As hybrid working continues to reshape how Edinburgh’s businesses operate, a quiet revolution is taking place across the capital’s offices — and it comes in the form of a small, sleek, self-contained pod.
The soundproof phone booth, once considered a novelty reserved for tech start-ups in Silicon Valley, is now becoming a familiar fixture in coworking spaces, financial firms, and creative studios across Edinburgh. From the redeveloped St James Quarter offices to hubs along Leith Walk, the demand for private, acoustically sealed spaces is rising sharply.
Edinburgh-based interior design and workplace consultancy firms say they are fielding more enquiries about acoustic solutions than ever before. “We’ve seen a significant uptick in the last eighteen months,” said one workplace designer who works primarily with mid-sized businesses in the city centre. “Open-plan offices are great for collaboration, but people still need somewhere quiet to take a Teams call without broadcasting their client’s business to the entire floor.”
The shift comes as Edinburgh’s office market continues to adapt to post-pandemic working patterns. Many employers have downsized their physical footprints but invested more carefully in the quality of the space they do have. A compact Persy Booths soundproof phone booth — typically a single-person pod with ventilation, a power socket, and padded acoustic panels — takes up little floor space but can transform the working experience for employees.
The trend is also being driven by the city’s growing community of freelancers and remote workers, many of whom rely on shared coworking spaces. Venues such as those clustered around the Old Town and Haymarket are increasingly competing on the quality of their facilities, with private pods seen as a key differentiator.
Beyond the practical benefits, there is also a wellbeing dimension. Workplace research consistently shows that noise is one of the top sources of stress in open-plan environments. Access to a private, enclosed space — even for just ten minutes — can meaningfully reduce anxiety and improve focus.
Local suppliers and national distributors alike have noted growing interest from Scottish buyers, with one Edinburgh-based office furniture retailer reporting a threefold increase in pod enquiries compared to 2023.
It is a long way from the red telephone boxes that once dotted Edinburgh’s streets. But in spirit, perhaps, the soundproof phone booth serves a not entirely different purpose — a small sanctuary in a busy city, where for a few moments at least, the world outside can wait.
