1. The Sloane leaning desk from Crate and Barrel is cleverly worked into a bookcase. It can be placed in the living room or repurposed as open storage in the dining room. The lowest shelf on the bookcase is perfectly sized to hold a couple of baskets for document storage. The Sloane is what I'm currently using in my own workspace (pictured). Image via Kim Lucian.
2.The Parsons desk for West Elm has gained mass appeal for a reason. When it isn't being put to work, it can stand in for a console or even a vanity in the bedroom. The sliding drawer will cleverly conceal current paperwork and supplies when the day is done. Image via Apartment Therapy of Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere's office
3. Go vintage. An up-cycled vintage find can double as both a desk and vanity in the bedroom. Plenty of drawers mean it's easy to keep things out of sight until you need them. Image via PaperBlog
4. A wall of shelves staggered to provide both ample storage space and a broad work surface is a clean, simple solution that is at home in the living room. Image via Apartment Therapy
5. A wall-mounted desk is ideal when you need something without a real footprint; suspended from the wall, it is essentially the Murphy bed of workspaces. You can cover the underside with graphic pattern for added interest, or leave it alone and let it blend in. Image via Country Living
Visit our Marketplace guide for wall mounted desk shopping suggestions.
(Images: as linked)
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They all look pretty but if you really work from home, they are a little impractical.
I was thinking the same thing. I've got way too much equipment for those spaces, and need to spread out way too much paper.
They're fine for your standard home computer set up for paying bills, or maybe even for writing, but for those with need for a "real" office, yeah, they are very impractical.
These are all very cute, but I agree with the rest of the commenters. Not really practical. I have 2 printers, an extra monitor, office supplies, etc. I took over our whole breakfast room and moved the table in the living room. I have boxes for everything and bookshelves, but when I'm in the middle of a project, there's stuff everywhere!
I love the staggered wall of shelves, it looks nice and clean.
I'm going to grad school part time, and with an apt that I share with three other roommates, even the nicest looking desk isn't going to fly anywhere else but my bedroom (which, is, of course, in NYC, very small). I have the teeniest secretary desk (it's only 12 inches across), and it's perfect for my tiny room but also big enough to fit my laptop on. My bed doubles as the part of my desk where I spill all my notes onto.
This irritates me ... a lamp in the middle of the room, not a cord in sight. MAGIC
Agree with 2kidsandus
Impractical for someone who really works at home and isn't just looking for a place to sit their laptop.
Not bad for a small writing or reading nook but too small for most home offices. Even my study space as a kid was bigger and I needed more storage than these provide.
I think the first one would look better without that big closet framing & drywall box around it.
The little red one would be useful in the kitchen, for propping the netbook on while cooking or meal planning.
I agree with the commenters here. One thing that struck me is the use of wood floors, with chairs that didn't have coasters. Just the movement of getting up and down out of the chair will scar the flooring. Not a wise choice. I like the idea of having a longer, wider work space without a lot left on the desk. It would be nice to have a series of practical tips for small spaces that everyone (simple budgets) can do without hiring a designer, or a team of "experts."
Before my ill-advised decision to sell it, I owned one of the West Elm parson's desks. It was lovely, but expensive and very SMALL! I had a 20" iMac at the time (Oh, I miss my MAC!!!) and I could fit the computer, a tiny lamp and a small file for pending projects on my desk top and that was it... The drawer held pens and pencils, a tiny stapler a few envelopes and paperclips and that was it. Everything else wound up on the floor.
The other solutions here appear even smaller than the desk, so I cannot imagine them being any more useful for someone who really does WORK at home.
I love Apartment Therapy, but I agree with everyone else that pretty pictures are not enough. These "solutions"are impractical and so staged (where IS the lamp cord???) that they are annoying rather than helpful. How about something a real person in a real aaprtment can really use?