Workshop Wins: 10 Ways We Leveled Up Our Shop Space in 2025
Anna Harris
January 15, 2026
There’s truth to the old adage, “the shoemaker’s children have no shoes.” Most days, the Downtown FabWorks team is so immersed in building things for other people—solving complex problems and bringing often extremely ambitious ideas to life—that we rarely have the time to build things for ourselves. Our work as experiential fabricators means we commit fully to our clients' goals, becoming an extension of their teams. It’s a point of pride: we care deeply, stay true to the process, and honor our commitment to quality at every step. The natural side effect of that way of life is that client projects take center stage and our own needs often get second billing.
But in late 2024, something pretty big happened. We grew out of our original shop and into a much larger (40,000 sq. ft.) facility. When we first walked into the new warehouse, it seemed massive...the kind of massive that made us joke about starting a roller derby team on the weekends. But as the crew settled in and filled the space with equipment, materials, and work in progress, it quickly became evident that the space wasn't too big, after all. In fact, it was suddenly easy to see how we'd eventually outgrow it if we didn't put some creative thought into maximizing the space.
To make things more fun, over the last year, our team has more than doubled—growing from 18 to 42 full-time employees, plus a handful of regular contractors. Along the way, we've made smart choices to make the most of the space we have, but it's an ongoing effort. The truth is that we're still growing, and by nature, this team of creatives is always going to be on the lookout for ways to build things better.
Still, it's the start of a new year, and it felt like the right time to stop and celebrate the steps we took to improve our home base in 2025. After all, the biggest, longest-running project we’re building here is us—Downtown FabWorks.
Here are a few snapshots of what that has looked like over the last 14 months:
1) A fresh coat of exterior paint (and a snazzy new sign so folks can find us)
Downtown FabWorks is headquartered at 2800 N. Johnson St., New Orleans, Louisiana.
2) Brand colors throughout, and an awesome wall graphic in the lobby
When we moved in, the building had no exterior windows, and the previous tenants had painted the lobby and offices dark gray (which made the place feel a little like a dungeon). So before we moved in, the team updated all of the interior walls and trim with the DFW brand palette, and we added a dynamic mural for immediate impact in the lobby.
3) Storage (lots and lots of it)
We make the most of our vertical space with racks to store materials and finished elements. Behind this rack (located in the CNC department) is our paint booth.
4) Totally badass 40'x16' paint booth
A paint booth gives our Finishing department (including Lorese, pictured above) a place to paint items safely and securely, allowing superior finishes, less chance of rework, and better working conditions for our team members.
5) Forklift path
Sometimes the smallest shifts make the biggest difference. Marking out a forklift path that runs throughout our facility created a safe corridor for moving materials and elements efficiently.
6) Truck Staging Bays
We also mapped out two truck staging bays (each measuring 8'x53') for our loading dock to give the team a place to organize wrapped & packed elements, tools, and other install needs before loading trucks for delivery. This gives the team a chance to run a pre-check to make sure we have everything, that it's all been wrapped securely, and that all available storage space is being used efficiently.
7) Stairs
You're probably asking, "What's so cool about stairs?" But have you SEEN these stairs? These are some good looking stairs! When we first moved in, the building had a long-abandoned upstairs loft space with unfinished (read: scary) stairs. Amazing what a fresh coat of paint, diamond aluminum tread plate, and a railing can do to upgrade a space! These stairs also lead to...
8) A beautiful new conference room for team meetings and client visits
This space was unfinished when we moved in, but the team had a great vision. The windows overlooking the shop floor were previously existing, but a decision was made to cut a skylight for natural light (a matching skylight was also cut into the ceiling of the Design team's office, down the hall). A conference table, lighting, tech for video conferencing, a whiteboard wall, and framed accolades of the team's achievements make this an ideal space for internal planning sessions and entertaining clients.
9) Sample display cases and built-in office storage (AKA "Danzilla")
Two full walls of built-in storage space instantly turned our formerly empty lobby into a showroom that helps clients imagine the possibilities. Check out our Instagram reel (below) for the DL on that weird name and behind-the-scenes footage of these pieces during design, fabrication, and install!
With the team more than doubling in size over this last year, we've officially run out of desk space. A new bay of offices (built from repurposed scenic flats that have aged out of circulation) will give us additional space for members of multiple departments to spread out from previously cramped shared-office situations, get closer for collaboration, and have their own places to call home. The offices should be finished by next week, so stay tuned for updates!
