With increasing numbers of people choosing to work from home - this journalist included - the distinction between our home and workplace is blurring, and developers are jumping on the trend.

We take a look at two new developments, one in Melbourne and one in Sydney, that embrace the rise of the telecommuter.

The combined home / office from Mirvac 

Development giant Mirvac's new project Cargo Homes, at Wharf's Entrance in Melbourne, challenges the concept of the workplace with a range of homes that work just as well as an office or combined office / home.

Located close to the waterfront of Yarra's Edge and within walking distance of the CBD, Mirvac has designed the Cargo Homes to address a gap in the market

Elysa Anderson, general manager of Mirvac Residential, Victoria, told SCHWARTZWILLIAMS that Mirvac is always listening to consumers and trying to identify exactly what they need.

"We listen and learn from our customers in order to understand their lives and their needs, and design residences that fit their changing lifestyles," said Anderson. 

"This dialogue continues long after our purchasers move in," she said, and so Mirvac can adapt what they have learnt from previous projects into new developments.

With Cargo Homes, "We discovered more working professionals are working either exclusively from home offices, or a combination of the workplace and home office," said Anderson. 

"Mirvac has observed a significant increase in the proportion of people working from home," she said, as advances in technology reduce, or even eliminate, the need for an office, and make it more possible to work from home.

The Cargo Homes give residents generous space to run a business from home on the ground floor, while upstairs is plenty of living space and privacy. The office space includes a kitchenette, bathroom, and large linen cupboard.

The market response to Cargo Homes has been strong, said Anderson. Stage 2 was fast tracked to meet demand after Stage 1 sold out. Only one Cargo Home now remains for sale. 

Anderson says Mirvac is likely to continue to build homes that will allow residents to easily work from home.

"We believe the trend towards telecommuting is destined to rise significantly," she said. 

Mosman's Monarch development

Tom Doran, associate director with Doran Commercial, has also observed the rise of the telecommuter, and a blurring of the line between home and office.

Doran told SCHWARTZWILLIAMS demand is increasing for properties that are suitable for people to work from home, and says demand will "only get stronger".

"Now that people see they are being built, they are looking for these flexible live / work spaces," he said. 

"This one was a new concept," said Doran, explaining that the market did require some "educating on the possibilities".

Doran said there is a limited supply of these mixed-use properties on the market, "this one we sold is the first of its kind that I know of," he said.

But Doran says the blending of home and place of work is likely to be a growing trend.

"A great example is one of the buyers we had looking at the space. He is a residential agent based in the CBD that has high-end listings all over Sydney. Having a space like this allows him a have fewer travel days into the city and he can be just as productive from home," said Doran.

The property had "a clear delineation between the residential and commercial components. You can also conduct business meetings in the space without it feeling like you are sitting in someone’s living room."

An owner's perspective

And the final word goes to Tony Gunawan, who leases out the home and runs his business, Luxxia, from the ground floor office of one of Mirvac's Cargo Homes.

“Cargo Homes offer a fantastic lifestyle and work mix, due to their unique home-office design," he told SCHWARTZWILLIAMS.

"You do have an option to either occupy the home and lease out the office space, or to lease out the home and occupy the office space for your business, whichever works out best for your needs.”

“Cargo Homes are also the perfect size to operate a small business from," he said. "They are able to comfortably fit up to four people in the office spaces, and provide the appropriate furniture for operation and showcasing of product.”

People are working in new ways, said Gunawan, "I don’t see why these types of homes wouldn’t be on the increase."

“These unconventional ways of living are becoming more and more prevalent in today’s working society."

Read more about development trends:

Barangaroo unanimously named development of the year

Loftus Lane development sells out in two hours

Construction to begin soon on Brisbane residential tower 443 Queen Street