Home-based working trend heads for SOHO

High-speed telecommunication and telecomputing power offers freedom to complete tasks away from the office, as more people run small businesses or start-ups from home

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In this design by Original Vision, underutilised circulation space beside the staircase has been used for storage and a handy home office

Published: 9:24am, 3 Jul 2017Updated: 9:24am, 3 Jul 2017

SOHO is not just a cool place to hang out with friends after work in Central. It’s also an acronym for what the government expects more of us will be doing in the future – they’re probably right – and that’s working from home.

A working paper titled HK2030 Study delves into the home-based working trend which began emerging in the 1990s, and where it is headed. High-speed telecommunication and telecomputing power give many workers the freedom to complete assigned tasks away from the office, via what the government calls SOHO (small office-home office) activities. It is also in line with the trend of more people running their own small businesses or start-ups from home.

So what might such a workplace look like?

It could be cool. When buying furniture for yourself, you can break away from the mass-produced, large-lot purchase generic kit foisted on offices by corporate finance departments.

The Picasso Desk by Kelly Hoppen is a contemporary take on a conventional, twin-pedestal desk, while the Bailey Chair, in classic velvet upholstery and a traditional silhouette atop a forged, artisanal-style base, makes a cool office chair.

So you could start with a statement desk, such as the Picasso Desk from the new Kelly Hoppen collection at Indigo Living, a contemporary take on a conventional, twin pedestal desk, with one leg crafted from stainless steel and another in matte black lacquer supporting a black glass top; or for a more rustic look, a desk from TREE in recycled solid teak, wrapped around an albasia wood core with slim iron legs. Either can be teamed with a Bailey Occasional Chair. The room can be completed with a Shinto bookcase from Tequila Kola.