Small Desks: How to set up a home office in a small space

So you need to work from home, but you don't have a spare room for a home office? A small desk may well be the answer you've been looking for!

According to data from nmhc.org, almost 16% of Americans live in apartments. If you're one of the 53 million apartment dwellers in the US, you'll undoubtedly be aware that the average size of an apartment is only 882 sq. ft.

That's not a lot of room to play with if you want to set up a home office in your living space that's ergonomic, functional, and an inspiring place to do your best work.

But is it impossible to get your small home office to tick all those boxes? Not at all!

The foundation of any great small home office space will be your desk, and in this article, we'll guide you through choosing the best desk for small spaces and how to set up your small home office to maximize your dedicated workstation area to best effect.

Ready to do this? Let's talk about functional desks for small spaces...

Checklist: Small desks for the home office

✅ Ergonomic/height adjustable - Just because your space is small, doesn't mean it can't be comfortable. Having the ability to adjust the height of your desk is crucial to obtaining an ergonomic home desk setup.

✅ Space-efficient - A standing desk can be a sensible & space-efficient choice, as many of the best small standing desks on the market are compact and make clever use of vertical space.

✅ Customizable - Customizing your desk with accessories or add-on modules increases the functionality of a small desk and can optimize the space you have.

✅ Sitting and standing - Studies have shown that those who used workstations that were set up for regular position changes showed increased focus and were more productive than their colleagues who remained seated for their entire workday.

✅ Packs down flat - Being able to pack your small desk away for easy storage under a bed or sofa when it's not in use is super helpful when you've set up your home office in multi-use spaces such as bedrooms and living areas.

First things first; ergonomics

When choosing a desk for your small space, you want to ensure that the small desks you're looking at are height adjustable.

Having the ability to adjust the height of your desk is crucial to obtaining an ergonomic home desk setup.

Poor ergonomics can literally end up being a pain in the neck!

Bad posture that comes with slumping or hunching over a desk can cause musculoskeletal disorders resulting in numbness, sharp pain, tingling, and tension migraines.

In addition to the physical impact that poor working posture will have on your body, it can also negatively impact your mood, energy levels, focus, and productivity.

You might find a small space desk that's cute and that's also the right size for your space, but if you can't adjust it for ergonomic comfort, it won't be a great small office desk for the long term.

So really, the key point to remember is not to sacrifice your ergonomic comfort for a small computer desk just because it's the right size and it looks nice.

The good news is that you don't have to conform your body to fit your small desk.

With a WFH Desk or a WFH Sitting Desk, they provide a compact, space-efficient and highly-functional workspace that's also height-adjustable.

Added bonus? They're super stylish too!

You don't have to sacrifice your ergonomic comfort for a small desk.

What about a small standing desk?

Standing desks have grown in popularity over recent years. They can be a sensible choice, especially if you're living in an apartment, as many of the best small standing desks on the market are compact and make clever use of vertical space.

We've all heard that sitting is 'the new smoking'. A standing desk encourages you to achieve more movement while working, which is better for your physical and mental health.

Studies have shown that those who used workstations that were set up for regular position changes showed increased focus and were more productive than their colleagues who remained seated for their entire workday.

The standing desk benefits are real, and the good news is that they come in a range of sizes and styles, so it is possible to find the best small standing desk for you.

Just remember that you'll need a small adjustable standing desk.

Some standing desk options are electronic so you can adjust the height of your desk at the touch of a button. Others require manual adjustment, meaning it's not as easy to change the desk from a sitting to a standing working position and vice versa.

A WFH Desk is a wooden standing desk and requires manual height adjustment; however, unlike some other small standing desks available, the WFH Desk can be set up for work sitting or standing, plus it has a full-size desktop.

This makes the WFH Desk a great choice if you want a space-efficient computer desk for small spaces but you don't want to compromise on your workspace's functionality.

The WFH Desk is a compact and ergonomic small desk that can be set up to work standing.

How to maximize the utility of your small desk for small spaces

The ability to customize your small desk can help you create a small home office space that goes from zero to hero.

Customization can help improve the ergonomics of your small desk setup by ensuring the things you need to get the job done are within reach and can be comfortably accessed.

Say for example, you wanted two monitors plus a laptop as part of your small home desk setup. That sounds like a lot of gear to incorporate, but if you have a desk that's customizable, it's easy to create your ideal setup.

With a WFH Desk, adding a Top Shelf plus a Laptop Lifter Wing would free up your desktop space and easily accommodate your monitors and your laptop.

This makes it super easy to create a small home office space that's practical and best suited to your home and how you like to work.

Being able to connect modules to your desk also makes it possible to create a small corner computer desk with storage or an l shaped desk for your small space.

Customization brings a whole host of possibilities for your home office, increasing the sustainability of your desk investment by ensuring you can future-proof your workstation with the ability to add or remove modules and accessories depending on how your home and/or work changes.

A small desk with customization possibilities increases the functionality of your workspace.

Making a home office work in multi-function spaces

If your home office area is in a shared space such as the living room or a bedroom, the advantages of having a small desk are obvious.

Something else to consider would be having the ability to quickly and easily pack your desk down for storage under a sofa or bed when it's not in use.

The WFH Desk was designed as a piece of flat-pack furniture with this specific idea in mind. With most people not having a spare room to dedicate for a home office, a small desk that is still large enough for you to have all the room you need to do your work, but that also packs down flat when not in use, can be a game-changer for working from the same place that you live.

In addition to being able to easily pack your small desk away at the end of the day or workweek, the aesthetic of the desk is important if it's going to be in your home.

No one wants an ugly piece of office furniture hanging out in their living room.

With its unique, minimalist style, the WFH Desk blends in well with your existing home furnishings, no matter what the decor.

There's also a range of color finishes to choose from, making it easy to create both an attractive and inspiring place to work at home that won't stick out like a sore thumb.

Plus, with the cable management tray, you'll be able to keep all those ugly cords hidden out of sight.

Where to buy a small computer desk

When you shop for a desk from the Work From Home Desks range, you have the option to either purchase a WFH Desk or WFH Sitting Desk on their own and to add your own choice of modules or accessories if needed.

Alternatively, we've also curated a selection of small desk bundles that include a desk and specific accessories we believe would suit different types of work.

You can check out the small desk bundle collection by clicking here.

We hope that this article has given you some helpful advice on selecting the best small work from home desk for you.

If you have any questions regarding our range of work from home desks and accessories, don't hesitate to get in touch with our customer services team who are super friendly and always happy to help!