Ronnie Wolf
As more and more people are working from home, the need for comfortable desks that don’t take up too much room has grown. This list of desk ideas for small spaces will inspire you to consider different approaches when planning a home office or homework area.
In addition to creative desk ideas, we’ve included a few tips for making your new home office space look and feel more comfortable. If you aren’t sure where to start, a local interior designer in your area can help you make use of the available space. It’s pretty easy to overlook a closet, but it could easily transform into an office space. Take measurements of the two walls that make up the corner, measure and cut a piece of wood (use finished plywood or solid wood for a nicer surface) to fit the corner, and attach it to the wall using brackets.
Ladder desks are a trendy and excellent way to maximize an awkward or small space. There are tons of ladder desks available in stores, or you can research plans for building your own. Instead of adding all four legs back, anchor the cut side to the wall with brackets or screws. DIYing a desk will transform a room and give you a workspace you’ll love. A floating desk is one of the best solutions for rooms with the least amount of extra space. A floating desk attaches directly to a wall and doesn’t rest on legs or supports.
This method limits the occupied square footage and makes your workspace more flexible. Do you have a hall table that’s a catch-all space for your keys and a few random items?
While you might not want to pull up a chair in your hallway, moving a hall table to another room and sliding it next to the wall or window might be perfect for a workspace.
It would even allow you to update, rearrange, or organize the decor and items stored on the table to make room for your laptop and a few office essentials. If you want to stay active when working from home, there are affordable adjustable standing desks available in small sizes. For those spaces that have to remain multi-use, a permanent folding desk is an option that can do a lot.
Best of all, when you fold your desk at the end of the day, you get a nice, clean separation between your work and your home life. A c-table lets you do just that, and many options are stylish, so they won’t stand out awkwardly in a room.
Thrifted options are typically more affordable than buying something new—and reusing furniture creates less waste.
You’ll appreciate the extra storage, and it can be a huge help to have reference books and materials next to you as you work.
If you live in an older home, you might have a telephone nook that isn’t being used (or is a magnet for clutter). If your bay window has a seating area, you can replace it with a stable flat surface, like a piece of butcher block, to create a desk.
You can even transform the space into a permanent desk or you can take the butcher block down every day and tuck it against the wall. Adding a plant to your desk can make even the smallest space feel more alive and vibrant. You’ll appreciate having the pops of color and the calm that popular houseplants bring.
Simply paint your desk to match your walls and you’ll be amazed at how much it feels like a part of the space. Makeup tables have small footprints, built-in storage, and a mirror and lighting to help you look and feel your best all day long. A lot of writing desks are large, clunky pieces that become the center of the room they’re in, but not all of them.
You can find contemporary writing desks that are small enough to slot into tight spaces, plus they’re a great backdrop for knick-knacks and decor pieces. Find an end table with long legs with a top drawer for storage. That will give you a compact workspace, and you’ll still have room to put your legs under your new desk. The spot under your stairs is an odd-shaped space, which means you can customize everything from the desktop size to shelving and lighting.
Start simple and build it into the perfect space for your needs, including adding seating and storage. TV trays are small, easy to move, and available in lots of styles, and they work with any kind of seating.
Folding tables aren’t only for additional holiday seating and outdoor games. These versatile pieces make great desks for small spaces because they are available in different sizes and are easy to set up and take down.
If you have an unused corner, add in two folding tables for a large workspace that you’ll love. Most homes have some strange area or nook that was created when building out a more important space.
Add a small table or floating desk and some shelves for an instant workspace or reading nook . When you have a small desk, it can be tough fitting a laptop, extra screen, keyboard, and mouse on it, so you need to keep the surface as clear as possible.
Desks and office chairs aren’t necessarily the first pieces of furniture you would think of when someone mentions style or decor focus, but that isn’t a hard-and-fast truth. Look for funky vintage pieces to add a dash of personality to your room or paint the wall around your small workspace an interesting color to make it feel like it’s supposed to be there.
