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By Sophie Cockett , Lucy Smith and Ali Howard
While the days of forced working from home might be consigned to the history books (thank goodness), searches for desks for small spaces are as prevalent as ever in 2024 – and that just proves there’s been a permanent shift in our furnishing needs. We may be back in the office more frequently, but for many of us, hybrid working has become a new reality.
With space at a premium, a dedicated study is a luxury few of us can afford, but there’s no reason why a lack of square footage should stop us from enjoying a stylish and motivating home workspace – even if that means eking out a corner of the dining room. In fact, desks for small spaces are serving set-ups just as photogenic as the sprawling home offices you’ve been drooling over on Pinterest. Yep: having a pocket-sized living room doesn’t have to set you back, and there are many small-space desks on the market by the likes of John Lewis, La Redoute and Swoon, which act as the perfect space-saving solution to your tricky productivity/storage space conundrum.
A home office desk is a hard-working furniture piece, and we ask a lot of it: not only does it have to meet our nine-to-five needs in terms of comfort and practicality – choosing the right ergonomic (but equally stylish) desk chair is a non-negotiable, too – but it shouldn’t look out of place amongst our living room or dining room décor. One of the joys of working from home is simply being in our own, carefully curated surrounds, so the last thing we need is an all too corporate office desk to upset our interior design. The addition of some cute desk accessories is also a must to make your workstation feel like home.
If you’re seriously lacking in space, you might need to get creative, so check out our edit of 25 chic mini desks to elevate your home décor game, from minimalist folding desks that you can store away at the end of the day, to wall-mounted floating desks that won't take up valuable floor space, and even slimline consoles that double as particularly glamorous WFH desks. Despite their dinky dimensions, many of these small office desks come with nifty storage shelves and drawers to keep your office supplies out of sight and mind once you clock off for the day – you can't say that for your dining table.
Particular highlights? There's a minimalist brass and mango wood desk from Swoon, as well as a coffee table with a hidden 110cm desk within – what a way to optimise your living space.
Noya Vintage Desk with Rattan Panels
Why we love it: The Noya has its design roots in the 1950s, and while we're not usually fans of office desk partitions, these rattan cane panels add bags of character. Forget work, you'll want to write your crime novel on this diminutive desk.
Why we love it: This industrial style home office desk is small but mighty. It boasts a rustic antique pine effect, giving it a lovely aged look, while the tubular metal frame and drawer pull are in matte black for a pleasing contrast. It's also thoughtfully designed so you can tuck your office chair in fully and save on even more space.
Why we love it: This simple desk is ideal for small space dwellers who can easily fold it up, and even hang it up on the wall at the end of a work day, making it our most impactful space-saver. It arrives in one piece, so there's no self-assembly involved; thanks to its simple design, there's ample space for cables at the back, and best, it's brilliantly affordable at just £50.
Why we love it: As designer desks go, this one's a beaut. Its curvature is a feat of woodworking, while in varnished walnut, it boasts mid-century inspired warmth and homeliness. On a practical note, its central partition is handy for desk organisation, while its top section gives you a second, smaller surface.
Why we love it: This nifty little laptop desk is a game changer when it comes to small space home working. Naturally, it's height adjustable, and it features two generously sized drawers to keep all your essentials in, while in pale natural oak, it's as pleasing on the eye as it is practical.
Why we love it: Sleek, stylish and affordable, this compact desk is modern and designed to fit neatly in a small space, and at a purse-pleasing price.
Save when you shop for desks for small spaces with these Marks and Spencer discount codes.
ANYDAY Spindle Desk, Bowling Green
Why we love it: In bowling green, and with its retro shaping, the Spindle desk is anything but corporate, making it ideal for a small WFH set-up in the living room – it won't look out of place. Made in part from bamboo, it also scores points on sustainability.
Bue Blue Mango Wood & Rattan Desk & Dressing Table
Why we love it: Giving old school writing desk vibes, this is one handsome piece of furniture. We love its stylish mix of materials and its contrast between the boxy body and the sharp, tapered pin-legs. This a versatile small desk that'll look the part wherever you place it.
Why we love it: Inspired by the classic furniture pieces found at plush Soho House property, 180 House, this leather-topped desk is a future family heirloom – with a price tag to match. But it boasts exceptional craftsmanship. We love its subtle mid-century stylings, and its generous storage capacity.
Why we love it: This mini-bureau might be petite but it guarantees a big impact. Inspired by traditional Chinese furniture, its weighty hinged lid opens up to reveal a sassy red interior with four small compartments for papers and letters. Opened up it provides two tiered work surfaces so you can arrange your workstation to suit your needs.
Why we love it: Where industrial styling meets boho chic, this is a stand-out statement piece of a writing desk. We love its striking contrast in materials, colours and textures. And while the partition panels are largely decorative, you can feed your laptop cable through them, which is a bonus.
Why we love it: At just over 35cm deep, this diminutive desk can double as a stylish console, but what it lacks in depth, it makes up for in width, giving you enough room to spread out – plus additional storage by way of integrated drawers. Its angled legs allow for a sizeable office chair that can be tucked in neatly, while its rattan accents and pin-like drawer knobs keep the look chic and living room friendly.
Why we love it: With its slimline silhouette, the aptly named Houdini almost disappears into the wall. Ideal for an ad hoc home working set-up, the desk features a generous work surface plus two narrow shelves up top to give you a little bit of extra storage space. We love its brass caps for an understated flash of luxe.
White & Oak Effect Computer Desk
Why we love it: Scoring points on both form and functionality, this compact corner desk features a handy little storage unit set at a right angle to the main desktop, making it a doddle to reach for your pens and paperwork, whilst keeping the top clutter-free. We love its Scandi-inspired mix of natural wood and white, and its mid-century styled tapered and angled legs.
Why we love it: Available in light beige and a stylish dark green hue, what this compact desk lacks in space it sure makes up for in style. It boasts gold hardware, a drawer for hiding your essentials, a slat for standing books and a crevice for hiding charging cables.
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Why we love it: With an antique finish that mimics something out a Pottery Barn - one of the best loved furniture retailers from across the pond - this Graham & Green desk is gender neutral, comes complete with space for both a computer monitor and lower level for a keyboard and mouse, and even offers buyers three drawers worth of storage. Plus it's got good reviews.
Save money on small computer desks for small spaces UK with these Graham & Green promo codes
Why we love it: Give your office space an instant refresh with this lift-top storage desk from John Lewis. It's made from high-quality MDF and bamboo and the worktop lifts up to reveal a spacious storage drawer, with three compartments to stow away your essentials.
Save when you shop for small desks with these John Lewis discount codes.
Why we love it: This delightfully-minimal two-tone desk has textured ripple-front drawers, oak-effect legs and a sleek white top. There's plenty of space for your office essentials, and it's easy to assemble.
Save money on desks with room for a CPU underneath with these Habitat discounts
Why we love it: Sold out in three colour-ways but available in this gorgeous walnut hue is this stylish and affordable metal frame desk from Wayfair. And it's ideal for a small room.
Save when you shop for desks for small spaces with these Wayfair discount codes.
dining table support legs gold Why we love it: The ability to convert this desk to a bigger, L-shaped version on paper-heavy and perhaps even co-working days is genius. The fact that it has two added storage drawers is just another bonus. We're obsessed.