Since March, millions of people around the world have been forced to figure out how to work from home, from improvised office space to quick childcare solutions.
London-based design studio Boano Prišmontas created one solution, called My Room in the Garden. The design was built as an affordable, remote work space for people still working from home, and as a way for companies to potentially save money on expensive office leases.
Other companies created similar designs, with tiny backyard offices,modular meeting rooms within an office, and even small partitions to divide off a workspace in the home. See how My Room in the Garden compares.
My Room in the Garden is designed to go in a backyard or park as a "cozy prefab hideout."
The studio has been working on this premise for a few years, trying to find a balance between "low cost and cozy design."
This unit was specifically designed for London, although that doesn't mean it wouldn't work in other locations.
Modules are made of digitally fabricated birch plywood.
They are just over eight feet tall, the maximum height without getting a permit in London.
The units start as small as about 40 square feet.
The plywood modules can be customized to different sizes to accommodate specific needs.
Designers stay that each piece of the home office is "geometrically efficient."
This means that each component was designed based on human dimensions, and standard dimensions of the materials.
The shape is also designed to minimize waste.
Interior walls can have different finishes, including a peg wall, mirror, or plain or decorated wood.
The space is highly customizable.
Peg walls in particular give the opportunity to hang decor and organizational tools.
The space is small, but it can easily accommodate desk or workbench and chair.
The basic model starts at around $6,350, with additional costs for certain features.
Higher end versions of the pod come with insulated walls, roof, glass door, and windows.
The exterior finish is made of corrugated polycarbonate cladding.
Designers say that the cladding protects the inside from the elements while letting in natural light.
All pods are completely put together in the UK before being shipped to their destinations.
The pods are designed to act as a workspace separate from the main living area in the backyard or garden, as the name suggests.
The studio is also marketing pods to companies as a way to save money on office space.
