These ingenious workspaces are slotted into closets, corners, even under the stairs. Here, 15 favorites from our archives.
Above: This floating desk and shelving were designed by Paper House Projects in the UK. See the rest of the home here. Photograph by Rory Gardiner. Above: Larissa Johnston Architects situated an office nook on the half landing of a stairwell. See A London Townhouse Designed to Catch the Light. Photograph by Rory Gardiner. Above: A workspace tucked next to a stairwell by Australia-based Rob Kennon Architects. Photograph by Derek Swalwell. Above: The stairs in architect Jennifer Hanlin‘s daughter’s lofted bedroom incorporate drawers as well as a niche for a desk. See An Eclectic Apartment Inspired by Japanese Storage Chests in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. Photograph by Bruce Buck. Above: A tiny workspace in a 500-square-foot trailer owned by Los Angeles art agent Sofie Howard, via Dwell. Photograph by Spencer Lowell. Above: A built-in desk in an entryway designed by Arte Berry Cooke Design. Photograph by Kari Wilton. Above: Interior designer Mark Lewis used an existing alcove in the back of a kitchen to create a built-in desk and shelves made from scaffolding planks. See Kitchen of the Week: A Family Gathering Spot in a London Victorian. Photograph by Rory Gardiner. Above: A minimal work area in a remodel by Czech firm Oooox. Above: Architect Sonya Lee designed a small crafting station to be tucked behind custom quarter-sawn white oak pantry doors. Photograph by Mark Wickens. Above: A couple of shelves inserted in an unused corner create an instant workspace in a Stockholm apartment, via My Scandinavian Home. Photograph by Emily Laye. Above: A desk tucked into a closet, via Mi Casa. Above: An under-the-stairs workspace from a project by Oliver Freundlich, in Brooklyn. (See the rest of the duplex at The Ultimate Starter Apartment, Cobble Hill Edition.) Photograph by Matthew Williams for Remodelista. Above: A window desk in an apartment in Denmark via Lowe Home. Above: In Dagmar Daley and Zak Conway’s San Francisco Victorian, a shelving unit of their own design features a sliding panel to conceal the desk area. See more of the design at The Disappearing Home Office. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Remodelista. Above: A master bedroom designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson features an ensuite open bathroom. Here, just beyond the sink is a desk nestled under the eaves. See the rest of the bath here. Photograph by Matthew Millman.
N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on March 15, 2014, as part of our Working It issue.
Looking for ingenious solutions for tight quarters? See our Image Gallery and our archive of Small-Space Living posts. In addition, see these posts on home office storage and organization:
![Flat-pack furniture may seem like a new invention, borne from the modern-day realities of small apartments and frequent moves—but leave it to Howe London to, well, dismantle that assumption.
Take-apart furniture, the antiques retailer and bespoke furniture maker points out, has roots in old French design and portable campaign furniture. And Howe London’s own take on the tradition, the Knock-Down Wardrobe, is designed, they say, “to easily dismantle or ‘knock-down’ in the same practical way the French conceived their ‘armoires’ in the 18th and 19th [centuries] and reminiscent of military campaign furniture intended to uphold a degree of home comfort for officers traveling abroad.”
With time-tested construction and nods to old design, the Knock-Down Wardrobe is well primed to fit with the practicalities of contemporary life (small doorways, for example). Take a look.
✍️ Words by @anniepquigs](https://www.organized-home.com/wp-content/uploads/sb-instagram-feed-images/298561719_468974668061670_4620033492796135901_nfull.jpg)
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