It’s 10 a.m. on a Tuesday at The Yard: Lincoln Square. The coffee line is moving, two members are swapping notes on a pitch in the lounge, and McKay at the front desk is welcoming a new day-pass guest. Over by the window, our member Sarah, has a client call in five minutes. She doesn’t scramble for a free room. She closes her laptop, walks ten steps, and shuts the door of a phone booth behind her.
That small moment is what we’ve been working toward. A coworking space works best when it gives people energy without wearing them down. The buzz of conversation, a coffee break with a neighbor, a quick hello at the front desk: these are the moments that make our coworking space on Manhattan’s Upper West Side feel alive. But that same energy can make it hard to concentrate, especially on days full of calls. We wanted our members to have both, so we added four soundproof booths across the 4th floor.
Noise is one of the most common frustrations in any shared workspace. In a 2025 US survey reported by Facilities Dive, 66% of office workers said noise affects their focus at least twice a week. And with Gallup reporting that 52% of remote-capable US employees now work hybrid, the days people spend in a shared space are often packed with video meetings.
The cost isn’t just lost minutes. Repeating yourself on a call, or lowering your voice for privacy, adds a small dose of stress every time. Over a full day, that leaves people tired and feeling they got less done than they hoped. That’s the opposite of what we want a day at The Yard to feel like.
The Yard: Lincoln Square already had phone booths and conference rooms, and members used them all day. What we didn’t have was true soundproofing. The new MEAVO booths added four more places to step away to, and they’re the first fully soundproof spaces on the floor: a conversation stays inside, and the buzz of the lounge stays out.
A quiet room, exactly when you need it
The four booths are located in the 4th floor of The Yard Lincoln Square
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- Two phone booths for quick check-ins, client calls and the video meeting that pops up at the last minute.
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- A focus pod with a full desk, which has become the go-to spot for [e.g. writing sessions, proposal deadlines, two-hour blocks of deep work].
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- A meeting pod where members hold one-on-ones, interviews and small-team huddles without booking a conference room.
The idea is simple: when a call comes in or a task needs full attention, nobody has to hunt for an empty room. You step inside, close the door and get on with it.
A calmer floor for everyone
The booths help the people inside them, but the bigger change is outside. With calls moving behind closed doors, the open areas have settled. Members at nearby desks can focus without reaching for headphones, and conversations in the lounge stay relaxed instead of competing with someone’s client pitch.
“Love these phone booths! They are compact and sound-insulated, yet spacious enough for a laptop and other necessities. No distracting background noise during calls. Great use of extra space!” — Larissa Shahmatova, from FOSLU
That balance is what makes a workspace feel good rather than draining. Members choose the setting that suits the moment: social when they want company, quiet and private when they need to think. Having that choice is a big part of the community we’re building at The Yard Lincoln Square.
Built for real workdays, not two-minute calls
A quiet room only helps if people actually want to spend time in it. Members settle into the focus pod for long stretches because the air stays fresh, the lighting is easy on the eyes, and there’s a proper desk and power for a laptop. The phone booths have shelves and outlets, so a “quick call” that runs to an hour is no problem.
We also wanted the booths to feel like part of The Yard Lincoln Square, not equipment dropped into a corner. Working with our partner MEAVO, we chose booths that match the look of the space, and members have noticed.
“Members have loved the addition of the four MEAVO booths. They’ve commented on how great the soundproofing is, and on how nice they look in our space.” — McKay Findlay, Community Manager, The Yard: Lincoln Square
When a space looks and feels good, people relax in it, and that shows in how they work.
Find your quiet corner at our NYC coworking space
The booths are one part of what makes The Yard: Lincoln Square a great place to work in New York City, alongside our coworking desks, private offices and meeting rooms. There’s also member events, the kitchen, the light-filled lounge, a community manager that knows your name, all one block from Lincoln Center.
If your days are full of calls, or you just need a calm place to focus, come see it for yourself. Get a coworking day pass or book a tour of our NYC office space, and we’ll save you a seat (and a booth).
The soundproof booths at The Yard: Lincoln Square come from MEAVO’s range of office phone booths and meeting pods.