends to attract lawyers and insurance professionals. A coworking location built around community might keep that closer to 30 to 50 percent, preserving open space where members interact. “Do you walk through a maze of hallways to find the private office number 24,” Chang asked, “or is there a vibe that, like, the kitchen’s open, you hear the buzz?”
Services And Amenities Come Standard
Just as a hotel handles housekeeping and often includes a gym or a lounge, flex office is built to handle the day-to-day operational load of running a workspace. Basic upkeep, internet, and shared amenities come bundled into one price instead of being negotiated piece by piece.
This is part of why flex office continues to appeal to a wide range of tenants, from freelancers who want flexibility to companies that simply do not want to manage a five-year lease during a period when their headcount could change. It is also, according to Chang, functionally similar to what Airbnb did for residential stays: filling the gap between a long-term commitment and a short-term need that traditional leasing never addressed.
What This Means For Anyone Considering Flex Office
The practical takeaway is that flex office is not a single product. It is a spectrum, and the right fit depends on how long a business needs the space, how much privacy its team requires, and how much flexibility matters compared to cost. Businesses evaluating their options should think less about finding “the” flex office model and more about identifying which version of it actually matches how they work.
BLANKSPACES is one of the oldest coworking brands in America, founded in Los Angeles in 2008 by architect Jerome Chang. It is now the largest coworking brand in Southern California, built on a partnership model that shares risk with landlords rather than relying on a traditional lease.
Disclaimer: This article is based on information provided by the expert source cited above. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or real estate advice. Readers should conduct their own research and consult qualified professionals before making any real estate or financial decisions.
