[agentgt]

IMO the best office are old houses even if it is not remote.

I'm from New England and I hate "open concept" design.

I like cozy pockets, wood floors, oriental rugs, steam heating, and in general old designs.

I like mazes of interconnecting rooms with low yellow light coming out of sconces.

None of this overhead white sunlight crap.

Despite that I prefer the new bamboo floor open offices any day to the office-space-ugly-color-wall-to-wall-carpet-florescent-overhead-cubicle-fest of yesteryear.

[jcadam]

Yes. I want a (standing) desk next to a window that actually opens, like I have at home. When it's ~70 degrees with a gentle breeze outside (as it is today), being forced to breathe the recycled air of the office building's HVAC system is torture.

I sit inside a large cube farm in an office building all day, breathing recycled air and having the life-force drained from my body via overhead fluorescent lighting. It's not unusual for me to feel mildly ill after a few hours at my desk -- and to feel instantly better as soon as I emerge from the building at the end of the day (and in this particular facility, stepping outside frequently is not practicable (at my previous job I could at least go for a walk during lunch)).

I spent about 2 years trying to get a work-from-home job (countless interviews, etc.) but no luck. I live a few blocks from the beach and I fantasize about small things, like being able to step outside for 5 minutes to clear my head and enjoy the sea breeze, or stepping into my kitchen to get a cup of coffee (because I refuse to join the office 'coffee club' which costs money -- hell, we also have a pay-to-play 'water club' if you want to enjoy filtered water from the water cooler -- eff you, I'll drink the room-temperature tap water before I submit to that crap). But alas, it is not to be.

[gregmac]

Lighting actually makes a very significant difference in my opinion. I absolutely hate overhead fluorescent lighting, and really most forms of direct lighting. Actual daylight from outside is okay, as is soft lighting reflected from walls/ceiling. At work we have never turned on the overhead lights, just used floor and desk lamps.

It seems like many of the people planning offices don't even consider lighting.. they just by default put in a drop ceiling with 4x2 flourescent light banks. It's not like it even costs much more to do, well, nearly anything else and it makes a significant improvement to the office environment.

[agentgt]

Totally agree. Just to clarify when I was referring to sunlight I meant the crappy overhead lights that try to "imitate" sunlight and not the actual sunlight.

However while I generally like sunlight I find it a little too variable for my liking particularly if your region has seasons. On a cloudy winter day in New England sunlight can have a white dreary look that is sort of depressing.