For a small team renting a private office in a business center, the useful question is not how many square feet you need. It is how many people need a desk at the same time, and how often you meet with more people than that. The kitchen, printers and conference rooms sit outside your door, so the office only has to hold the people working in it.
Across Icon Centers' nine centers in Los Angeles and Philadelphia, private offices run from one person up to ten at 201 Wilshire in Santa Monica (opening Fall 2026), and the conference rooms seat 6 to 12. Below: a quick way to work out your number, the office and room sizes at each center, and how to leave room to grow without paying for desks nobody uses.
Start with desks, not square feet
Floor area matters when you lease raw space and have to fit desks, a waiting area, a kitchen and a meeting room inside it yourself. In an executive suite, those shared spaces already exist and are shared with the other companies in the center. What you are choosing is a headcount rather than a floor plan: our offices come furnished with a desk, chair and storage, so the real question is how many people will work in the room.
On a tour, sit where each person would sit and check there is space for what your team really uses: a second monitor, a printer of your own or files that have to stay locked up.
Count who is in on the same day
The number on payroll is rarely the right one. Work out who uses the office on an ordinary day and on your busiest regular day. A team of five with two people at client sites most of the week may need three desks; a team of three that brings in a part-time bookkeeper on set days may need four.
- Everyone who works from the office most days.
- People who come in on fixed days: part-timers, contractors, colleagues visiting from another city.
- Anyone you expect to hire in the next six months.
- Equipment or storage that takes up a desk's worth of room.
Size for the busiest regular day, not the one afternoon a year when everybody turns up. On those days, a conference room booked for a few hours can take the overflow.
Leave client meetings to the conference room
The easiest way to overbuy is to size the office around meetings. If clients come in a few times a month, booking a conference room for those hours is often cheaper than paying every month for chairs that stay empty. Most private offices come with a set number of conference-room hours a month, and extra time is booked by the hour or the day.
So the second number to write down is your largest regular meeting. For up to 8 people, every center with a listed conference room has one big enough; for more than 8, look at the centers with a 12-seat room (835 Wilshire, 611 Wilshire, 201 Wilshire and 1521 Locust).
Office and meeting-room sizes by center
| Center | Area | Offices | Meeting rooms |
|---|---|---|---|
| 835 Wilshire | Downtown Los Angeles | Private offices for one to four people | Boardroom, 12 seats; Glass conference room, 8 seats |
| 611 Wilshire | Downtown Los Angeles | Private window and interior offices | Conference room, 12 seats; Meeting room, 6 seats |
| 9100 Wilshire | Beverly Hills | Private offices | Conference room, 8 seats |
| 415 N Camden | Beverly Hills | Office space is limited at this center | Meeting-room access; ask how it works here |
| 201 Wilshire (Opening Fall 2026 — pre-leasing now) | Santa Monica | Private offices for one to ten people | Conference room, 12 seats |
| 11150 Olympic | West Los Angeles | Private window offices, including a three-person corner office | Meeting-room access; ask how it works here |
| 121 S Broad | Center City — Avenue of the Arts | Private window offices for two to three people | Conference room, 8 seats |
| 1521 Locust | Rittenhouse Square | Private window offices for two to three people | Conference room, 12 seats |
| 1435 Walnut | Rittenhouse Square | Private interior offices for two to three people; window offices when available | Conference room, 8 seats |
Compare nearby centers on the neighborhood pages: Downtown Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, West Los Angeles and Center City Philadelphia.
Interior, window or a private suite
- Interior office: one to three people, no window. The economical option, with the same privacy and shared amenities as any other office in the center.
- Window office: one to three people, with daylight and, on higher floors, a view.
- Private suite: two to four connected offices behind a single door. It suits a small firm where partners want separate rooms but the team still wants one entrance.
Grow into the next office instead of paying for empty desks
Because the default agreement is month to month with one month's notice, there is no need to rent today for the team you hope to have in two years. As you grow, you can add a second office or move to a larger one, depending on what is open in the center at the time. Let us know a few months ahead and we will look out for an office that fits.
Once you are sure the size is right, a one- or two-year agreement earns free months. Commit to the longer term after you know the office works, not before. Month-to-month office terms, explained covers the choice in more detail.
What a larger office costs
Price depends on the center, the office and the term, so each office is quoted on its own, on a tour or by phone.
The offices on our specials list (checked October 12, 2026) show how size and location play out: private interior office for 2–3 people at 1435 Walnut, $900 / month; private window office for 2–3 people at 1521 Locust, $1,500 / month; private window office for 2–3 people at 121 S Broad, $1,900 / month; private corner window office for 3 people at 11150 Olympic, $2,900 / month (2-year lease · 2 months free). In Santa Monica, offices for 1–10 people are at special opening rates; ask us for the rate on a particular office.
For a per-person breakdown of the Philadelphia offices, read what a private office costs in Center City Philadelphia. Whatever the size, compare a year's total, including parking, which each building sets and charges, and any meeting-room time beyond your included hours.
A five-step sizing check
- Write down how many people need a desk on your busiest regular day.
- Add anyone you are likely to hire before you would want to move again.
- Note your largest regular meeting and which centers have a room that seats it.
- Choose between interior, window or a private suite, and between one office and two.
- See the office you would actually get. Tours run about twenty minutes, by appointment, Monday to Friday.
Quick answers
Can four people share one private office? At 835 Wilshire in Downtown LA, private offices are listed for one to four people. The Philadelphia offices on our listings are for two to three. Ask what is open this month at the center you want.
What if we outgrow the largest office? Take a private suite of connected offices, or a second office in the same center as space allows, or look at 201 Wilshire in Santa Monica, with offices for up to ten.
Do we need room in the office for visitors? Usually not. Clients can meet you in the conference room. Visits are by appointment, and we explain how arrival works at your center so you can send your guests clear instructions.
Next step
Tell us how many people need desks and how often you meet, and we will suggest offices that fit at the centers closest to your clients. Book a tour, browse private offices, or call. For what comes with every office, see what is included in a private office.