Musical Desks

Once upon a time, you came to work, sat at your desk, adjusted your chair, drank from your mug and occasionally remembered to water your plant.

Then hybrid working arrived.

Welcome to hot desking in 2026.

And it’s certainly not going anywhere. Recent Australian workplace research found 53% of employees are now in unassigned seating, compared with just 30% in 2019, with businesses averaging around 0.7 desks per employee.

For businesses, it makes sense. With fewer people in the office five days a week, why have rows of empty desks? Hot desking can save space, encourage collaboration and create a more flexible workplace.

But there’s something to be said for having a desk to call your own.

No booking apps. No searching for your team. No adjusting someone else’s chair at 8:30am. And, importantly, somewhere permanent to keep your emergency snacks.

So, what’s better?

We think the answer is choice.

Hot desks, team zones, quiet spaces and permanent desks where they make sense. Because workplace design shouldn’t simply be about fitting more people into less space.

It should be about creating an office people actually want to come to.

Although if you’re taking away our permanent desks, we’d at least like somewhere to keep the Tim Tams.