Home-Office Storage That Brings Comfort And Order
Here are five suggestions—some cheerful, some earthy, that soothe as well as organize
3 min
Copyright 2020, Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. LEARN MORE
SOME OF US have never committed to properly outfitting a home office, pressing into service random hand-me-downs and college leftovers. But if, as seems likely, the future of toil includes some form of working from home, the need to store suffocating piles of work-related ephemera more elegantly can’t be ignored. Juliana Lima Vasconcellos, an architect and interior designer in Rio de Janeiro, finds that clients prioritize calm in their home workspaces. So we found cabinets with soothing good looks, most of which can tuck under your desk and replace the anarchy of folders and envelopes stashed there.
A Plum Job
Originally designed in 1994, Kartell’s Italian-made rollable storage features drawers of recycled plastic for eco-conscious home-office workers. Its painted-metal hardware and frame limn a chic, monochromatic silhouette, while three new colours help you escape the grayscale doldrums of standard-issue office furniture: pale blue, pale green and this rich, jammy plum. “Orange, red and other warm colours will bring comfort,” Ms. Vasconcellos said. Kartell Matte Mobil 3 Drawer Storage with Wheels, about $829, Kartell.com
A Sturdy Supporter
The boxy utility of Room & Board’s file cabinet is offset by its earthy hue and on-trend matte-lacquer finish. “This is an elegant colour. I think it would be beautiful in a room with a lot of wood,” Ms. Vasconcellos said of the Copenhagen File Cabinet in sage. The case, made of medium-density fiberboards (MDF), can be furnished with casters or a steel base. Jenon Bailie, director of merchandise and design at Room & Board, said, “My daughter just got one that she uses at college as file storage and as a nightstand.” $972, RoomAndBoard.com
A Natural Selection
Ms. Vasconcellos’s favourite of the bunch, this Indonesia-constructed file cabinet, with its oak veneer and grasscloth-fronted drawers, brings nature back into the home, an aesthetic move desired by many of her clients today. Sebastian Brauer, vice president of product design and development at Crate & Barrel, praises the “casual, laid-back look” of the cabinet. At 30 inches tall, it might not fit under a desk, but its finer proportion lets it easily double as a living-room side table. Granger Small Natural Oak File Cabinet, $694, CrateAndBarrel.com
Oaky Add-On
Ms. Vasconcellos advises pulling colours and textures from other rooms into the home office; if wood textures your home, this 90-pound, oak cabinet fits that bill. Exposed end-grain on the edges of drawer-fronts and at the top’s joinery adds a rugged Scandinavian flavour, as do the cut-out pulls. Soft-close drawers, a bonus for those who seek calm in the midst of family chaos, ensure that the cabinet is thoroughly of its time. Tygan Filing Cabinet, $1788, LuluAndGeorgia.com
Primary-Colour Cubby
The director of merchandising at MoMA, Emmanuel Plat wanted the museum’s store to offer an organizer that could “integrate really easily into people’s spaces, something that didn’t come across too office-y,” he said. With elementary-school ease, the powder-coated-steel components—azure body, clear-white drawer faces and RYB handles—brighten any decor, all while stowing your pesky desk-top detritus. Bonus: Each drawer’s pull coordinates with its interior, a win for colour-coding fiends. Poppin Stow 3-Drawer File Cabinet, $415, Store.Moma.org
Reprinted by permission of The Wall Street Journal, Copyright 2021 Dow Jones & Company. Inc. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Original date of publication: Feb 25, 2022.
Chris Dixon, a partner who led the charge, says he has a ‘very long-term horizon’
Americans now think they need at least $1.25 million for retirement, a 20% increase from a year ago, according to a survey by Northwestern Mutual
Average prime rental values jumped by 5.9%, with some cities seeing jumps of more than 50%
2 min
The growth of luxury rental prices outpaced the sales market in top global cities last year, according to a report Monday from Savills.
Average prime rental values jumped by 5.9% in 2022 across the 30 world cities analyzed in the report, the data showed. Limited inventory and increased demand pushed rents higher, while capital values saw an average of 3.2% rise during the year.
“Rental growth came as people continued to return to cities after the lifting of pandemic-related restrictions, and as rapidly rising interest rates in the latter half of 2022 meant that more people chose to rent,” Lucy Palk, an analyst at Savills World Research, said in a statement. “The rebound in international travel was a factor too, by the end of 2022 international arrivals had recovered to between 75% to 80% of 2019 levels.”
Meanwhile, average rents were up 10% or more in cities such as Singapore, New York, Dubai and Lisbon, Portugal, the report said.
For example, in New York, the median rent for properties in luxury, doorman buildings spiked 53% to almost $5,000 at the end of last year compared to $3,270 in December 2020, the figures showed.
And in Singapore, prime rents shot up by 26.2% annually as the country opened its borders and students, expats and high-net-worth individuals flooded the city. “Delayed completions of new prime stock further contributed to the significant rental rise seen in 2022,” the report said.
Climate, quality of life and strong business environments have been big draws for Lisbon and Dubai last year, where luxury rents were up 25.4% and 22.9%, respectively, according to the report.
The two strongest performing cities in the Asia Pacific region last year were Seoul, with 4.9% rental price growth, and Tokyo, 4.1%, the data showed.
On the flip side, Hong Kong had the lowest rental growth for luxury properties. The country is still subject to Covid-19-related restrictions, and has yet to see the full return of international tenants. In addition, rising interest rates have undermined consumer confidence.
“This suppressed transaction volumes causing pricing declines across all price brackets except the ultra-prime residences,” the report said. “Average prime prices fell by 8.5% in 2022.”
The market is forced to confront the impact of COVID lockdowns.
Chris Dixon, a partner who led the charge, says he has a ‘very long-term horizon’
