It’s not exactly a new phenomenon this, arguably common decision, to work from home. As such, one would imagine that seeing an opportunity, residential products, services, design and even houses would have begun to adapt to the ever increasing requests of a growing body of possible customers who wish to work from home. These people who are working in an Internet Business through online jobs have a requirement for an location that suits their everyday life and their work needs too.

It’s true, there are a number of products on the market that are produced for those people who Work From Home but it’s reasonable to say that the offer is patchy and it takes a level of skill in construction, IT and ergonomics to generate a suitable domestic location from which one could run an internet organisation. Most people only manage to provide a small amount of the facilities necessary to be comfortable and productive.

The brief for a domestic office set up should be largely similar to that of a normal office or corporate workspace. A resident staff member needs power, data and a place to sit and a surface to work on as a bare minimum. Add into that the necessity for social interaction, ad hoc meetings, collaboration and areas for detailed working and the brief starts to look very similar.

The easy and least productive solution to meeting these needs is to provide a desk, chair, computer, telephone and data connection. On the face of it these items of kit will provide the necessary vehicle in (or on, or through) which people can deliver their output. The real question is how does one provide for the rest of the criteria and how do we use developments in construction and IT to support the requirements for people who work in Online Jobs?

Firstly, let’s tackle the workplace itself. Does it need to be a desk? In a ordinary domestic situation would a desk be a fitting piece of furniture ? Technology gives us laptops and telephone headsets and the capacity to work anywhere on any furniture. Add to that wireless printing and a web cam and really the office, as was, is now built completely around the person in contrast to a location.

Of course, in these days of corporate responsibility, the idea of using a laptop for long periods of time would give Human Resource and Insurance teams a problem, but the reality is that what we have through technology is a new concept and what we would expect to see is new furniture ideas to solve the ergonomic issues.

Secondly, there is the matter of privacy, sound and environmental comfort. A voice conference in a home full of playing children is not encouraging to productive work. Will we begin to see new houses provided with remote space for working? Possibly offered as an extension, a loft or even a stand alone unit outside.

Whatever the ideas the market is there already and the design industry has yet to react to it.