There are also a number of plants which appear to be standard office rental items, and some anonymous reception area furniture probably from Ikea or perhaps Habitat. I enjoyed the large number of Skype/tom.com cushions strewn about, which were one of the few frivolities in view.
None of this is intended to be in any way derogatory, rather I think it is refreshing, and a pretty clear analogue for the industry. Skype's offices are virtual offices (maybe even a caricature of an office), meant to house the people developing the application and marketing it, not to be emblematic of a piece of national heritage, provide fine dining experiences, or to challenge the set designers on Battlestar Galactica.
SkypeOut ARPUs may be miniscule, but they're also not expected (as far as I can see) to cover the costs of lavish surroundings. And herein lies the rub for the traditional telco - how much do you really need, and how much can you do without, both in terms of your traditional business, and your expectations of standard of living?
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