Small Desks for Small Spaces: How to Create an Organized Work Environment

Decorating, Organization

Having attractive, functional, small desks for small spaces is essential for so many people who either need to work or study at home, enabling you to focus on the task at hand instead of getting distracted while trying to work on the couch, bed, or kitchen table. In small homes, you might already have to sacrifice something else to squeeze in a tiny home office, so every small desk on this list is less than four feet wide.

This list of small desks is organized by price ranges, which will largely be impacted by the type and quality of the material used. Most high-end desk are made of solid, quality wood, which is expensive, so you’ll only find cheap, thin wood or other materials on some of the cheapest desks. As always, you get what you pay for, but also get what you will enjoy for years to come.

Small Desks for Less than $200

This IKEA desk is only about four feet wide, with the simple and affordable look associated with IKEA furniture. There are no drawers, but there are cable compartments for keeping the look uncluttered, and you can attach the storage area on either the right or left side. Plus, at less than $70, it’s hard to complain about much of anything, except, perhaps, that it needs to be mounted to the wall to hold steady. IKEA has many other small desks that might be appropriate, too.
Target’s pull-out laptop desk is a little less than three feet wide, with a center opening for holding a keyboard and mouse, and it is built with one drawer and two shelves. It can be pushed in to function as a console table when you aren’t using the desk. The material is laminate and wood composite, but the desk looks much more expensive than it is. Nickel drawer pulls complete the simple look.
If a sleek look and open surface area are all you need for your desk area, the Parsons mini desk from West Elm is only 30 inches wide, and has a single drawer that sits flush with the rest of the desk to make very clean lines all around. The desk comes in chocolate brown as well as a shiny white.

Small Desks for Less than $300

This desk from the Container Store is a little unusual-looking, but it gets definite points for space efficiency, allowing you to roll it out on wheels when you need the full desk space for using your laptop or paying the bills. Plus, it’s got tons of built-in storage to store little items that so easily get lost on other desks. It would also work well as a non-computer desk with all its little storage compartments, whether that’s paying the bills or doing a craft project.

This writing desk from Staples in antique black is less than three feet at its longest, and is solid wood with a very sturdy construction. The design is versatile enough to fit into many interiors and has one long drawer perfect for fitting a keyboard or other desk supplies into.

Small Desks for Less than $400

Crate and Barrel is known for sturdy yet elegant furniture, and this wooden desk with a deep top drawer and a legal-sized filing cabinet in the bottom drawer gets maximum points for both space efficiency and style. It’s a great work area for someone who doesn’t need to sit in front of the computer all day and will just be doing occasional work there. The rest of the time, you can keep the pull-out board retracted and use the glass-topped surface to display decorative pieces.

This espresso student desk and hutch from Home Styles is about 3 and a half feet wide, and comes with a short hutch for additional storage. The desk has two drawers and the hutch has two smaller drawers and cutouts for wire management, with silver hardware.

Small Desks Above $400

At $800, this solid hardwood desk from Pottery Barn has quality workmanship that will last decades. It’s only an inch over three feet wide, with a fold down writing and computing surface that hides the numerous drawers when the shelf is up. There are numerous cable holes in the back for electronics charging, telephone cords, and Ethernet cords. All the little details, including the pewter hardware, are lovely as well. It’s available in antique white or a mahogany stain.

The Pottery Barn Office Tower is only 29 inches wide, but over 6 feet tall, and it’s perfect for narrow nooks where you need lots of storage. The desk surface swings upward to lie flush with the rest of the piece when it’s not in use, clearing up floor space when not in use. It comes with multiple shelves and storage spaces, both hidden and open, and looks just like an armoire when the desk area is not down. It comes with cutouts for cords and a built-in 3-outlet power cord with surge protector.