If your office was a pirate ship, would you be more or less likely to slack off? The incredible offices of Inventionland design factory in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania look more like a theme park or movie sound stage than a workplace, keeping their employees inspired to come up with creative ideas of their own. Inventionland invents nearly 2,000 new items every year, putting out one product every three days.

The 70,000-square-foot space is divided into 16 different ‘sets’, each with a unique theme of its own. There’s a race track with a distinctive checkered pattern, elevated like a miniature arena, with the desks in the center. Caves provide peaceful work spaces for those who need isolation to perform at their best.

A massive castle has a sense of highly polished Disney-esque luxury, while a treehouse and a waterfall offer tranquil getaways of the sort most cubicle-dwellers only dream of.

Next Page - Click Below to Read More:
Inventionland Offices From Tree Houses To Race Tracks

Even if you’re really into minimalism, a desk should be much more than just a piece of waist-high furniture with a flat surface. With a clever design, a simple workspace can pack in a whole lot of function – and some are almost sculptural in appearance, making them an integral part of the look of a room. These 14 (more!) desks save space, integrate storage, provide privacy and adapt to your needs in surprising ways.

Desk Held Up by Blocks & Balloons

(images via: dezeen)

Heavy on one side, and light on the other – this playful desk for Dublin creative agency Boys and Girls is supported by heavy wooden Jenga-style blocks and balloons, which are actualy permanent hot air balloons made of strong rubber composite. The balloons are air-tight and will never degrade. Those aren’t ordinary ribbons, either – they’re reinforced with titanium. The project was conceived after a magazine write-up about the company called their reception area “small and routine.”

Privacy Desk: Time Flies by Lisa Frode

(image via:  lisa frode)

It’s hard to concentrate on any kind of project when you feel like you have no privacy. Industrial design graduate Lisa Frode has a solution: a tented desk, inspired by the curtains that can be used to divide airplane cabins to create private rooms. Called ‘Time Flies’, the desk design features a wooden frame and a zippered, removable canvas cover. Just imagine if a concept like this were extended to cubicle farms – you could futz around on Facebook, as your employer fears, or maybe become even more productive thanks to fewer distractions.

Surreal CEO Desk

(image via: dezeen)

Looking like a pixelated photo of an old-fashioned, Rococo table, this somewhat surreal desk by designers Staffan Holm and Johannes Tjernberg is supported by curving legs made up of small individual blocks. Entitled ‘CEO’, the desk is made of black enameled beech and MDF.The designers were inspired by the idea of mimicking the Rococo style using simple LEGO shapes.

Sleek & Simple Wall Desk by Raw Edges for Arco

(images via: dezeen)

This desk design wins big in both the space-saving and aesthetic departments. Design duo Raw Edges created the wall-mounted desk, which looks like an ordinary shelf when closed, but opens to reveal a flat work surface. When closed, it also forms a hidden storage compartment.

E.L.A. by Bozhinovski Design

(image via: elzadesign)

This space-age looking desk is suspended from the wall by steel cables. Bulgarian studio Bozhinovskidesign created the cantilevered E.L.A. desk using fiberglass, with a small storage compartment on the underside. “The idea was that the desk flies on the air, so we decided to build only two legs, and attached it with steel ropes from the wall.”

Woven Desk by Bram Vanderbeke

(images via: bram vanderbeke)

Here’s another desk that offers not just a flat workspace, but a private nook. ‘Woven’ by Belgium-based designer Bram Vanderbeke is reminiscent of both bird nests and basketry, made from thin strips of MDF.

Rotating Wooden Workspace

(image via: saule design)

What do you need from a desk? With this crazy rotating wooden design, you can get more than you ever imagined. Called the ‘Alice’, this desk rotates into and out of all kinds of positions. It can provide multiple workspaces,  and various platforms for all of the equipment and materials you need throughout the day. And when you’re done, it all swivels into a fairly compact little rectangle.

Land(e)scape:Topographic Storage Desk

(images via: design milk)

There are no screws, wood glue or any other kinds of fasteners or adhesives holding this desk together. The pieces are ‘stitched’ together using electrical cord, woven from one end of the desk’s ‘landscape’ to another. Entitled ‘Land(e)scape’, the design by French student Elodie Elsenberger features a caged lamp and various slits and pockets for papers and other supplies.

