Private Office vs. Coworking in DUMBO, Brooklyn: Which is Right For Your Business?

If you're reading this, chances are you've outgrown your current workspace or home office and you’re starting to feel the squeeze. Maybe your team is expanding. Maybe you've landed bigger clients and need a more professional setting to host them. Or maybe you're just tired of competing for conference rooms and adjusting your schedule around the open hours of a coworking space..

For many growing companies, the choice comes down to sticking with coworking or making the move to a private office. Both have their place, but they serve very different needs. Let's break down the key differences so you can figure out which option is the right fit for your next chapter.

Understanding the Fundamentals: What's the Real Difference?

At first glance, coworking and private office space in Brooklyn might seem like variations on the same theme. Both offer a place to work. Both have desks and WiFi. But the similarities end there.

Coworking spaces are shared environments where multiple companies and individuals rent desks, dedicated desks, or small private offices within a larger communal setup. You're sharing amenities, common areas, and often the vibe with dozens (sometimes hundreds) of other workers. It's a flexible, lower-commitment option that works well for freelancers, very early-stage startups, or anyone testing the waters of a new market.

Private office space means exactly what it sounds like: a dedicated office that's entirely yours. Your team, your layout, your name on the door. You're not sharing your conference room schedule with strangers, and you're not wondering who's going to be sitting at the desk next to you tomorrow. You have full control over your space, your access, and how you present your business to the world.

Think of coworking as renting a room in a shared house. A private office is having your own place with the keys in your pocket.

When Coworking Makes Sense

Coworking can be the right choice for some businesses. If you're a solo founder just getting started, a consultant who needs a professional place to take calls a few days a week, or a small team of two or three people who value flexibility above all else, coworking can be a great entry point.

The appeal is obvious. You get access to a space without a long-term commitment, you're surrounded by other people (which can feel energizing when you're working alone), and the barrier to entry is low. You can often sign up month-to-month, and you don't have to think about customizing a space or negotiating a lease.

For many businesses, coworking is the perfect place to start. But it's often not the place to stay longterm.

The Limitations That Start to Show

As your business grows, you may find that the very things that made coworking attractive in the beginning start to become obstacles.

You Can't Control Your Environment

In a coworking space, you're living by someone else's rules. Building hours are set by the operator, not your deadlines. Need to pull a late night before a pitch? You might find yourself locked out. Want to host an early breakfast meeting with an EU based client? Too bad if the space doesn't open until 9 AM.

With a private office, you get 24/7 access—weekends, holidays, and even the middle of the night if that's when inspiration strikes.

Privacy Becomes a Problem

Coworking spaces are designed for openness and collaboration, which sounds great in theory. In practice, it means you're constantly aware of who's within earshot. Sensitive client calls? Tricky financial discussions? Candid team feedback sessions? All of that becomes more complicated when you're surrounded by people who don't work for you.

If you're working with higher-profile clients or handling confidential projects, the lack of privacy and a closed and secure IT infrastructure isn't just inconvenient. It's a liability. A private office gives you the security to do your best work without constantly looking over your shoulder.

The Client Experience Suffers

This is the big one. When you invite a client to your office, you're not just hosting a meeting. You're making a statement about your business. Walking them through a bustling coworking lobby, asking them to wait on a communal couch while you track down a conference room, and hoping the person in the glass-walled meeting room next door isn't on a loud video call? That's not the impression you want to leave.

Clients notice when you're renting a portion of someone else's space. And whether it's fair or not, they make judgments about your stability, your professionalism, and your ability to deliver.

A private office in DUMBO (with high ceilings, original details, natural light, and a space that reflects your brand) sends a completely different message. It says you're established.

You Hit a Growth Ceiling

Coworking spaces work fine when you're two or three people. But what happens when you're five? Ten? Twenty? At a certain point, it stops making financial sense. And more importantly, coworking operators usually can't accommodate your growth in a seamless way. You can't just expand into the office next door when you need more room.

With a private office, you have options. Need to scale up? Two Trees will work with you to find a larger space in the same building or another one right here in the neighborhood. No penalties, no scrambling to find a new landlord, no disruption to your team.

What Private Office Space Unlocks

Making the move to a private office isn't just about solving the problems with coworking. It's about unlocking possibilities that simply don't exist in a shared environment.

It's Yours to Shape

In coworking, you get a desk or a small office and maybe permission to put up a few posters. In a private office, you get to build something that truly reflects your company. Want to paint the walls in your brand colors? Go for it. Need a specific layout for how your team collaborates? Design it. Want to create a space that impresses clients and makes your team excited to come in every day? You're in control.

Your office becomes an extension of your culture and your brand—not someone else's aesthetic vision.

You Look (and Feel) More Established

There's a reason companies "graduate" from coworking to private offices. It's a tangible sign of growth. When you have your own space (your own address, your own front door) it signals that your business has reached a new level of maturity.

This isn't about ego. It's about how your clients, your partners, and even your own team perceive your company. A private office says you're committed. You're investing in your future. And that confidence is contagious.

You Can Actually Make It Your Own

Most private offices come with their very own pantry, not a shared kitchen where you're competing for fridge space or wondering whose yogurt has been sitting there for three months. You have your own breakroom, your own coffee setup, your own space to recharge between meetings.

You also get access to amenities that elevate the day-to-day experience: landscaped rooftops with WiFi and jaw-dropping views of the East River, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Manhattan skyline. Tech-enabled conference rooms that you can actually book when you need them. Dedicated bike parking and garages if you drive. Phone rooms for privacy when a call needs to stay confidential.

And here's a major advantage that eliminates one of the biggest hurdles of moving into a private office: many spaces can come fully furnished. While you always have the option to bring your own furniture and truly customize your space, you also have the choice to move into a turnkey, furnished office and start working on day one. No hunting for desks, no coordinating deliveries, no downtime while you get set up.

You Get True Flexibility

At Two Trees, lease terms are designed to work with you, not against you. Typical terms start around two years, but there's room to adjust based on your needs. And if your business grows during your lease? We'll help you find a larger space or add additional square footage within our DUMBO portfolio—no penalties, no disruption.

Who Should Make the Move?

Private office space makes the most sense when:

1) You're bringing clients to your office regularly. If your space is part of your sales process or client experience, it needs to work for you, not against you.

2) Your team is growing. Somewhere between 5 and 15 people, coworking starts to feel cramped and expensive. A private office gives you room to breathe and scale.

3) You need privacy and security. Whether it's client confidentiality, intellectual property concerns, or just the ability to have candid conversations, a private office gives you the control you need.

4) You want to build a real company culture. It's hard to create a strong internal culture when you're surrounded by people from other companies. A private office gives you the space (literally and figuratively) to define who you are as a team.

5) You're ready to make a statement. If you're at the stage where perception matters (whether that's landing bigger clients, attracting top talent, or simply being taken seriously) your office plays a bigger role than you might think.

Brooklyn Office Space That Grows With You

DUMBO isn't just another business district. It's a creative, energetic community where over 500 tech, design, and professional firms have chosen to build their companies. The cobblestone streets, the waterfront, the blend of historic warehouses and modern energy... it's a neighborhood that makes you want to actually show up to work.

And within that neighborhood, Two Trees offers private office spaces designed for teams of all sizes. From smaller offices starting around 1,500 square feet to larger spaces of 5,000+ square feet, we've built a portfolio that can accommodate teams from 2 to 50+ people and beyond.

Ready to see what's possible? View our current private office space availability in DUMBO and discover spaces designed for teams that are ready to go somewhere.

Want to hear from companies who made the move? Check out our tenant stories to see how businesses like yours transitioned from coworking to private offices.