Working away from an office

Fast broadband, laptops, social media, messaging services, VPNs and Skype etc have enabled people to work away from a fixed office for years although take up has been hit and miss. Not now, of course. The current lockdown has opened up hundreds of millions to the experiences of working from home and discovering for the first time their homes may or may not be up to the job.

Working on a laptop in Starbucks is no longer an option, and apart from those lucky to have a study room, many people are now working in bed, on kitchen tables and in some cases a car parked outside. These are certainly short term solutions but it is becoming apparent that home working will become the new normal and popping into the office will become an infrequent occurrence. Much of this change will be driven by economics but may also reflect changes in our attitudes to health, climate change and work life balance. One thing is for sure, our current homes are not designed for this new era. 

Analysis

Having had dialogue with the construction industry and various home refurbishment companies, these are some of the changes anticipated in the functionality of our homes in the future:

• Escape to the country - living near an office to keep the commute short will no longer be necessary. Working from anywhere will push up country property prices and rents as people seek to re-engage with nature and enjoy a lower cost of living

• Soundproofing - for many, coping with distractions will be a challenge but so will be the noise from neighbours. For flat dwellers, expect to see ceilings dropped, walls insulated and doors installed where there were none before. Open plan living will be seen as a luxury. Stud partitions will spring up everywhere

• Ergonomic chairs - sitting on a fake designer chair all day long is not possible and sales of office chairs to homes will increase. Wooden floors and chairs with wheels are not great so expect to see carpets back in fashion

• Faster and more reliable internet installation including use of phone tethering will be a necessity - home internet is not designed the way leased line corporate internet is and 5G will boom

• Screens on walls with cameras and microphones - no more huddled around a MacBook sharing a screen: TVs will appear in all rooms along with bluetooth headphones

• Kitchens will become kitchens again - the trend for a work table and a microwave being deemed a kitchen will be superseded by fully working kitchens with food storage space, bread making machines, soda streams and anything that helps us cook. Cupboards will become bigger as we stockpile delivered food

• Access to outside space - gardens and parks will be highly desired to combat cabin fever and over walk our dogs (see below)

• Calendars and clocks everywhere to avoid missing that important Teams / Zoom / HouseParty gathering

• Smaller wardrobe space - no need for work clothes. Irons and iron boards may be trashed as we no longer need to look smart

• Pet rooms - walking dogs will constitute exercise for many. 

• Home gyms will become popular

There are probably other changes we have not considered but for sure, your Autumn 2019 edition of House and Gardens will become a historical curiosity very soon.