Snap-Together Modular Desk System

(images via: dornob)

If you need way more storage in your desk than the average person, maybe this modular workspace is for you. The Strates System from Mathieu Lehanneur is a stackable system of nesting modules that form work surfaces and storage areas.

Goggle: Sophisticated, Curved Office Desk

(images via: dornob)

The elliptical Goggle Desk is definitely a statement piece. This oval-shaped desk from Italian furniture manufacturer Babini is customizable with either a hollow center or cabinetry, and comes in a range of colors in glossy and matte finishes.

Egg-Shaped ‘ReWrite’ Desk by GamFratesi

(images via: apartment therapy)

Here’s yet another quiet and convenient little work pod offering a compact, private space that feels separate from the rest of a room without taking up valuable real estate. The ReWrite by GamFratesi is, according to the designers, “thought of as a kind of isolating working bubble, that can work as a satellite desk anywhere one can feel the need of concentration and shielding – in open office spaces, public spaces or at home.”

Curvilinear Desk by Eric Ritter

(Images via: Ritter furniture)

Modern furniture not to your taste? You might like this aesthetically pleasing wooden writing desk by Eric Ritter. The desk is made of pearwood and black walnut in a design that would be right at home in a hobbit house.

Wall Desk by Vurv Design Studio

(images via: vurv)

For people living in truly tiny spaces, whether wee houses, houseboats, mobile residents or super-compact apartments, a wall desk like this might just be the ultimate in office furniture. The design, by Vurv Studio, manages to fit lots of storage sized to fit standard letter-sized paper, and the flat work surface folds up.

Modern Steel Desk by Max Ingrand

(images via: minimalist home)

Designed in 1966, the Max Ingrand Desk still looks as fresh and modern as anything else that’s produced these days. It’s made from a single curved sheet of stainless steel.

Why settle for a cramped corner of a noisy house when your home office could be a separate unit tucked into the greenery of your backyard? Detached office modules, art studios, recording studios and other work spaces help keep the line between work and home life sharply delineated, but cut your commute down to mere steps. Modern and often modular, these 14 compact office designs fit into virtually any outdoor space, and they’re so good-looking, they practically function as yard art.

WorkPod by Ecospace

(image via: ecospacestudios)

Sleek and minimalist, the WorkPod by Ecospace architecture studio is a compact detached office with optional integrated work areas and storage systems. You can even configure your own customized pod in one of five different sizes, and choose the color of the exterior.

Blob VB3 by dmvA

(image via: dmva architecten)

From the outside, it looks like a dinosaur egg: it’s simply a white blob. But open that discreet door on the side and you’ll find an ultramodern studio space with lots of built-in niches for storage. It features a skylight and a front hatch that opens to let in air and additional sunlight. The appropriately named Blob V3 functions as a mobile guest house, portable backyard office or secondary library space.

Tetra Shed by Innovation Imperative

(images via: archdaily)

Looking like an architectural interpretation of Darth Vader’s helmet, the Tetra Shed is a geometric volume with flaps that open to provide a door and windows. A single unit is large enough to function as an office or guest room, and multiple units can be connected. The Tetra Shed is made of engineered timber, matte black rubber and birch faced plywood.

Banyan Treehouse by RPA

(images via: archdaily)

This luxurious modern studio and guest house sits above a live tree trunk in Nichols Canyon, Los Angeles, and pays tribute to the treehouse aesthetic with three stylized modern pillars that evoke natural branches. Rockefeller Partners Architects designed the detached unit for the eastern-facing ridge location, topping it off with an evocative butterfly-shaped roofline.

Sett Studio

(images via: settstudio.com)

The prefabricated Sett Studio can easily be unloaded from a truck and slid right into place in your backyard. With layouts ranging between 97 to 192 square feet, the Sett Studio is perfect for a fairly small office, art studio, yoga space or guest room that won’t require a building permit in most areas. It’s made of SIP (Structural Insulated Panel) technology, which is energy-efficient and reduces manufacturing waste.

Archipod

(image via: archipod.co.uk)

The perfectly round, shingle-covered Archipod is certainly an unusual structure to see in someone’s backyard. Designed to be garden decor as much as a functioning studio or workspace, the Archipod is a 9-foot-diameter sphere that is shipped in segments so it can easily be carried, piece by piece, through a house. Inside is a semi-circular desk, a skylight and a porthole-like round glass window.

