The typical desk design has remained the same for centuries, but we need these surfaces to do more – like incorporate our gadgets, offer privacy in loud offices, fit into our homes, fold up to take on the go or offer proper space for our cat overlords. Maybe even all of these things at once.  These designs are more than just a flat slab on legs, adapting to 21st century standards in all sorts of different ways.

Turia Table by Maxime Mellot Incorporates Nature

“Can we admire nature and put it in a cage?” says Maxime Mellot of his own design, this curious desk inspired by a park in the city of Valencia, Spain. “Turia participates in the debate, and forces the user to divert his attention, from his own person to live animals, requiring care and benevolence. In a society focused on performance and permanent connection to the internet, pure moments of privacy become rare and precious. But how can furniture invite us to take a break, drink a tea or have a snack and help us to enjoy this specific disconnected moment? My project tends to merge the universe of nature and relaxation, by combining iconic items such as bird cage and fish tank in an interactive way.”

Koloro-Desk by Torafu Architects

The interior of the Koloro-desk by Torafu Architects is like a cheerful miniature house with its very own operable windows, so you can lean inside to read, work, sketch or nap and feel a sense of disconnection from the world just outside its little walls. The two flip-out windows on either side offer shelves for drinks and other objects, and there’s even a skylight.

Oxymoron Desk by Anna Lotova

Shove stationery, pens and other item between the two little cushions under the surface of Anna Lotova’s Oxymoron Desk. The name comes from the unlikely pairing of materials. The cushion sandwich even lets you slide a piece of plywood inside to create a side table.

“We have to change our behavior, plan and think of work with a different mindset: no matter where an office is situated, it has to have a space it can call its own, identifiable, alterable, on a human scale, with its own history and objects, an enjoyable environment,” says Lotova.

CATable by Hao Ruan

Do you have a persistent feline companion who gets a little jealous of your computer or books when you’re working? This clever table by Hao Ruan of LYCS Architecture doubles as cat furniture, with the underside full of comfy curving hollows and tunnels for your cat friend to hide in.

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Work Smarter 12 Modern Desks Reinvent The Standard Surface

City dwellers are making do with smaller and smaller spaces these days, but that doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice style and function. From bathroom fittings that clamp onto a towel bar to luggage-like portable kitchens and even furniture that folds down as small as a notebook, these 12 clever designs for compact spaces make the most of the limited square footage that tiny apartments have to offer.

Bathroom in a Box

Inspired by the cabins on ships, this wooden all-in-one bathroom design looks like a wardrobe when it’s closed, but opens to reveal a sink, mirror, towel holders, drawers and shelves for all of your toiletries. It’s small enough to fit inside most standard bathrooms, so the only other items you need are a toilet and shower.

Simplify: Flexible Bathroom Fittings

A space-saving set that’s easy to adapt to virtually any existing bathroom, the ‘Simplify’ set by Groupworks slots small accessories onto a special towel bar to keep them up out of the way. There’s a soap dish, a vessel for small items like rings, and a larger box that can hold toothbrushes and combs.

Make the Most of Balcony Space

Even apartment dwellers who are lucky enough to get access to a balcony usually don’t have enough space for tables and chairs, planters and clothes drying racks all at once. The ’Sigh’ set by Spanish designer Pola Clapés is made specifically for such small outdoor spaces and includes tables in three sizes, a three-tier hanging planter and a clothesline, all of which easily hook onto a standard railing.

Luggage-Like Modular Kitchen Set

Literally any space with plumbing and a bathroom can become a studio apartment with the addition of the ‘Gali’ module by designer Ana Arana, which makes most basic kitchen functions portable. Four luggage-like modules come together to offer an induction cooktop, refrigerator, sink, drawers and a combination prep/dining table. The idea is that single people who do minimal cooking can just take their kitchen with them from one living space to another, and don’t have to sacrifice precious square footage for functions they don’t need.

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Smart Style For Small Spaces 12 Compact Sets Modules

When it comes to aesthetics, offices tend to get the short end of the stick. They often seem like an afterthought, filled with drab, purely utilitarian furniture that doesn’t exactly inspire creative thinking. These 12 modern, clever and sometimes wacky office interiors and desk designs are the antithesis of boring corporate cubicles, serving as stimulating backdrops perfect for brainstorming sessions.

