Small Desks: How to Make the Most of Limited Space

In small apartments, a desk rarely has its own room. It ends up in a corner of the bedroom, in a nook in the living room, or against the wall of a wide hallway. And that’s when the question shifts from “Which desk is prettier?” to “Which one fits without taking up the whole room?”

This guide covers the actual minimum dimensions, the best layouts, and storage solutions that allow you to work comfortably in a small space without giving up a solid-wood desk.

What are the dimensions of a small desk?

The most common mistake in small spaces is to look for the smallest desk possible. Below a certain size, the desk is no longer suitable for working and becomes little more than a shelf.

Here are some practical guidelines: A width of 100 to 120 cm is a comfortable range for a laptop, plus some writing space on one side. A depth of 50 to 55 cm is the minimum to ensure your elbow doesn’t extend beyond the edge of the desk while typing, and it’s also the depth that allows you to place the desk flush against the wall without blocking the room’s walkway. If the depth is less than 45 cm, the screen will be too close to your eyes.

There's one detail that's often overlooked: the space the chair needs when you pull it back. Leave 60 to 70 cm in front of the desk, or you'll end up bumping into the bed every time you get up.

A desk in the bedroom: the most common location

Placing a desk in the bedroom is the most common solution in small apartments, and it works well if two conditions are met. The first is orientation: ideally with natural light coming from the side, and never with your back to the door if you can help it. The second is visual separation from the sleeping area, even if it’s minimal.

The best trick is to position the desk along one side of the bed—not directly across from it—and use the bed itself as a transition between the two areas. If your bedroom is particularly small, we have a guide dedicated to decorating a small bedroom with more layout ideas.

Making the Most of a Nook or Corner

In terms of usable floor space per square meter, a corner is the best possible location for a desk in a small apartment: it makes use of two walls that would otherwise go unused and leaves the center of the room uncluttered.

With a standard rectangular table, the best way to make good use of a corner is to place the short side against one wall and the long side against the other, with the space for the table legs facing toward the interior of the room. That space on the side under the tabletop, next to the wall, is the natural spot for a wastebasket, a chest of drawers, or a storage box.

Dual-purpose desks: vanity and work desk

In a small bedroom, a piece of furniture that serves two purposes is worth twice as much. A desk with a narrow top and a shallow drawer works just as well as a vanity, and that dual function justifies the space it takes up much better than a single-purpose piece of furniture.

This solution is especially useful when working from home is occasional—just a few hours a week—and it doesn't make sense to set aside permanent space for a workstation that's rarely used. You can check out the options in our collection of wooden desks.

Vertical Storage: The Solution to a Lack of Space

In a small space, anything that doesn't fit on the desk has to go up the wall. A tall, narrow bookshelf takes up a fraction of the floor space of a low cabinet and holds the same number of books, file folders, and supplies.

A good rule of thumb is to keep the countertop clear for items you use every day and store everything else at eye level: frequently used items between one meter and one meter sixty, and items you check occasionally above that. For narrow spaces, a collection of tall, narrow shelves offers the most space-saving options; if you’d prefer to keep the floor completely clear, wall-mounted shelves are the way to go.

The Chair in Tight Spaces

In a small space, the chair must meet a requirement that is irrelevant in a spacious office: it must be able to slide completely under the desk when not in use. This rules out many models with high armrests and makes chairs without casters more practical, because they don’t move on their own or leave marks on the floor in a space where people are constantly walking by.

The complete criteria for selection, height, cushioning, and upholstery are in our guide to wooden desk chairs.

Five Common Mistakes in Small Spaces

• Choose the narrowest table in the catalog. If the depth is less than 45 cm, the table is no longer suitable for everyday use.
• Don't measure how far the chair slides back. The desk fits, but the chair hits the bed or the door.
• Fill up the storage shelf. Boxes and organizers on the table take up exactly the space we needed.
• Place the table in front of a window. Backlighting on the screen is much more tiring than it seems at first.
• Avoid solid wood because of its size. Solid oak is also available in small sizes, and in a small room, the furniture is always in plain sight.

If the space issue affects the entire house—not just the workspace—we have some comprehensive ideas in our tips for furnishing a small home.