Are Outdoor Offices the New WFH Space? These Designers Are Setting Up Shop in the Fresh Air
Gardens and porches just might be the new C suite — and it's no wonder. Designers, architects, and other creative professionals make no secret that they rely deeply on the riches of nature in their work, drawing upon her nuanced hues and wild textures, precious materials, and even the sensory experiences themselves.
So the idea of setting up shop among the trees (or in close proximity to them) was less of an a-ha! moment and more of a welcome return to basics. "Pandemic or no pandemic, the porch and garden are open to all of us," says architect Bobby McAlpine. But thanks to technology, "we're no longer tied to our drafting tables."
As a result, he and other kindred spirits are making a beeline to the great outdoors. Here, a look at a few of their alfresco setups.
In south Florida, landscape architect Keith Williams moved his concrete dining table to a shady spot beneath an allée of thin Alexander palms to serve as his desk. "The trees provide great shade and cast beautiful shadows," says Williams from his evergreen office in Palm Beach, where temps are hovering in the 80s.
His "walls" are soaring hedges and a swimming pool as serene as a reflecting pond — neither of which come with electrical outlets or intricate webs of network cables.
"One would think a 'must' for productivity would be a computer or iPad, but for me, I just need a perfect pen for sketching and a fresh marker for rendering," says Williams. (Pro tip: Pens by Stabilo are his go-tos for sketching. "They look like pencils and come in different colors and point thicknesses." And for rendering, markers by Chartpak.) "I've found I can be extremely productive at home. It's so inspirational to be working outside in the very environment that's central to my designs."
Williams' first book, The Graphic Garden, debuts May 2020.
The garden, says Atlanta-based architect Bobby McAlpine, has become imperative when no one has the house to themselves. "I work with a tiny notepad, so I can have a drink in one hand and turn to the garden as a great alternate office environment," he says. "Taking business calls outside allows me to avoid polluting the house with the racket, particularly now, when one voice can dominate the living room and kitchen. This way, no one has to hear one side of the conversation."
And yet the benefits extend well beyond peaceful cohabitation. "I had lost the ability to simply sit still. I'd been addicted to business and travel, and it took something drastic for me to relearn how to sit and just be," says the architect. "I'm doing that now, and I love it."
The design of McAlpine's garden was inspired by the landscapes of Anousca Hemple. His partner, artist Blake Weeks, compiled images from the London designer's work and brought them to landscape architect Mike Kaiser, who developed "an animated cast of boxwoods and topiaries." The lounge chairs are designed by John Hutton for Sutherland.
"I knew I wanted to work outside," says McAlpine's business partner, Manhattan-based architect Greg Tankersley. Early in the pandemic warnings, he and his wife headed for Lake Martin in their native Alabama.
"As we searched home rentals, I knew I wanted a place with a good screened porch. I used to have a house down here, and on Sunday mornings, I would boat over to Bobby's. We'd sit on the porch by the lake and design a house. It was a Sunday tradition. Being back down here, I knew I needed to be able to work outside."
He found a two-bedroom, 1970s house "that's painted dark so it recedes into the landscape and goes away," Tankersley says. "The best lake houses do that. They're not the loudest person at the cocktail party."
More colorful is his view: The dining table he repurposed as a desk faces the freshwater lake, along with blooming azaleas ands a copse of pine trees. "The quiet setting has really allowed me to sit and draw and have much more in-depth talks with clients," he says. "We — clients included — have had more time to get deeper into the creativity of our work."
"As an Englishman, it was only a matter of time before I became obsessed with gardening!" says Aldous Bertram, artist and senior designer at Amanda Lindroth, who has taken to his south-facing veranda in downtown Charleston during the lockdown. "I work on the porch as much as I can. I love to listen to people passing by and am soothed by the greenery and watching my plants grow."
The breezy setting on the second floor of a pink 18th-century Charleston "double" house is shaded by a big live oak tree. "Every weekend I end up buying more plants," he says. "Camellia season is finally over so I am moving into citrus, geraniums, and hibiscus for summer color."
The bamboo and mint-striped canvas chair "was a total steal from One Kings Lane," and the pagoda lanterns are discoveries from a local flea market.
Getting as close to nature as possible is key for Los Angeles entertaining master and author Stephanie Booth Shafran (shown above with three-year-old officemate Emma). "It's a serene and happy space," she says of her garden-adjacent office in her poolhouse. "I can hear the birds humming when it is quiet, and I love having the dogs run back and forth between the house and the office."
French doors open to a bluestone pool deck and ficus hedges beyond. "The time we've spent sheltering in place has gotten me very excited to entertain again," says the hostess. "I plan to entertain in small groups and will have even more gratitude for my friendships and all the fun we share!"
Her first book, You're Invited: Classic, Elegant Entertaining, was released in February.
For Michael S. Smith, his demilune desk and French chair, both tucked into a tall bay window, form a front-row seat to a spectacular garden show. The home, designed in 1937 by architect Paul R. Williams for screen and stage legend Tyrone Power, is "kind of a movie version of a Connecticut Georgian house," says Smith, who notes he has been surprised by how exhausting working from home can be.
"The lack of distraction has produced thoughtful work, but it’s also exhausting when your creative focus is so intense and deep," the designer notes. (His Bedlington terrier, Lily, shares the sentiment.)
The walls still bear the original wood from the 1930s, dressed with tie-dye indigo and burnt red draperies that Smith has carried from house to house. The chair is a 1940s piece that is part of a pair.
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