Working from home offers new home office trends and tricks

More Aussies are working from home and are converting all sorts of spaces into trendy spots with ideas that can leave you feeling like you’re barefoot-on-the-beach feel while working.

Home offices have multiplied during the pandemic, and cost of living and creativity influences are prompting people to look at these workspaces with fresh eyes.

The kitchen table may have served well as a temporary workspace during lockdowns, but many workers’ shift to hybrid working arrangements is making many home office spaces more permanent – and sometimes unusual.

Trish Martin, the owner of marketing business Chromatical, shifted from Melbourne to regional Victoria and found no available office space, so she spent $15,000 buying and converting a bus into her workspace.

She’s not alone in the world of wacky home offices. Others have put them in backyards under shade sails, chopped up part of a bus and moved it indoors, or installed a large sandbox under their desk for a barefoot-on-the-beach feel while working.

“I couldn’t buy a shop but I did have some money aside, so I thought I will make an office,” Martin says.

“Even though it’s parked at home, it gives me the feeling of going to work.”

REFLECT YOURSELF

Martin suggests creating a personal space that reflects yourself: “I let everything run wild,” she says of her bus-office’s colourful interior that helps her be more creative.

There are several inexpensive ways to spruce up a home office space such as adding plants, ensuring it is close to natural light, and including a few personal touches.

Trish Martin inside the bus she turned into her office. Picture: Supplied

More families have been turning traditional dining rooms into home workspaces, says real estate agent Adam Dureau from Impact Realty Group on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.

“With most family homes hosting a casual family-meals domain or a covered entertaining zone, there’s still plenty of room for larger gatherings without using this additional space,” he says.

Increased working from home options have also seen people move from cities and suburbs to regional areas.

Dureau says before Covid struck, 80 per cent of buyers were local.

“However, the last couple of years has seen this drop to 50 per dent due to inner-city buyers taking the opportunity to work from home, reside within larger homes and take advantage of the slower lifestyles that rural regions allow,” he says.

“My advice for those considering a rural move is to research the finer details regarding the location or property you are exploring. Understanding what’s important to you now and later in life, such as the requirements for school, medical amenities, and public transport, is vital to making a move last.”

SPACE INVADERS

Some people have moved to regional areas not just for lifestyle but also to lower their cost of housing, while others are earning extra cash from spaces in their homes.

Spacer CEO Mike Rosenbaum says there is a record number of people renting out home offices for storage space.

“Spacer hosts can make anything from a few hundred dollars to thousands a month depending on the size and facilities,” he says.

Mike Rosenbaum, CEO of Spacer, says demand for home office and storage space is surging.

Rosenbaum says demand from people wanting to rent garages, home offices and storage has outstripped supply by 300 per cent.

He says people planning to rent out space should make it look as good as possible: “a coat of white paint always helps”.

Sydney builder Andy Woods is renting out one side of his double garage as an office and storage for Mia Martens and says “wasted space is like a hole in the pocket”.

Martens, 20, pays $400 a month. “When the garage became free, I jumped at the chance as it’s got room for my car, surf boards and my computer,” she says.

FIVE WAYS TO IMPROVE A HOME OFFICE

1. Add plants for tranquillity and air filtering.

2. Consider upgrades such as comfortable chairs, second monitors and standing desks.

3. Position the desk near a window for more natural light.

4. Use warmer colours for decor and walls, as they can boost energy.

5. Avoid clutter by using labelled files and storage boxes, and keep cables under control with a cable-tidy.