Kensington’s New Workspaces Designed to ‘Earn the Commute’

As hybrid working changes what people expect from the office, the arrival of Maslow’s Kensington is adding momentum to a growing workspace cluster around High Street Kensington - where flexible workspaces are being matched by a neighbourhood offering of green space, culture, food, hospitality and wellness.

More than ever, the London office is having to earn its place in the working week. With hybrid working now the norm, the question for businesses is increasingly not simply how to get people into the office, but what makes coming in worthwhile.

A Growing Cluster of Lifestyle and Wellness-Driven Workspaces

Kensington is emerging as a strong example of how a neighbourhood can help make the commute worthwhile. This summer’s opening of Maslow’s Kensington with its private studios, shared workspaces, stylish lounges and meeting rooms, plus a strong in-house fitness and wellness including a café - is a welcome addition to the existing offer. This also includes Huckletree Kensington, which has a focus on flexible coworking plus a members’ lounge, café and rooftop terrace and the Pavilion Club, an established members’ club and workspace for meetings and networking. Together, they’re giving freelancers, small businesses and importantly entrepreneurs a place where they can thrive as a community - with more choice in how and where they work, while reflecting a broader change in what they and their immediate teams expect from the workplace.

“The workplace is changing, and so is what people expect from the place they work from,” says Maya Mroue of Opportunity Kensington, the Business Improvement District centred around Kensington High Street. “Kensington already has the connectivity and business infrastructure, but it also has the things that make people want to spend time here - culture, green space, hospitality, food and wellness. The arrival of this new generation of workspaces adds another reason to come into the neighbourhood and makes the area around the office part of the working day.”

As well as being very commutable - High Street Kensington is served by the District and Circle lines, providing direct connections across central and west London - Kensington Gardens and Holland Park offer green space within easy reach too. Kensington is also becoming a hub for wellness, with gyms, fitness studios and wellbeing businesses making it possible to build exercise and wellbeing into the working day.

Alongside this, Kensington offers world-leading cultural institutions, restaurants, cafés, hotels and retail - giving businesses and their teams the opportunity to combine work with the rest of the working day.

Kensington isn’t trying to compete with the City or Canary Wharf on scale, but what it does offer is quality workspaces in a quality neighbourhood that makes the working day extend beyond the office and worth the commute.

For more information, visit Opportunity Kensington.

Inside Maslow’s Kensington: A Member's Perspective

Maslow's Kensington - A member's experience

Maslow’s Kensington member, Demi Abiola, is the founder of Konfluence, where he runs a brand, culture and partnerships consultancy, alongside his work as a DJ for hospitality, corporate and private events.

Why have you chosen to base your business in Kensington, and what makes the area well suited to modern businesses and entrepreneurs?

I live in Notting Hill, so Kensington is a natural and highly practical base for my business. It is close enough to feel part of my day-to-day neighbourhood, while giving me a polished, professional environment to meet clients and develop work.

As an independent entrepreneur working across consultancy, culture, hospitality and music, I need to move easily between focused work, client meetings and the wider creative life of London. Kensington gives me that balance: it is well connected, established and professional, but still close to the energy of Notting Hill, White City, Soho and central London.

What are the key benefits of working in Kensington?

The location is a real advantage. High Street Kensington is extremely well connected, making it easy for clients and collaborators to reach me from across London, while also being practical for getting into central London or out towards Paddington and Heathrow.

There is also a quality of life to the area that changes the working day. Being close to Kensington Gardens and Holland Park gives you space to reset between meetings, and there is a strong choice of cafés, restaurants, cultural spaces and fitness options nearby. For someone whose work sits across business, culture, hospitality and music, that wider ecosystem is valuable. It makes meetings feel less transactional and creates more opportunities for natural connection.

What were you looking for when choosing your workspace?

I wanted more than simply a desk. My work requires a professional base where I can have client meetings, develop ideas, manage the practical side of running a business and meet people organically.

I was looking for a space with a calm, considered atmosphere, good design, flexible ways of working and a community of people doing interesting things. As someone who can be working on consultancy projects one day and preparing for an event or DJ set the next, I also value a workspace that supports wellbeing and gives me the flexibility to structure my day around the work, rather than the other way around.

Why have you chosen Maslow’s Kensington and what does it offer that reflects this new generation of workspaces?

Maslow’s Kensington gives me the professional infrastructure I need, without the formality or isolation of a traditional office. There are spaces for focused work, informal catch-ups and proper client meetings, so I can choose the environment that best suits the task.

What stands out is that the House has been designed around how people actually want to work now. It combines workspaces and meeting rooms with places to recharge, eat well, exercise and connect with other members. That makes it feel less like renting a desk and more like joining a supportive working community.

For me, it is a modern workspace because it recognises that good work is not only about being productive at a screen. It is also about access to people, ideas, energy and a healthier rhythm to the day. Maslow’s offers that in a way that feels genuinely aligned with how I run my business.