Home Offices - Cool Desks, Chairs, Storage Solutions

My office does not have an ‘official’ desk. It is not flexible enough for me. I have a couple of drawer cabinets with a nice top to create a workspace. This works really well for me. The smaller drawers hold my small office items, like pens, tape, drafting equipment etc. The loose top gives me the opportunity to move things around when I feel like it.

Here are some desk styles which are flexible and which look interesting. They would fit almost anywhere. I also want to recommend some chairs and storage solutions which will work in many type of home office decors. Enjoy!

Desks

The trestle desk. Not for everyone, agreed! But it sure is versatile. It can be enlarged or made smaller: you just adjust the worktop. The wooden support lends softness to a space. Trestle support come in a very simple form or more complex as the one shown here. This desks is great with an industrial style shelving system. What do you think of the string along the wall showcasing images hung with clothespins. Inexpensive and attractive. Innovative and creative! I like the sheepskins in the chair; it is so inviting.

Do you have an old, beat-up dining table hanging out somewhere? Fix it up a bit, but leave it distressed or distress it even more. It can serve as a sturdy desk in an otherwise forgotten corner. Top it with a system of old, sturdy looking drawers, a cool masculine looking desk lamp, and some spy mirrors and you have an inviting work area for a guy. Like a man cave… The style of the chair and stool is widely available today. Search for industrial looking designs and you will find something similar.

Andersen Desk, Maisons du Monde

For those of you who are looking for something more refined, attractive and grown-up, have a look at the Indian rosewood (Palisander Wood) desk above.. This type of desk winks back to the fifties with its splayed legs, delicate looking but sturdy. You do not want to put a desk like this against a wall. It is too pretty to stand alone. The quirky cabinet completes the look. You could start your journey right here!

This small desk is the Alex from Ikea. The desk is finished front and back which makes it perfect to sit facing out into a room. The two shallow drawers are provide lots of room for small office items. I have seen the legs of this desk finished in a metallic gold tone. It looked really good, rich and chic. A really good option for a home office. And inexpensive to boot.

And, if you really do not have any space whatsoever, you can always install a modern version of the secretary desk on the wall. This could be the solution for a small apartment owner. Especially now that apartments are getting smaller and smaller.

Seating

CH24 Wingbone Chair by Hans Wegner

A good desk or task chair that is also fashionable and great looking and at a reasonable price, is not easy to find. Here are a few examples that I like. Most of you will recognize the chair above. This chair is a famous design by Hans Wegner. He designed the chair for Carl Hansen & Son in 1950. To date, copies of this chair are sold regularly as dining and office chairs. Most of the time it is made from walnut or a hardwood stained in walnut, or beech and maple in a natural finish. It is a classic and chic design. This chair can also be seen in the photo with the trestle desk above.

Sora by Global Furniture Group

The group of chairs above is a collection by Global Furniture, a North American office furniture supplier. I like this chair’s mesh back. The chair is truly a task chair and will allow the occupant mamy hours of working in it. It is height adjustable, swivel and have lumbar support. Great advantages. It doesn’t hurt that this model comes in multiple colours to add some personality!

The above chair is frequently seen in magazines, TV shows and movies. It is a popular office chair. The chair comes with a high or low back and is available in five standard colours: white, black, red, grey and brown. It can have a true leather seat or a faux leather look. The price is really reasonable. It is readily available. A good home office chair.

But, what if you do something funky? Especially when you are not necessarily confined to your chair for hours on end. You could take a piano bench, put a sheepskin on it and voila, you have some style! Or what about a stool with a knitted seat. Aren’t these just adorable? Good for the DIY-ers amongst you.

People with back issues may want to consider an ergonomic office chair. Here is a contemporary looking design by Yves Behar at Henry Miller, the Sayl chair, a design inspired by the engineering of suspension bridges. It is rated in the top 10 of office chairs in North America. According to the tech company Re+Public the chair is “armed with some of the best engineering skills. It has two different innovations mainly the Y-tower and the ArcSpan. The former is the pseudo backbone of the chair and is located just like the backbone of the humans. Its main function is to stretch the fabric and offer support simultaneously. The latter however is designed to maintain the shape and the posture of the body and keep the fabric in its proper place. The design of this chair … helps to accommodate all types of body postures and ensures perfect comfort and freedom at the same time.” It does come with a higher price tag, it is after all a Henry Miller chair!

Storage

Aside from the standard bookcase there are many more ways to store your office papers. I like how the owner of the space below choose an old locker to use as a storage cabinet in the work corner. Disregarded lockers are available at flea markets or second-hand stores. Or contact your local school district and find out if they have any rusting away in a warehouse! You could sleek it up by painting it in a great colour or leave it beaten up. It all depends on the rest of your space and your personal taste..

Or what about this shallow drawer system above? I would love the look of this piece in a modern interior. For those of you who like something more contemporary or whacky…., take a look at the bookcase below. It actually has a chair and stool incorporated in it. A real space saver.

If you need to save drawings or anything small and flat, I highly recommend the drawer system you see here in white and grey from Ikea. It is versatile, has a contemporary look and is easy to assemble. The price is just right.

Last but not least is the Gallant storage system from Ikea. I have to admit that Ikea has great designs. Fortunately the quality of their furniture has approved significantly over the years. This cabinet has either a rolling closure or sliding doors which require much less space in comparison to swing doors.

Rugs

If you do not have a specific room for your home office and you work out of a corner somewhere in your home, you can define your office space by placing a rug under your desk. I like how it defines the desk in this image.

Source: The Design Chaser

Two more examples of desks defined and anchored by a rug. I particularly like the animal skin under the large solid wood desk. Take your shoes off and rub your toetsies on that skin!

In the next article I will show you some special and not so special office accessories. So, stay tuned.

Photos without creditation: Pinterest