Last month, Boris Johnson announced the news many had been waiting for – the return to the office. In an online Q&A session at the start of July, the Prime Minister said he wanted people to start going back to work "as carefully as possible". While a few of us came back to the office in June, there will be a more significant workforce return over the coming weeks, which has led to many re-evaluating workspaces. In this edition, we have talked to Head of Design for Peldon Rose, Russell Glover, about what goes into making the perfect office space following the pandemic. Turn to page 15 to learn more. Similarly, Helen White, Co-Founder of houseof, goes into detail about the importance of appropriate lighting within commercial spaces – such as the workplace – to create calming effects in what has become an anxiety-ridden sphere. Read Helen's advice on page 56.

However, it's not just the design of commercial spaces that have altered our needs and tastes. We're also reconsidering our living spaces to accommodate home working with a heightened sense of mental wellbeing. On page 26, Lauren Maylor, Head of Design at LOFT, looks at how our priorities have changed over the past few months and explores how homeowners are maximising their homes' design potential.

Finally, moving outside, we have quizzed Sarah Morgan MSGD, Chair of the Society of Garden Designers (The SGD), surrounding the response from her clients regarding outdoor spaces and the open-air trends we've all become accustomed to. From self-sufficient, home-grown edibles to the healing effect nature has had on those recovering from COVID-19 symptoms, Sarah explains how private gardens are coming to our rescue.

Rebecca Kemp
Editor

rebecca@crossplatformmedia.co.uk
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