19 of the best desks for small spaces

As summer draws to a close, many of us are getting back into work mode or gearing up for the start of a new school term. The rise in remote and hybrid working means creating a calm, productive zone for working from home is as important as ever, but not everyone has a spare room that they can turn into a dedicated office. It’s a dilemma we have, too: although I’m lucky enough have my own space, my husband’s many Zoom meetings mean we can’t work in the same area of the house, and so he’s consigned to a corner of the dining room on the days he’s based at home.

I’ve already rounded up the best minimalist desks, so today I want to focus specifically on designs for small and awkward spaces. So, here are 19 stylish yet practical solutions, including fold-out desks, wall-mounted desks and desks that double as other things. They’re ideal if you need to squeeze a work area into a compact room or add some study space for a child – and they’re pleasing enough on the eye that they won’t overwhelm the rest of your decor. As always I’ve covered options for all budgets, and there are some tips to help you find the right one for you at the bottom of the post.

1. HAY ‘Pier’ system configuration 11-1 with shelves and desk (available in black, white and blue), £572, Nest.co.uk 
2. Audo Copenhagen ‘Rail’ wall-mounted desk (available in oak and dark-stained oak), £285, Nordic Nest [AD – affiliate link]
3. ‘Equivoque’ wall-mounted unit with sliding front, fold-down desk and internal shelves (available in natural oak and walnut), £950, La Redoute [AD – affiliate link]
4. String Furniture ‘Work Space E’ modular configuration with shelves, drawers and fold-down table (available in numerous colour combinations), £1,472-£1,723, Nest.co.uk
5. ‘Grayson’ oak bureau with pull-out desk shelf (available in natural oak or a dark stain), £799, John Lewis [AD – affiliate link]
6. Artek ‘Kaari’ wall-mounted unit with shelves and desk, £1,815, Nest.co.uk
7. Montana ‘Bureau’ wall-mounted desk with drawers and cupboard (available in numerous colours), £1,193, Nest.co.uk
8. Bisley ‘Hideaway’ oak laminate wall-mounted unit with fold-down desk, internal light, moveable shelf and USB port, £399, John Lewis [AD – affiliate link]
9. Ferm Living ‘Sector’ wall-mounted desk (available in oak and black-stained ash, and with brass or blackened brass fittings; can be combined with matching shelves), £325, Nordic Nest [AD – affiliate link]
10. String Furniture ‘Work Space A’ modular configuration with shelves and desk (available in numerous colour combinations), £499-£585, Nest.co.uk
11. ‘Graphy’ oak veneer secretary desk with fold-down work surface, £350, La Redoute [AD – affiliate link]
12. ‘Domeno’ oak shelving ladder with desk, £250, La Redoute [AD – affiliate link]
13. New Works ‘Study’ wall-mounted unit with shelves and desk (available in numerous colour combinations), £594, Nest.co.uk
14. Bisley ‘Hideaway’ metal sideboard with swing-out oak laminate desk (available in ‘Charcoal’, ‘Dust’ and ‘Cashmere’, and in right- and left-hand configurations), £729, John Lewis [AD – affiliate link]
15. ‘Trigala’ wall-mounted oak veneer desk with shelf and document holders, £280, La Redoute [AD – affiliate link]
16. Northern ‘Valet’ wall-mounted desk with circular drawer (available in oiled, black-painted and dark-stained oak), £599, Nunido
17. ‘Evelyn’ folding desk (available in several sizes and in white, black, oak effect, concrete effect and rustic wood effect), £49-£69, Dunelm
18. ‘Meeting’ white laminate mini wall-mounted unit with fold-down desk and internal document holders, £65, La Redoute [AD – affiliate link]
19. ‘Cameron’ ash veneer secretary desk with fold-down work surface, £725, La Redoute [AD – affiliate link]

Choosing the right desk for you

Wall-mounted fold-down desks take up the least amount of space, so they’re ideal in very compact rooms. Many have internal storage compartments where you can keep stationery and files, and you can shut them up at the end of the day to create some all-important separation between work and home life. The downside is that they’re only really big enough for laptops, so if you have a desktop computer you’ll need to look at other options.

Above: Bisley’s ‘Hideaway’ desk

Shelf-style desks also take up very little room. Most don’t provide much in the way storage, but the upshot of this is their understated appearance. When you’re not working, you can use them to display plants, artwork, vases and books, and pretend there’s no desk there at all.

Above: Ferm Living’s ‘Sector’ desk with matching shelves, and Northern’s ‘Valet’ design

Foldaway desks have larger surface areas, so they’re great if you need more space for paperwork or your computer. They also work well if you want something that you can leave out most of the time, but with the option to hide it away when needed. My husband uses the Dunelm ‘Evelyn’ design, and although he doesn’t bother to pack it away every evening, it’s good to know that we can fold it down and store it out of sight when we have guests over for dinner.

Above: Dunelm’s ‘Evelyn’ folding desk. It can be hung on a wall when not in use, but we slide ours under the sofa!

Shelving units with desk add-ons are great if you want to combine a work area with a lot of display and storage space. What’s more, most are modular, allowing you to adapt or extend them as your home and needs change. The iconic ‘String’ system, first created by Swedish architect Nils Strinning in 1949, is perhaps the most versatile, with a range of set configurations or the option to buy individual elements and build your own; it also has desk add-ons in several different sizes, plus a fold-down table that doesn’t get in the way when not in use. If you live in rented accommodation or don’t want to fix much to the walls, then leaning ladder-style designs such as La Redoute’s ‘Domeno’ unit are handy alternatives.

Above: two different workspace configurations using the String shelving system

Finally, bureaus (also known as secretary desks) have often been regarded as a little old-fashioned, but the growing need for flexible, multi-functional spaces means they’re making a comeback. Like fold-down desks they give you the option to shut all your work stuff out of sight at the end of the day, but they offer more internal storage and a slightly bigger work surface. There are plenty of sleek, contemporary designs that make beautiful decor pieces in their own right, so they won’t look out of place in a living room, dining room or bedroom.

Above: the timeless oak ‘Grayson’ bureau from John Lewis

Please note this post contains affiliate links (all clearly marked), which means I will receive a small commission on any resulting sales. You won’t pay any more by clicking on these links than you would by visiting the websites directly, and it helps to support the free content I share here.

All images via the respective brands and retailers listed above