Anyone who's had to deal with a combo living/work/entertaining/eating space knows a trick or two about utilizing every inch. Take that empty space behind the sofa. One way to make the most of your square footage is to place a desk behind the sofa.
And bonus — you free up a wall in the process. Take a look at these artful organizers with various ways to dress up the sofa desk.
And for those interested in the 5th photo (which also triples as a bed) it’s the Warhol Sofa by Simone Brewster.
Images: 1 Tingaling; 2 Architectural Digest; 3 Room & Board; 4 House to Home; 5 TreeHugger






Commercial Flour Sa...
I love this! I have never had a room in which this would work, but I am totally behind it as an idea. I'm also a fan of (I think they are called) Parson's tables, between the couch and the wall or window.
Where is that rug from! I love it!
I wish I had space behind the sofa for a desk...
I've never seen a table like the one in pic #2 - More info please?
I wish I had a sofa.
I've never had a space where I could do this, but in my last apartment, I used to store my 6 foot ladder between the wall and my couch. Perfect hiding spot!
love, love, LOVE the sofa in photo #1
Always seems like a good idea but I would spend way more time watching TV or something than actually sitting there working.
mntwmyn - Great idea!
Great post - I've been mulling over what to do with this space recently and this is some nice specific inspiration!
I really like this idea, but what do you do with cords if you don't have a floor outlet?
Any ideas? I really would like to pursue this.
I was just thinking the same thing about the cords!
Would it work better as a writing desk? Hmmm...the only time I do any writing is to pay bills, and I have just made every bill of mine payable online.
@snickerdoodlecake -- I have this setup in my current apt. It's the most similar to the 4th pic with two tables behind the desk. We don't have an outlet along the back wall at all so we had to run a cord along the molding to blend it in and wrap it around. Hope that helps!
Has anyone done this setup with a desktop computer? How did you arrange it with all the cables and cords and peripherals? Did it look as nice?
This has always been one of my favorite configurations, if you have the room, perhaps because my dad has had his desk set up this way in the (quite formal) living room for about 30 years. He ran a surge protector from the nearest outlet, in an unused corner, under the end table next to the sofa and under the sofa itself to handle his laptop, phone/answering machine, etc. If you have a straight line of furniture leading perpendicularly out from a wall, it's do-able. If you get down under the desk you can definitely see the wires but for the most part they're pretty unobtrusive. It's his little "command center."
I have a friend who uses this sort of setup. She has a narrow table that fits her laptop and a few desk accessories. It makes sense if you don't really need a whole office setup or just don't have the room for one.