Pictured above: Carafe Table. 

Technology has changed many things, most of all the workplace. The internet now provides staff with the ability to work remotely, from anywhere and at any time – no longer fixed to a single desk in the office. This shift has not only pushed a domestication of the workplace but also a blurring of the line between home life and work life, with the home becoming an increasingly suitable place to conduct your 9 to 5.

This leaves the study nook, dining room, or bedroom becoming a regular workplace, and furniture and design must suit. Traditional furniture caters dominantly to a single use – a dining table is for eating, and a work desk is just for working – but when we are working, eating, and socialising at the same space, new requirements must be catered to and furniture must become more versatile.

Niche Media and Gorman/Birrell’s exclusive Australian Architecture and Design Forecast notes that the desire for comfort and fluidity between the home and office is in increasing demand and that “suppliers [are] now offering multifunctional furnishings that work just as easily in either a domestic or a commercial setting”.

The Forecast goes on to say that “for several years, there has been a reassuring trend to supply Australian-designed and manufactured furnishings.”

The Carafe Table, designed by Australian Charles Wilson, is a fine example of the locally-conceived, adaptable furniture that is predicted to be on the rise this year.

Behind the appearance of a sleek dining table, the piece’s underbelly hosts a range of smart storage options for an effortless transition from work desk to home dining table. Broad drawers and cantilevered shelves allow for storage of cables, cutlery, or paperwork. At the base of the drawers, carved slots make for an easy connection of cables.

The Carafe Table is a reflection of the way design can meet the needs of a multi-tasking society who are increasingly working from home, and is predicted to be something we will be seeing a lot more of in the near future.

The Carafe Table by Charles Wilson is available through Herman Miller.

To find out more on the Forecast, visit future.australiandesignreview.com

Click here to purchase your exclusive copy of the Forecast.