Six Months at LOFT: A Freelance Designer's Honest Account

Kavya Nair has been a freelance graphic designer based in Nagpur for three years. For the first two, she worked entirely from home.

Her setup was fine by most measures. A dedicated desk. A large monitor. Good enough WiFi. But she found herself increasingly reluctant to start the day. Not because of the work itself. Something about the environment was making the first hour difficult.

"I kept delaying starting. Checking the phone, making another cup of tea. I did not realise until later that I was not being lazy. I was just in the wrong room."

Trying LOFT on a Whim

Kavya came to LOFT 2 in Abhyankar Nagar on a day pass after seeing a post on Instagram. She booked it on a Wednesday with no particular expectations.

What surprised her most was not the productivity. It was the atmosphere.

"Everyone around me was working. Genuinely working. Just heads down. That environment does something to you. You do not want to be the one not working."

She did not check her phone once between 10 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon. For someone who had been checking it every twenty minutes at home, that felt significant. She bought a monthly membership two weeks later.

What Changed in Six Months

The most significant change was her client list. Two of her current clients came from conversations at LOFT. One was a founder in an adjacent cabin who needed brand identity work. Another was an introduction made at a LOFT Night.

"Coworking spaces are sold on the WiFi and ergonomic chairs. That is not why you should join. You should join because of who else is in the room."

Her honest assessment for freelancers in Nagpur: come for one full day. The answer will be obvious.