Exploring new kinds of spaces

Nookzy is a peer-to-peer platform for reserving small, creative urban spaces on an hourly basis. Right now, we beta testing a selection of backyard-based urban spaces in San Francisco and Oakland, and we are in the process of experimenting with a variety of new kinds of spaces that people can spend time in. Have an idea of something you'd like to see? Email feedback@nookzy.com and let us know!

How it works:

Find your nook

Have a space to share?

our vision

We think cities can be better and more equitable. Many of our urban resources lie dormant most of the time, and the economic and cultural tendencies that allowed many households to accumulate all of their own private amenities and resources are receding. 

backyards as a beginning

Because of how little they are used by the average owner, we see the hosting and booking of backyard amenities as a delightful way to begin sharing spatially-fixed resources--ideally as one small step toward a generally more shared urban life. We see hot tubs, saunas and swimming pools as a fun way to prime the pump for a broader program of resource sharing.
 

making a more interesting city

Our goal is to make the city more multifaceted, interesting and equitable by optimizing its uses in a multi-modal way. Much of the city goes unused most of the time, and much of the city's potential never gets tapped into. We cram ourselves into crowded bars and cafes while much of the city goes unused. We believe that even the smallest, humblest corners of the metropolis have an incredible potential to be a source of abundance and intrigue. We want to live in a world where you can spontaneously find yourself in a tropical greenhouse, on a sailboat, on a rooftop, in a waterfront sauna, or a cavernous basement somewhere. By directing attention to the many varied spaces and resources of the city, our hope is to transform these spaces and their visitors. Our platform allows respectful visitors to enjoy the urban nooks that previously had been unavailable to them, while simultaneously improving the spaces themselves. Starting from hot tubs in garden alcoves, Nookzy aims to host some of the most stunning and delightful spaces in the city, bookable by the hour. We are partnering with Decoding Labs--an experimental design research firm--to imagine new varieties of space, activity, aesthetics, and technologies.

multiple ways to share

Not all transactions are financial. Nookzy is working on developing a multi-modal approach to sharing that would situate our platform across multiple types of economy, allowing hosts to customize the conditions by which their resource may be used, setting default settings, and allowing for custom agreements and gifting on a person-by-person basis. Custom, user-by-user agreements provide a forum for being clear about expectations. This is useful for those who may what to make their space available to friends and family at no cost, or on the condition that they water the garden, or change the chemicals in the spa, or bring over a tray of cookies. We hope that these mechanisms can bring value to the many situations and places where the formal market is ineffective, absent, or inappropriate.

About us