In April 2020, the UK Government published figures showing that 46.6% of people in employment did some work at home, this increased significantly when the country went into lockdown. It is important for us to consider what the future of work space will look like in the coming years.
While many employees have the ability to work from home, some will have found their homes unfit for purpose and will be looking for new spaces that are well adapted to their needs. We feel there will be a distinct rise in people turning to the hospitality sector to provide calm and productive spaces for meetings and to gather thoughts. For many this will be something they have done for years but the vast majority will be heading out of the industrial cubicle as it were, for the first Fme. Working from home outside the context of a global pandemic does not necessarily mean work IN the home. People will begin to frequent local coffee shops, restaurants and hotels in an attempt to find a suitable space to work. If this prediction is correct we must then design these spaces with this new use in mind. Art is a great communication tool when considering what emotion we need to evoke in these spaces. If we need to create environments that are calm and increase productivity then we really should consider what art is included in the space. It is proven that the inclusion of art has a direct impact on wellbeing. In 2017 an all party parliamentary report on ‘why art is good for you’ 82% of people quesFoned stated that exposure to art led to better wellbeing, and 50% said it boosted productivity. With working remotely set to be the new normal, the hospitality sector must take this into consideration when planning communal and private spaces. At Art Story we know that the right artwork can transform a space from a white cube to an oasis of calm or a backdrop for intense debate. It can be quirky or thought provoking, help to focus the mind or free it. We know that the world is the entrepreneur’s office. Let’s make it beautiful.