The debate about where we work has been running for years, often generating more heat than light. Office or home, visible versus flexible, present but not productive: the conversation continues to circle around the same binary. But there is another option, one that rarely gets the airtime it deserves. 

Your third place. Neither the desk in the spare room nor your open-plan office floor, the co-working club offers benefits the others cannot. Working somewhere neutral creates autonomy without isolation, visibility without team politics, a particular type of energy (usually of the inspiring variety) of being around people who are not your colleagues. And, crucially, no washing waiting to go in the dryer. 

For women especially, this third working space carries weight right now. At a moment when so much feels in flux, there is something steadying about having a community and place that really knows you, where your professional and social selves can peacefully coexist allowing you to work well and live well in equal weight. 

Members clubs and co-working spaces sound out of reach, the truth is though, since their boom, post-Covid years, many have become more affordable, having to remain competitive in a growing market. And not only have they looked at their prices, many are also innovating their offers: more community events, better functioning workspaces, some even have gyms and other stand out benefits that ensure the co-working model transcends all parts of life.  

Here Are Our Top Places to Work and Play:

LONDON 

Mortimer House (Fitzrovia): One of London's most considered members spaces, Mortimer House has built its reputation on the quality of the room as much as the quality of the people in it. Beautifully designed, a genuinely warm atmosphere, Mortimer House also boasts a restaurant and bar that make staying on into the evening the only obvious choice. The community here skews creative, entrepreneurial and curious, and the programming reflects that. For women who want a home in central London that feels elevated without being intimidating, this is a strong first call. 

The Conduit (Mayfair): The Conduit has a clear point of view: it exists for people who are working towards a more sustainable and equitable world, and that shared purpose gives it an unusually strong sense of community. The building is beautiful, the programming is deeply considered, and the membership reflects a particular kind of future-facing ambition. If you want to be in a room where the conversation has substance, this is it. 

Old Sessions House (Farringdon): There cannot be a more beautiful space in the capital: unfolding from a grand, central staircase Old Session House, once a courthouse and with all the retained drama, looks grand but feels warm and distinctive. Old Sessions House is about variety, you can work on large, communal tables or private studios in the morning, and then find a little nook in the sunshine for the afternoon. Take some time out in the busy cafe for a meeting, or head up to the rooftop for some pool time (yes really). The roof also offers quiet in the shade, making sun loungers legitimate workstations. Surely there is no better reason to join than that? With full house takeovers for Christmas and high summer, this is fun and focus absolutely rolled into one.  

The Orchard and Arding Rooms (Marble Arch and Clapham): Two spaces from the same stable, each with its own character. The Orchard is leafy, light-filled and designed for the kind of working days that can become more restorative and less relentless. How could it not when the office space overlooks Hyde Park? Arding Rooms in comparison bring a different energy: social, evening-oriented and with the kind of programming that turns a working space into a lasting community hub. Each are worth knowing, and membership covers both.

1 Warwick (Soho): A relative newcomer that has quickly established itself as one of the most interesting spaces in London, 1 Warwick sits at the intersection of work, culture and hospitality in a way that never feels forced. The design is considered, the food is excellent and the membership community is deliberately diverse. 1 Warwick is strong on small, intimate office spaces, great to team away days, as well as solo head-down time. Worth knowing for both the working day and what comes after it. 

Maslow’s (Kensington) The premise is straightforward but brilliantly radical: where you work shapes how you work, and Maslow's Kensington has this covered. Think workplace wellness in coworking form. Built around neuroscience and connection to nature, these rooms feel less like workspaces and more like professional zen dens. Here your wellbeing matters as much as your output. Private offices, shared rooms, a boutique gym and studio as well as its in-house café Oria, that provides whole foods to your desk if you cannot bear to break your flow. This is the future. Opens later this spring, founding offers now available to purchase.  

REGIONAL 

Clockwise (Leeds): Having built one of the most interesting creative scenes outside London, Leeds boasts Clockwise, which sits at the heart of this movement. A drop-in co-working space for those who don’t necessarily want to commit long term, as well as neat and trendy desk set-ups it has built a strong community of founders and creatives. The kind of place where you come to work and end up staying for the conversation. 

Ducie House (Manchester): Part of the Stock Exchange Hotel group, Ducie House has the bones of a serious building and the atmosphere of somewhere that is ready for a party. Excellent for a focused working day, and even better for the chill time afterwards. The bar is a destination, the food is great, and the crowd is the exact mix of professional and creative that makes a members space worth joining. 

Spaces (Edinburgh): Part of a nationwide network that takes the guesswork out of co-working, Spaces offers flexible desks, private offices and meeting rooms in a design-led environment that feels considered rather than corporate. The Edinburgh outpost means that wherever work takes you across the UK, a decent desk and good coffee are never far away. Useful for the frequent traveller, the hybrid worker and anyone who has spent one too many afternoons trying to concentrate in a hotel lobby.

Spike Island (Bristol): Bristol has always done the blend of part art space, part workspace, part community better than most cities and Spike Island is the best expression of it. Sitting within a building of genuine historical interest and creating an atmosphere that rewards the kind of work which needs thinking time as much as desk time, Spike Island is about slow creation. For women who want to feel part of something larger than their own project, Spike Island is worth knowing about. 

Know a space we should add? Tell us at @theALLBRIGHT or @theALLBRIGHT