Desk & Company, a new shared office and co-working space, has now opened in Mill Street, Oakham.

The new venture, started by local freelance copywriter and journalist Stephanie Ross, aims to offer a creative and friendly shared office space for people who miss the camaraderie of working from an office.

"More and more of us are working from home right now," says Stephanie, "but it's not always easy.

"Lots of us don't have the space for a dedicated office, or it's hard to concentrate because of demands from kids, pets or even neighbours.

"I find it hard to motivate myself when I am at home all day. It makes a real difference when I am in an office environment, I find it much easier to focus and be productive. Having other people around really helps my mood."

After much searching of the local area, Stephanie said that a suitable workspace just didn't exist.

She said: "I wanted a place that was a bit more inspirational than beige walls and a view of the car park, but I just couldn't find anything even close. So, I decided to start my own!"

Desk & Company offers three different workspaces, all freshly decorated with a mix of retro and modern touches.

The Blue Room is a shared office with five socially-distanced desks, the White Room is a second shared space with three socially-distanced desks, and the Green Room is a private office space for one or two people.

"While it's nice to have lovely pictures on the wall, at the end of the day this is a working office, and so we paid a lot of attention to making it as productive as possible," said Stephanie.

"Our desks are individually commissioned, we tested lots of office chairs to find the most comfortable for all day sitting, and we installed superfast fibre broadband throughout. There are also printing facilities available."

In addition, there are shared kitchen facilities complete with a free supply of biscuits – essential for the smooth operation of any office.

Contracts run on a monthly basis, meaning no long-term commitment, and everyone who signs up for a full-time desk gets their own set of keys to come and go as they wish.

As with many other businesses, Covid-19 has meant lots of adaptation.

"We were originally meant to open in March this year, then Covid-19 hit," said Stephanie.

"That delayed us by a good few months. Now we are open we take every step possible to ensure a safe work environment.

"All desks are spaced at least two metres apart, we have antibacterial handwash in every communal area, and the whole office is regularly deep cleaned.

"We also include a clause in every contract that states if people can't come to the office due to new government Covid legislation, we automatically freeze payments until it is safe for people to work together again."

And for any dog lovers among you, there is Georgie the office dog, Stephanie's eight-month-old cocker spaniel who is always eager to say hello.

There is also an option for co-workers to bring their own well-behaved dogs into the office by arrangement.

"It's not been long since we opened and there is already a lot of interest – already almost half our desks are fully booked, which is great," said Stephanie.

"After so much work to get things to this stage, it's been really lovely to see the office start to come to life. I can't wait to welcome more co-workers through our doors."