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Looking for creative office desk ideas? These office desks were created by independent top designers around the world. Note that not all of these products are available for purchase, and some are just prototypes, so use these for inspiration for new ideas. See our post on unique office desks to view products you can buy online today!
1. Shifty Desk/Hallway Stand
Daniel Schofield has designed the Shifty desk/hallway stand. The desk features a unique drawer design where unlike normal drawer units, the drawer doesn’t move, it’s the box that pulls out. This also doubles the size of the work area. In the designer’s words, “The Shifty desk/hallway stand is designed as part of the secrecy range of furniture I produced. Unsuspecting people presume that the storage compartment is the draw on the front. What they don’t know is that by pulling the FSC Ash work surface, the whole top slides open revealing the hidden storage area, perfect for personal papers and electronic equipment. By doubling in its size and having the work area come towards the user, the desk also lends itself perfectly to small space living.”
2. Circunscriba Desk
Mexican design studio Masiosare has created the Circunscriba Desk. It is a work desk designed to make the working area more efficient and organized. The table surface is formed by three slidable and detachable pieces, allowing the user to modify the work surface according to the needs. The backside of the table serves as a cable holder and if any of the three surface pieces are placed, it also acts as a lectern or book rest.
3. Brenton Studio Trovato Office Desk
Trovato is a compact office furniture piece designed by Brenton Studio for OfficeMax. The desk is sleek, stylish, and professional. Here is some description by the manufacturer, “Three separate pieces make for one ideal workspace: The richly colored desk, hutch, and storage ottoman all feature a scratch- and stain-resistant finish, making durability as important as style. Even better, the ottoman works as a seat, footrest, and file space the perfect spot to tuck away all your important papers.”
4. Envelop Desk
Envelop Desk is a unique work table designed by Bill Stumpf and Jeff Weber for Herman Miller. The surface or tabletop of the desk sits on a sliding channel and moves to and fro as you move your chair. That means you don’t have to reach for the keyboard and mouse when you recline the chair a little bit as the tabletop also comes forward with you. The table perfectly suits for the long hours of non-stop working. Coupled with the Embody chair designed by the same designer, the Envelop Desk creates a comfortable work environment.
In the designer’s words, “All those hours at work, you move, your chair moves, the desk stays put. Even the best task chairs can’t do it all, so we’ve brought ergonomic principles to the one element that was just sitting there. A desk that moves? Radical! A desk that promotes healthful movement? Does that make sitting at a computer comfortable? It’s Envelop, the first desk designed to help you, your chair, your desk, and computer work together for better health and comfort.”
5. Folia Desk
Leon Ransmeier has designed the Folia Desk for Wright Now which features four sliding divided trays. In the designer’s words, “Similar to a flat file, this desk allows horizontal stacks of paper to be partially obscured under the surface but quickly accessed by extending the trays.” The desk is ideal for both home and offices where you can arrange the different papers and files in separate drawers and access them later easily. Check out the pictures.
6. Paper Desk
The Netherlands based firm Studio Job have designed the Paper Desk for Dutch design brand Moooi. The classic-looking desk is made of wood and cardboard and finished with paper and PU lacquer. The Paper Desk is a part of Studio Job’s renowned Paper collection.
7. Aviator Wing Desk Inspired
The Aviator Wing Desk was inspired by streamlined WWII fighter planes. The desk which mimics the bent wing of a plane is built from patches of aluminum layered over hardwood, attached with exposed steel screws to simulate the aircraft rivets. The desk has three shelves, lined with black cotton canvas. If you love vintage aviation then this desk is for you. The desk can be used as a writing table in-home or it can be used as an office table. You can buy this at Restoration Hardware.
8. ‘Big Boss’ Desk
French designer Piergil Fourquié has created the Big Boss desk. The design of the furniture is based on the cantilever principle used in architectural constructions. The lacquered metal skirt gives a solid volume that supports the desk and also hides the user’s legs. The light oak suspended top contrasts with the metal support. The interior of the metal skirt is covered with the topstitched leather which creates a warm protective cocoon.
In the designer’s words, “The choice of material is a metaphor for a ‘sports coupe’ car: the metallic exterior reflects the immediate environment and hides the user’s legs. The elegance of the lines hides all that is to be hidden: computer cables, electric wires, drawer.”
9. Desk 117 – A Minimalist Work Desk with Smart Cable Management
Desk 117 is a minimalist yet highly functional work desk created by New York-based designer David Hsu. The desk has an embedded power strip that provides electricity for your gadgets as well as lighting while reducing the clutter on your desk by smartly hiding the cables. There is a large access panel in the rear and also there are multiple trap doors for monitor cable, Ethernet cable, and speaker cables, etc. The desk has two steps; a large working surface and a second surface that is deep enough to hold a 27-inch monitor as well as stereo speakers.
10. Studio Desk
Chicago-based industrial designer Patricia Tait has designed Studio Desk, a versatile foldable work table concept. The unique furniture design offers a flexible and spacious workspace for students. In the designer’s words, “This desk was designed to accommodate student needs while being conscious of limited and changing special needs and also having universal and disability enabled attributes. The desk surface itself folds up and into the product with the use of a track and spring system and both the cut mat and lamp fold flush into the main wall of the desk. The pin-up board swings on a hinge and locks into either the stowed position or active position. Molded plywood was a major theme for this project.”
11. CI Desk – Multipurpose Furniture
CI Desk is a multi-purpose portable office desk designed by the Austrian design studio CIO Office. In the designer’s words, “A multi-functional home office on wheels, in its handy size and elegant shape, adapting to the flexible working habits of the individual at home or in the office. Through a 180-degree turn of its top, it unfolds into a small workstation for laptop users.
The smooth contours of the desk cube in fact reveal the delicately inbuilt wooden drawers that open to the front and sides. CI desk provides mobility and practical working space for any busy individual.”
