Someone asked me recently if I am a hybrid. I wasn’t sure what they meant. Apparently, they explained, it’s the term for people who now work in two places: a hybrid of home office and company office.
I worked at home during the pandemic, which allowed me to do a number of things I probably never would have done otherwise. Take my home office, for example. It’s pretty awesome! I spent a lot of time and effort making it that way since I was spending a crazy amount of time on it. I painted a dark accent wall and purchased a few plants. Here’s a picture of what it looks like:
But all the while, I missed my company office — especially knowing a brand new space was sitting there, just waiting for me. Now, that office is pretty awesome, too. Here it is:
I’m happy to be spending more time in the District office these days because truth is told, I was getting lonely spending 100% of my time at home. My kids were gone, my husband went back to his office, and there I was alone in my [awesome] home office.
So yes, I guess I’m now a hybrid!
Why am I telling you all this? For the past year and a half, home offices —or at least flex space to create work areas beyond the kitchen table — were big selling points for many of my listings, and buyers were extra excited to dig in and make those spaces their own. What will become of those spaces now? Do you love yours as much as I love mine? Will you keep them as they were, as private offices, or transform them into something else?
A big question I keep asking myself is: Will home office space still be near the top of buyers’ wish lists?
The East Bay is a glorious place to live and work. I suspect at least some of the people who left the Bay Area last year to work remotely from other places are going to have leaver’s remorse and come back. I don’t have a crystal ball, but I think most of them — and most of us — won’t be going back to the company office “full time” any time soon. That means home offices will continue to be quite valuable for those of us now called “hybrids.”
Whatever kind of space you have or need, we are experts in reimagination and ensuring your home is everything you want it to be. We are all in. Always.
-Anna Bellomo
