Don't try this at home

The five-day office week is a thing of the past. Emma Hughes rounds up the best places to work from, beyond the kitchen table

- Emma Hughes

NEARLY a year into our new normal, it’s safe to say that the novelty of working from home has worn off. After enjoying the thrill of a 10-second commute and Zooming in pyjama bottoms, many of us with desk jobs found ourselves feeling oddly nostalgic for office life. It was clear that this feeling (there must be a German word for it) was becoming widespread when Pret started offering not only coffee for home delivery, but sandwiches, too.

If you’re sick of staring at the same patch of wall and longing for (socially distanced) water-cooler conversation, what are your options? Coffee shops are cramped, with a fight for tables first thing in the morning and a hefty tab for food and drink at the end of the day. The wi-fi, too, can be very hit-and-miss. Step forward the new generation of London co-working spaces.

Popping up in hotels, restaurants and private members’ clubs, they combine home comforts with state-of-the-art facilities and coronavirus safe protocols. As well as giving you somewhere to work other than your kitchen table, they’re a lifeline for a sector that’s been hit even harder than most during the pandemic. If you’re looking for a way to support hospitality, this is a good one.