When we work from home, our "office" is really wherever the laptop happens to be, and our laptop is partial to the couch. Yet recently we've noticed that many artists, designers and techies are spending a lot of time and effort creating a workspace that doesn't pull double-duty as a living room.

Take, for instance, coder/writer Kathy Sierra's refurbished Air Stream office trailer (pictured here). Parked conveniently next to her home, the set-up features a Formica desk, a retro kitchenette and most importantly a quiet environment that's neither plagued by the odor of co-workers nor rife with the distractions of home (i.e., Xbox).

We've got some similarly swank accommodations in the gallery below. They' re the types of spaces where working 40-plus hours a week would never feel like slaving away ... unless, of course, you weren't getting paid. Then you technically would be slaving away, regardless of the locale.

Posh Workspaces

    This software designer's 12-screen command center has caused so much web chatter he had to add a FAQ to explain all of it. Like a day trader, he has all those monitors up and running for clear access to a lot of information and to get a nice tan during the dark winter. A good argument for home nuclear reactors.
    photo and story: http://www.stefandidak.com/office/

    Stefan Didak, www.stefhandidak.com

    As we're currently being blinded by the sunlight outside, we'd love these anti-UV windows. The desk extends to the left of the photo and morphs into a park bench. Because the office houses an architectural firm it also has some classic Eames chairs and a dead yet stylistically ocean-bleached tree.

    stewf, Flickr

    This person just wanted to torture all of us with this sunny outdoor resort/office in Orvieto, Italy. It's a nice application of reclaimed brick and stunning scenery. Could have some nature-oriented problems (bugs, wind, cold, rain, sun spots) but a good umbrella should handle that.

    cityflickr, Flickr

    A designer reclaimed an old x-ray light as a work surface and light table. It's mounted to the wall, painted dark for contrast. The idea was to really increase light to view details for tracing. And to see ohw bad that fracture really is.

    commonhumans, Flickr

    An ultra airy space, this Brooklyn hideaway has enormous views of the New York Skyline, 2 monitors and peripherals hidden in the desk. With important brainstorming notes on the windows (using dry erase) you'd focused on work even when looking outside and day dreaming of living and working in Manhattan.

    rephlektiv, Flickr

    The Red Light office includes two separate machines, each with a Cinema Display. The red backlighting provides a danger room feel, and keeps snoopers from knowing how many Microsoft programs are running.

    tipclapper, Flickr

    If you've got $1800 you can borrow somebody else's originality and work from in inside a steamer ship trunk. Holes for cables and peripherals are pre-drilled, and the unit comes in white, red, maple or black. It has substantial shelving and a fold-out desk, plus it's mounted on castors if you want to zoom around the room for inspiration.

    tuexperto, Flickr

    NielsenData.com

    Lenovo executive Scott Di Valerio likes to give his his home office a playful feel: he commutes from the tree house in his back yard. It's attached to the main house with a suspension bridge, so once you make it across you'll feel confident to start the day.

    thevarguy.com

    This workstation has been fitted with all the Steampunk trappings, including the carefully hidden scanner which has been disguised as the leather album on the right. All the details have been thought out, including a glass port hole for the DVD-rom and the Underwood typewriter hiding the actual keyboard.

    Datamancer.net