Bubble, Bubble ...

Spending so much of my time flipping through portfolios of the freshest ideas in office design, I might be accused of operating in a bubble. I assiduously assure you, however, that there's no need to take out those pins. In any city I happen to be visiting, I make a point of walking through different neighborhoods—OK, not in L.A.—and I like nothing more than investigating what I find, whether it's a corner office high up in Lever House or a hip Seattle studio where principals work right next to the newest hire.

In fact, I just keep being amazed. Amazed how deeply the "work well/live well" revolution has penetrated all geographies. And well-nigh astounded, still, to see kindred solutions springing from such different backgrounds, from high-density Europe to our own sprawling suburban backyard. At a Paris media-buying firm by Saguez & Partners, small confabs take place in colorful cubes barely big enough to contain a bistro-style banquette. Meanwhile, at the Disney Store headquarters in Pasadena, a conference room's foam-block walls come tumbling down to make room for a staff of more than 200. But both setups promote the meeting of minds.

Whether on the Right Bank or the Left Coast, it's now a corporate axiom that, in order to acquire and retain talent or increase the productivity and scope of any business, the workplace must provide the engagement that only design can deliver. —Cindy