Office Pod by Manuel Villa

(images via: cubeme.com)

Architects Manuel Villa and Alberto Gonzalez designed this office pod for a backyard in Bogota, Colombia. The polyhedron-shaped structure has a pine wood interior, a black exterior with a honeycomb pattern and a large teak deck. A wall of windows and a bubble-shaped skylight bring in lots of natural light.

Sustainsia Cocoon

(images via: sustainsia.com)

Looking somewhat like the bottom end of a guitar, the Sustainsia Cocoon is a curvy detached studio space with built-in furniture that requires users to bring in nothing more than a chair and personal items. A bench can pull out into a futon bed, and overhead lift-open cabinets have doors that continue into the curving contour of the ceiling. The table pulls down like a Murphy bed, saving space when not in use.

Generation Design Studio

(image via: generation design studio)

Generation Design Studio created this ‘tiny house’ for a backyard in Portland, Oregon. Built from an old greenhouse foundation, the 198-square-foot structure is made from mostly recycled glass and lumber, and has custom-built cedar doors and windows.

OfficePOD

(images via: officepod.co.uk)

Another totally transportable, self-contained backyard working space is the OfficePod. The modular design makes it easy to move and assemble, and a rolling wooden facade enables it to be opened to the outdoors. A top-quality locking system ensures that valuables inside are protected. Built and delivered, the whole OfficePod comes out to about $24,000. Features include an integrated desk, built-in storage, LED lighting and window blinds.

Log Cabin Recording Studio by Piet Hein Eek

(image via: pietheineek.nl)

It’s anything but a traditional log cabin. In fact, when the window awnings are down, Piet Hein Eek’s recording studio looks like nothing more than a stack of logs. Cleverly camouflaged, the studio looks incredibly rustic from the outside but features a bright white interior.

Prefab Origin Design Studio

(images via: blu homes)

Prefab manufacturer Blu Homes offers a range of detached office/studios called The Origin Series, available in three sizes ranging from 24 to 48 feet long. Simple rectangular structures with lots of windows, the Origin structures come in a choice of floor plans that include mother-in-law apartments, media rooms, artist studios and even entire two-bedroom homes.

Garden Studio by in.it.studios

(images via: design milk)

The Garden Office Studio by in.it.studio is a backyard office with all of the comforts of home, including insulation, double-glazed windows and an optional bathroom. With enough room inside for two people to work, the studio boasts floor-to-ceiling glass that undoubtedly inspires a whole lot of nature gazing. It’s built from sustainably sourced timber using environmentally friendly construction methods and there’s no PVC anywhere on the structure, including in the rain gutter.

Modular Home Office by Stephen Meir

(images via: coroflot)

This modular ‘office shed’ by designer Stephen Meir takes just “one day, two people, three tools” to put together. The office arrives in what look like slices of the whole, which snap together in any configuration you like, in either a straight or curving line depending on how you align them. A rubber seal between each component creates a watertight seal.

With so much time spent in front a computer, your workstation becomes a big part of your life. Some people go for straight out luxury for work or play. Others people are more concerned with gaming or home theaters, while others need a space-saving workstation. Here are 16 high-tech workstations, or design concept workstations, to enhance your working or playing computer experience.

Globus Workstation

(image credits: The Design Blog)

Globus is a molded plastic globe on wheels. It opens to provide seating space in one half and a small adjustable table that functions as a worktable in the other half. The Globus space-saving workstation was meant for small home or office spaces. This workstation comes in a variety of colors.

Coffee Office Workstation

(image credits: dvice)

The Coffee Office workstation might make your cramped cubicle at work seem downright roomy. Designed in the shape of a coffee mug, the inside houses a touchscreen computer, space for your laptop, built-in speaker, and a spot for coffee. This workstation concept is aimed at 2020 when work spaces will be even more crowded. Designer Lucas Vieira intends for these workstations to be located in places with a large influx of businessmen and executives.

Flower Bud Workstation

(image credits: tuvie)

This Flower Bud workstation design concept is aimed at any age and any gender. Designer Won Shik Yu intends to offer comfort and privacy with this adjustable workstation. Both sections slide together into a condensed shell when this workstation environment is not in use.

