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:
When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.
Access 10 archived posts (older than one year) per month on each site
Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
Unlimited access to the Product Catalogs, Design Travel sources, and Architect & Designer Directory listings
Choose from our ten newsletters to keep up with the latest on the sites
Or Subscribe for Maximum Value!
For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.
Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
×
Subscribe to the Remodelista family of websites
For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.
Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
×
Sorry! As a registered member you get 10 free posts from our archive (posts more than a year old) every 30 days. You have reached your limit for this 30-day period. If you would like to access unlimited posts from the archive (ad free, too), become a subscriber today, and keep reading as many articles as you want.
Full Access Individual Subscription
Benefits include:
Unlimited access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home sites
Ad-free browsing environment
Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
Receive the full-text daily newsletters
All features that Members have access to
Annual subscribers pay just 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
Sorry! You have reached your limit of three (3) free posts from our archive every 30 days. You can increase this to 10 posts by joining as a free Member, or read unlimited posts with no ads by becoming a paid Subscriber.
Subscribe to the Remodelista family of websites
For $5/month ($59.99 paid annually) you'll enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home and all the benefits of Membership.
Annual subscribers pay 50% off the monthly subscription price of $9.99
Become a Member at no charge
When you register as a free Member of the Remodelista family of websites (Remodelista, Gardenista, and The Organized Home), you gain access to all current posts plus 10 archived posts per month, our internal bookmarking tool, and the community bulletin board.
Congratulations on becoming a Subscriber to Remodelista, Gardenista and The Organized Home! You now have access to many great features across the sites:
Unlimited access to all three sites
Ad-free browsing environment
Unrestricted access to 30,000+ archived posts
Receive any of the newsletters, including the the full-text daily Remodelista and Gardenista newsletters
Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
Congratulations on joining as a free Member of Remodelista, Gardenista and The Organized Home! You now have access to many great features across the sites:
Access to all posts published in the past year
Access 10 archived posts (older than one year) per month on each site
Use of our internal bookmark tool, so you can save products, posts, and other pages for quick reference
Access to our community bulletin board so you can ask and answer design-related questions
Unlimited access to the Product Catalogs, Design Travel sources, and Architect & Designer Directory listings
Choose from our ten newsletters to keep up with the latest on the sites
If at any time you want to become a Subscriber and enjoy unlimited, ad-free access to all our content, just go to the My Account link and choose Subscribe.
Have a Question or Comment About This Post?
Start the Conversation