Miss Going to the Office? This Site Simulates Work Noises

Sounds of telephones ringing, coworkers chattering, the water cooler bubbling, the elevator dinging. If you’ve shifted to working from home, there’s a chance you might actually be starting to miss the familiar hum of the office—and you’re not alone.

If that sounds like you, check out Berlin-based creative agency Kids’ new tool. Aptly called “I Miss The Office,” the site generates office noises such as the squeaking of an armchair or someone humming nearby, replicating the “soothing tones of modern office life.”

Think of it as that ambient playlist you put on when you want to block out distractions at work. But this time, it’s the reverse.

The site also lets you add more sounds by clicking on the objects on the page, and even lets you decide how many coworkers you’ll have around. The more employees there are, the noisier it gets.

I Miss The Office is a humorous, if not surreal, reminder of our “new normal.” Although it could never replace the presence of our dear colleagues, it could provide a healthy distraction from the loneliness of quarantine life.

“All these noises require input from people, people that are currently missing from our home offices and that’s why it’s comforting,” said designer Valentin Cheli.

Need another way to spruce up your workday? Check out these fun Zoom backgrounds from West Elm, Bloomscape, Jonathan Adler, and, oh yeah, Apartment Therapy.