All that hoo-ha, just adding to the day we've already had. Research suggests we've already been working on our laptop on the train, or taken work calls in the car on the drive in. While cyclists get a reprieve from working on the way to work, like many, they probably still spent a few hours catching up after taking their work home with them.

Mark McCrindle, social researcher, trends analyst and demographer calls that excess stuff "powerworking".

I'm a powerworker. I do my best work in bed, with a made-at-home coffee on the bedside table, at 5am. I'm often finished by 9am. You might spot me tapping away on my laptop at 1am during an airport stopover - I'll work until my 5am flight.

Ten in the morning, mid-week, is bike-riding time, not "another-latte-at-the-desk" time. I haven't signed a farewell card in many years. And yes, sometimes I work in my pyjamas.

Working from home is a growing trend, either with more people demanding flexibility from their employers, or people going out on their own and working for themselves. However, finding the right space to work is key. (Not everyone wants to work from bed.) Thankfully, house-design is adapting.

While I don't have the luxury of a study nook/dedicated space in my older-style flat (hence working from bed), many new builds do.

Neometro's new Brunswick apartments at Jewel Station feature interiors by Clare Cousins Architects with built-in study nooks.

• Related: How to maintain a work-life balance
• Related: What I've learned from working at home
• Related: Why Australian's are working longer

Of course nooks, by definition, can be tiny. Think under the stairs (hello Harry Potter), or tiny spots next to the front door - but they're dedicated spots for working, nevertheless.

Add NBN connection and (hopefully) voila!

Some developers have ramped it up, designing offices in their properties. ClarkeHopkinsClarke masterplanned Soho Village in Point Cook and included townhouses with office spaces. It suited mortgage-broker Maria Papas perfectly, though she wasn't even looking to buy when she stumbled upon her three-level townhouse. She was actually on a reconnaissance trip from Sydney, looking to invest in Point Cook.

"When the real estate agent found out I was a mortgage broker, working for myself, he suggested I actually buy and move into the area myself," Papas says. "He was a very smart agent."

Does she like it?

"I love it," she says.

Her office is on the ground floor, alongside the garage, and has its own bathroom - a necessity if you're going to see clients.

"More people should work from home," she says. "More people are doing remote work; I feel more people should have home offices."

Still, work/life balance can be a struggle if you work for yourself from home. Is she up working in her home office at midnight?

"Yes," Papas says. "It's my own business, I work long hours. But I can wear my pyjamas."

19 Lawson Street, Hampton

Photo: Buxton

$1.65 million-$1.75 million
3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 car space

A trinity of design gurus are behind this sleek home: Aston Developments, Kirsten Grant Architects and Linton LaFontaine Landscapes.

For those needing space to work from home, or address pesky files in the evenings, there are two study areas.

The first is an office tucked near the entrance on the ground floor. The other is a large study, upstairs, with enough bench space for piles of textbooks and paper.

A highlight of this property are the chic, neutral finishes throughout the living, dining and family rooms. Of generous proportions, the rooms unfold at the rear to a paved terrace, which has a barbecue and circular seating to enjoy warm evenings.

The main bedroom is of enviable size, with an en suite, dressing room and seating. An additional bathroom accommodates the two further bedrooms.

Auction: 12.30pm, October 7
Agent: Buxton, Lambros Bollas 0413 861 979