WFH Offices Are Out. Hobby Rooms Are In.
Return-to-office mandates mean that home offices are being converted into wine rooms, pilates studios and hangout spaces for teenagers.
A property in London with a listening/podcasting room.
Source: Sotheby's International Realty
During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the most in-demand amenity was a stylish home office. Headlines were proclaiming that commuting was a thing of the past and work-from-home was the future, while homeowners were building sheds in their yards as makeshift office spaces.
That future proved to be temporary. Five years later, major employers from the US government to Wall Street banks have required their staff back at their desks, with some companies like JPMorgan Chase & Co. even requiring employees to return to the office five days a week.