After more than a year of working from home, most people are ready to get back to the office to re-connect with colleagues, socialize, and, if we’re being honest, have some fun. Of course, workspaces haven’t traditionally been designed with fun in mind, quite the opposite, but this is slowly changing spearheaded by Silicon Valley companies, tech start-ups and forward-looking players of the digital economy. Take for instance the new Barcelona headquarters of Xcelirate, a global technology innovator: located on the top floor on Passeig de Gràcia, a majestic boulevard in the heart of the city’s business and entertainment district, the office was designed by multidisciplinary design studio Lagranja Design as a fun-packed, pop culture-infused space, complete a verdant lounge, quirky playroom, thematic meeting rooms, and a terrace with gorgeous views of Barcelona’s skyline.

While many of its staff works remotely from far-flung locations, Xcelirate decided to open a hub in Barcelona as an opportunity to attract talented young programmers, via offices that would bring out their professional best, and foster innovation through collaboration. Which is why, although the space was already fitted out as a functioning office, the company brought in Lagranja Design to create a unique, fun environment. “Rather than focusing on interior design in the classic sense”, studio co-founder Gerard Sanmartí explains, “we thought about communication and the user experience”. The result of such a concept-driven approach is a series of playful spaces, each one with its own character, echoing the kaleidoscopic multifariousness of the digital universe.