Dennis Cheok – Upstairs_

The best part of WFH? Being always comfortable. The worst? Also being always comfortable. It’s important to draw the line and establish boundaries with yourself, and with the ones we live with. I love that my family now knows my day-to-day routines (and also the curveballs thrown my way on a daily basis). It gives me strength and comfort to be in their company, and I find myself more grounded during these unprecedented and challenging times.

Softer elements, like music, greenery, or just simply a lack of accumulated clutter, are often overlooked.  I find that these elements can be much more powerful than the actual physical setup, and are also much more easily available without having to incur costs nor time; just mindfulness, care, and constant reminders to self.

The entire world is now a click or two away. On the other hand, physical space will also evolve to perform better. Nothing can ever replace interpersonal connections, and physical space is where some of the true magic can, and will, happen. I’m so excited for the day when we can all finally come out to celebrate, but till then, there’s always zoom parties.

 

(Related: How CEOs around the world are responding to the current Covid 19 situation)

 

Goy Zhenru – Goy Architects

Goy Architects’ data and workflow has been fully cloud-based, which allows us to work collaboratively remotely – our team is based in Singapore, Chiangmai and Bali. The transition from my office to home has been relatively smooth as my office hardware is technically just a notebook. We live in an apartment together with two other working professionals. Our living room is our headquarters nowadays. Two work desks are set up in the dining area, and my work desk is set up in the living area, next to a very tempting daybed and an open garden terrace.

Good lighting is the number one priority for a home office. A functional working space would require approx 500 lux. On average our home settings would be approx 250-300 lux. Working in an area with insufficient lighting makes one moody and sluggish.

If having permanent lighting fixtures installed is not possible, do invest in a floor or desk lamps – great if they have up down lighting features so that you can have both ambient and task lighting.

The floor lamp that I’m currently using is from Occhio Sento Lettura, it has a CRI (colour rendering index) of 97 that closely mimics the visible light spectrum of the sunlight (natural daylight is CRI 100). Having good lighting puts you in a good mood and also makes you look good when you are having conference calls with your clients!

 

Chan Chia Gunawan – Studio Jia

We founded Studio Jia as home studio in 2013 so we have some mileage on WFH. During our seven years in the business we have addressed the problem of productivity, space limitation and flexibility to employ people.

The biggest pitfall of working from home is the failure to separate the comfort of home – every day might feel like a holiday – from the necessary productivity. We need to be more disciplined to manage ourselves, deadlines and deliverables in a blurred boundary between workspace and family space.

In my opinion, WFH would be a permanent future set up for many small businesses and professionals out there, and the set up will only be getting more sophisticated with more advanced communication tools.

 

(Related: How design firm Avroko have created some of the buzziest interiors in the region.)

 

Quck Zhong Yi – Asolidplan

Working from home is nothing new: freelancers, especially stay-at-home parents, have been working from home for a very long time. The rest of us are now starting to learn from them: like the need to change out of one’s pyjamas (including putting on underwear!), do up one’s face and hair, having a routine, etc.

My personal discovery is that physical acts to convert the space from home to work use – like shifting furniture, also help to reinforce the ritual. For those of us who have a movable desk against the wall, I suggest a daily routine of moving the desk out in the morning, sitting between the desk and the wall, to give yourself a useful backdrop, and to create the daily ritual, for work-life balance.

For families sharing a study, I’d suggest considering a large table in the centre of the space instead of desks against the wall. It gives each family member a personal space (table in front, wall/shelves at the back) and provides opportunities for conversation.

After this episode, I believe we’ll see the many benefits of teleworking and less commuting. Perhaps we would see more shared working spaces in apartment complexes, more study corners and rooms in residential design.

While some observers see this period as an end of globalisation, I hope that international collaboration would increase after this, as online collaboration tools become better and more ingrained in our working culture.

 

Leong Hon Kit – Wynk Collaborative

It’s important to understand your own work habits, and set up a space that fits those habits. For most people who work from a computer, you really only need a comfortable chair and table.

I recommend people try to designate certain areas at home for work, so that you are able to “end the work day” and walk away, and not let work life consume your home life.

I usually can’t sit still in one spot for too long, so I do move between my desk and my dining table. And I keep my kitchen well stocked so I am not distracted by a trip to the supermarket for drinks and snacks.

I predict that many of the online communication channels and project management tools that people picking up during period will continue to be utilised once normal work arrangements resume. And many will come out of this period with greater insight of how to pare down unnecessary practices and communications that have been done previously.

 

(Related: The art of sustainable design)

 

Si Jian Xin – Wynk Collaborative

The best part of WFH has to be the time saved from travelling. Plus, your toilet is as clean as you want it to be! The downside has to be the increased distractions and tasks to complete in between work commitments.

To minimise disruptions, work areas should have some flexibility of being separated, at least acoustically, from other areas of the house when required. Finding a chair which is comfortable for long sitting hours would also be something I’d consider important as I often stay rooted to a spot.

As people adapt to functioning in smaller work groups, organisations may opt for to take up more satellite work spaces as opposed to large open plan offices.

There will also be more flexibility for employees to work from home. At this juncture, it is also good to consider the notion of privacy and its context within the sanctity of a home, as the boundaries between areas where work and rest take place become increasingly blurred.

 

Cherin Tan – Laank

I’m on my laptop so it’s easy for me to be anywhere around the house. These days, my colleagues at home are two cats, my husband and a pile of laundry that’s staring at me. My advice for working from home is: wake up early, work efficiently and productively, and stop working when you’re supposed to. This is so you can distinguish work from play and take the opportunity to enjoy the time you have on hand.

The best part of WFH is I’m actually more productive because there are fewer interruptions. You’re also being forced to be more direct and clearer than ever when it comes to team and work management.  I also get to save on travel time and have gained more hours on hand – that means I get time to have some fun in the kitchen and garden.

We are now forced to ask ourselves: what is the new normal for us? You would also come to realise you really don’t need much. Perhaps, at the end of the day, we don’t need a physical office space. This is a good test to evaluate our processes, what are the necessities we need to operate efficiently and build a resilient team.

 

This article was originally published in Home & Decor.

(Related: The design ethos of Kengo Kuma)