Submitted by Lola Kleindouwel

Tiny Offices – how the pandemic influences the way we work

Netherlands Architecture News - Dec 31, 2021 - 00:21 4844 views

Working from home has become a normality. But being able to work from home in peace and with privacy is not always a given. In order to create a space where ones professional life and personal life are separated – tiny offices are emerging.

In the Netherlands, tiny houses and minimal living have been on the rise in the last couple of years. However, since the pandemic and the movement from working at the office to working from home, more and more tiny offices are being developed.

Pioneering in the future of hybrid work, three Tiny Offices located in the Netherlands will be shown in this article, displaying the possibilities this new mode of working has to offer.

De Buitenpost by Dutch Invertuals

Architect Chris Collaris and creative director of Dutch Invertuals Wendy Plomp state that “The interiors are designed to create the most optimal work environment, where you can concentrate and work but also lay down on a beautifully designed daybed to think and look outside.”

“Because it is a small and intimate space, all materials should make sense. Therefore we used an acrylic wall that makes the space look more spacious, but you can also write on it.”

Designers Raw Colour, Thomas Ballouhey and Tijmen Smeulders created three different interior designs for the tiny offices, creating a different identity for each through the use of a unique colour palette, different materials and contrasts.

The project was commissioned by Dutch holiday park Droomparken for the Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven in 2018. The project ‘De Buitenpost’ was shortlisted for the Dezeen Awards 2020 in the ‘small workspace interior’ category.

Tiny Offices – how the pandemic influences the way we work

Tiny Offices by Dutch Invertuals

Tiny Offices by Dutch Invertuals. Images courtesy of Design Invertuals

Model 1.0 by My Home Office

Model 1.0 is the basic model by My Home Office. The company developed the patented Tiny Office and offers customization, expansion or adjustment in order to fit into any garden. Extra storage room can be added or a secondary work space. The office is approximately 2,5 by 2,7 meters and fits one large desk. Models 2.0 and 3.0 respectively include the additions of a standing desk, a fold-out bed, a coffee cabinet and a small bathroom.

In order to blend in with the natural surroundings, the design includes large planters along one façade. Large windows allow for a nice workplace where you can quietly study, create and digitally collaborate with views to the surrounding greenery.

Due to its highly insulated façades, the design is summer and winter proof. The modular office is prefabricated and is transported directly to the site. In most cases there is no need for concrete foundation or a building permit.

Tiny Offices – how the pandemic influences the way we work

Model 1.0 by My Home Office

Model 1.0 by My Home Office. Images courtesy of My Home Office

The Garden Studio by Serge Schoemaker Architects

Commissioned by a Dutch family with two children, the garden studio functions as a study - that can double as a guess accommodation – and storage.

"The aim was to design a contemporary, well-crafted studio that fit with the traditional surroundings; the use of materials, detailing and exceptional craftsmanship in the construction play an important role here," Schoemaker Architects states.

Referencing the craftmanship of the traditional 1930s family home, located in Bussum, the façade contains 2000 red-cedar hand-sanded and painted shingles. The large window panes allow for a vista to the house, while allowing for the connection and simultaneously distance between ones work life and personal life.

Tiny Offices – how the pandemic influences the way we work