Space-Saving Home Office Desk & Storage

When you need plenty of organization but are short on space, a combination desk/shelving system with a small footprint is ideal. Consisting of a single strip of curved wood that serves as a desk, bookshelf and modern art piece, this unusual design by MisoSoup is sleek, multifunctional and perfect for apartments, condos and dorms.

Completely Cardboard Office Interior

Cardboard may not seem like the ideal choice of material with which to build an entire office space, but it has been proven surprisingly strong and aesthetically pleasing at the innovative offices of Amsterdam advertising firm Nothing Agency. From each office nook to the coffee table in the waiting area, nearly every element in the building is constructed from this inexpensive material, which also serves as a canvas upon which to sketch creative ideas.

All-in-One Inverted Cubicle

There are three ways in which we work, relax and interact in an office environment: social/interactive, functional/focused and casual/private. That’s the idea that designers o4i used to create this thoughtful all-in-one desk concept, providing a standing area at which to present ideas and communicate with others, a desk at which to sit and work, and a relaxing lounging space in which to dream up new ideas.

Matte Black Vintage to Modern Office Makeover

This office full of upcycled vintage furniture proves that when in doubt, spray painting a less than beautiful item black can work wonders. Flea market and garage sale finds that would have looked like a jumble of mismatched objects are suddenly modern and unified, especially when juxtaposed with the white of the room’s floors, walls and ceiling.

DIY Modular Custom Offices

If you buy a home without the necessary space to house an office, adding a custom modular extension can be the perfect solution – especially when it’s easy enough to DIY. This outdoor ‘office shed’, designed by Stephen Meir, consists of a modular system of parts that can be configured to create a modern office space in a variety of shapes according to your needs.

Liquid-Cooled Computer & Desk Combo

For the tech geek that loves to disassemble electronics just to gaze lovingly at their inner workings, this combined computer-and-desk designed and built by Popular Mechanics might just be the ultimate in office furniture. Each part is illuminated by LED lights and surrounded by clear laser-cut acrylic, cooled by fans and liquid.

Creative Custom Steampunk Office

Colorful and undeniably unique, this custom steampunk-inspired office space created for Three Rings certainly doesn’t skimp on intricate artistic details but was surprisingly inexpensive to bring to life. Equipped with the requisite gears and cephalopods, this office even has a video game area with a gigantic squid-shaped couch boasting 20-foot-long tentacles.

Ultramodern Desk Chair Design Set

When designers set out to create ultra-minimalist furniture, they must come up with creative ways in which to balance form and function. This Omega desk-and-chair set by Atomare is carefully engineered for comfort, visual appeal and ease of use, with convenient storage space below the desk’s surface that eliminates the need for drawers.

Cars Converted to Luxurious Desks

While the usefulness of working headlights, hazard lights and a horn is debatable, these custom car desks created from Mini Coopers are a car enthusiast’s dream. Buyers can choose between leather, wood, metal or colored vinyl for the desktop and even the car itself can be painted to match the space it’s intended for. And, while they aren’t cheap, these made-on-demand desks have a smaller price tag than one would expect, clocking in under $5,000.

Disney Store’s Playful Headquarters

With giant honeycombs that act as storage and room dividers and a meeting space with a building-block wall that can be disassembled and turned into seating, this is a fun and colorful office space fit for a children’s toy company. Designed by Clive Wilkinson, the former warehouse now acts as the vast, playful headquarters of the Disney Store.

Modern Portable Rolltop Desk

Steel and pale-colored wood combine to give the rolltop desk a modern makeover, with a compact curvilinear shape and wheels for portability. Designed by Mebelux, this lightweight desk is perfect for small office spaces with a modern aesthetic, closing to hide clutter and easily rolling into the corner when necessary.

Sleek Organizing Desk for the Perpetually Messy

Can you get away with being messy, yet somehow organized at the same time? This clever desk design allows a sort of controlled chaos with nooks and crannies in which to store items that would otherwise be scattered across the desktop or shoved into drawers.