Maplewood Art Table & Stool

• $100 (table), $34 (stool)
• Imagine Childhood

School's out - let's make art! This wooden desk has paper cutters at both ends and a tray for holding supplies. It's beautiful in its simplicity and is made in the USA. 

The late Yves Saint Laurent's trestle desk. Via Another Magazine

Creative minds work in mysterious ways. Some need perfect order and symmetry to prosper, others thrive in chaos and clutter. Whether it's design, fashion or science— imagination, and the proper space to cultivate it, is essential to them all. Here are the fascinating desks of eight famously creative people.

A real world, hand-built offspring of Senator Palpatinian aesthetics with Matrix-style utility, the MWE Lab Emperor 200 aims to be the ultimate all-in-one place to work from: electric actuators, an Android-powered touch screen control center, HEPA air filtering system, light therapy, electric powered leather seat, up to 3 x 27" LED screens and surround sound, Windows or OS X, with the option for a 360^o programmable rotating podium.

I didn't make it across from LA to NYC this year for ICFF (here's our coverage from the show floor), but that doesn't mean I wasn't keeping an eye out for all the home furnishing developments on the horizon, especially those designs incorporating technology into unique form factors like this collaboration between designer François Chambord and computer manufacturer, Lenovo...

Sundvik Children's Desk

• $59.99
• IKEA

Is your child ready to graduate from a small activity table? This is a great little starter desk with room for school or art supplies. Fits in small spaces and comes in white or brown-black.

Little Modern Table & Chairs

• $229.99 (pre-order)
• P'kolino

They've packed a lot of functionality into this stylish table. The inside has movable dividers for storage and the underside of the top is chalkboard. The cut-out in the chair backs make them easy for kids to grab and move.

Maybe it's because I grew up in the iron mining capitol of the world, but I like a little metal in my decor. A polished nickel lamp or silver bust goes a long way to satiate my appetite for shiny things, but the trend is getting some serious traction in the workspace arena, particularly when it comes to desks.

Building your own desk can range from super easy ("buy 4 IKEA legs and pick out a table top") to more advanced DIY projects requiring woodworking skills and proper tools. In either case and everything inbetween, half the work is done when you've got all your resources planned out...

Living in a small space often means giving up a dining table in favor of extra floor space for other furniture. Thanks to a crop of height adjustable coffee and side tables, you're no longer forced to eat with your plate balanced precariously on your lap.