Interesting thoughts and I haven't personally formed an opinion about where I stand on this one, quite yet.

I worked at home for almost ten years until two months ago when I started a job at a tech company at their main office. They have the oft-maligned[0] open-office layout, which coming from a work-at-home coding job, should have been really painful. Their approach, however, has worked out really well for me for a few reasons:

0/ Staff understands the need for concentration when coding. Almost everyone here is a software developer, so we're all respectful of one another. I was told on day one that if someone has headphones in, it's best to instant message them rather than walk up because there's an unwritten rule that "headphones" means "I'm concentrating". I actually wonder how many folks have headphones in with nothing on -- I use my active noise-cancelling cans regularly with nothing but the noise cancelling turned on because it gives solid, simulating, silence. But the thing of it is, the place isn't loud or overly distracting.

1/ There are a number of meeting rooms and couches throughout the office, located in quiet places, with no "rules" about use other than that scheduled meetings win over impromptu for meeting rooms. People are encouraged to work wherever they're comfortable and I prefer to sit on a couch with my feet up since while I was working at home I tended to work on my couch in the living room or in my bed rather than in my office[1]. The couches are placed in areas that are offset from the general office area, so they're quieter, as well. I simply don't sit at my assigned desk and nobody cares (really, it's encouraged). My desk is also located on a side of the office where lights are turned off because those who sit over there prefer it[1].

2/ They have a number of other alternative workstations set-up, like unassigned standing desks (with bar-stools for those who want to sit at a standing desk...). This allows me to switch things up when I'm in a rut and need an environment change to inspire me.

I thought it was going to be a lot more painful to adjust from working at home to working in an open-office environment. I'm finding I like it quite a bit, though. At the end of the day most companies have two choices for office layout -- open or cube farm. The reason is that cubicle walls are considered furniture under tax code, whereas offices are classified differently. This makes cube-walls far more cost effective than "real walls" due to the increased time that it takes for the latter to be allowed to be written off. Having done the cramped cube-farm arrangement, I'll take open. Cubicles are the worst of both worlds -- they feel like working in a (small) closet, and when laid out the way they typically are, they destroy ones ability to navigate an office, block natural light and make a place feel more prison-like. Open offices kill privacy and negatively affect concentration but allow light to flow and make the office feel big and ... open ... which I am finding I like quite a bit. Plus, it's a lot easier to ride the one-wheel skateboards around the office when there's fewer obstructions.

[0] Oft-maligned by me, specifically. I wrote regularly about my hatred of this kind of office but now having spent a few months working in one, I am enjoying it quite a bit provided a few features are present.

[1] I casually mentioned my dislike for the darker side of the office to one of the company founders who introduced himself while I was working on the couch in the kitchen. Before I could get the sentence out was told "Oh, just move your desk!". I haven't done so because I have no need. Sometimes I want to work in the dark (it's not actually "dark", it's just not lit by interior lighting -- our office is pretty bright due to the wealth of windows and natural light during the day), so I troll back there when I feel like it. Because I can work in so many different places in the office, it's irrelevant where my desk is.