Corner V1 Workstation

(image credits: Born Rich)

The Vision One (V1) workstation is intended to improve music, gaming, home theater, and working experience. The feet and elbow supports pivot. This adjustable workstation comes in a variety of colors and other upgrades. The most popular upgrade is to a Porsche seat that can have up to 12 functions including power lumbar controls and heat.

Mac-Powered Organic Workstation

(image credits: Teche Blog)

If clutter annoys you, then perhaps you might like the Mac-Powered Organic Workstation? With ergonomics in mind, it features an adjustable seat, monitor, and keyboard for increased productivity. There’s no room to have a messy or unorganized desk with this workstation.

Walkstation : WorkSpace Treadmill

(image credits: Born Rich)

If comfy seats are not for you, then perhaps you would like to burn off fat as you work? The Walkstation offers an electric height-adjustable worksurface along with a low-speed treadmill. Few workstations offer the opportunity to stay fit while you work. However, it would make gaming a real challenge.

Rizki Tarisa’s Go Workstation

(image credits: techfemina)

Rizki Tarisa’s Go workstation is a design concept all about the chair. A winner of the Ideation Award 2010, this multi-functional chair harnesses human pedal-power to juice up electronic devices. This concept furniture is a lounge chair, an exercise bike, a workstation, and a desktop, all integrated in a single unit.  The user generates green energy by pedaling the bike.

Young Explorer Workstation

(image credits: dvice)

Young Explorer workstation by Little Tikes could be baby’s first workstation . . . if you cough up $2,600 and want your baby to experience cubicle life. It comes with a 160GB hard drive, a 19-inch screen, and even Internet connection capabilities. The computer goes in the back and blinder-like wings might improve focus and productivity like a tiny cubicle for a child. The keyboard, mouse, and pre-loaded software are supposed to be kid friendly and durable.

Study Bed Workstation

The Study Bed is aimed at dorm students with limited space. It converts from a workstation desk to a bed. It comes as either a single, double, or king size Murphy bed style. When sleeping, the computer is under the bed at floor level. This bed/desk workstation combo costs about $1,859 with no upgraded color or wood options.

Battle-Rig Pro

(image credits: Born Rich)

The Battle-Rig Pro can be a workstation or slick setup for gamers. With the user centered right in the middle, everything is within easy reach. It comes in a variety of colors and the compartments can be a customized. If ever it would need moved, it breaks down into three pieces for transport.

Supine Workstation

(image credits: coroflot)

Designer Alan Harp created this concept workstation for computer users who suffer from neck strain. The Supine Workstation allows the user to easily move from a upright to a supine position by simply shifting their weight in the direction desired.

MIW: My Individual Workstation

(image credits: The Design Blog)

My Individual Workstation (MIW) by designer Zeynep Altmisoglu is inspired by a desire to fulfill the “the needs of the industrial product design students.” Her next-gen workstation concept has been designed to provide multiple work surfaces for the industrial product design students. It is Bluetooth enabled so the student can present his project from the ease of this chair. The wheels make it transportable and it can be used for drawing, lounging, or splitting the seat in two for student and professor.

Office Organix ErgoQuest 500

(image credits: Born Rich)

Are there days when you need to work but don’t wish to get out of bed? If so, then the ErgoQuest workstation might be worth considering. The height adjustable workstation is designed for standing, seated, or supine work positions. The work surface has a motorized monitor tilt platform, keyboard tray and arm which allows the tray to tilt through 90°. It provides a range of positions for use in a reclined mode. The table holds up to 400 pounds of equipment from 31° to 50° angles with the push of a button.

Aura Workstation

(image credits: Born Rich)

The Aura workstation provides luxury for the user. Aura offers a 7-way adjustable seating system with inflatable and deflatable cushions, an electronically filtered air-flow atmosphere, a lighting system that reduces eye stain, and a rotation feature that avoids glare. Aura can be programmed to rotate 120° over eight hours.

Gravitonus Workstation

(image credits: gravitonus)

The Gravitonus workstation keeps the user in the most ergonomically optimized position at all times. It features three displays, built-in LED lighting, air conditioning, as well as zone heating of the user’s body. It also has a 5.1 sound system and a subwoofer integrated into the seat back to add a sensation effect. It can be adapted for quadriplegics so that a control unit is placed in the mouth, allowing for breathing, drinking, talking, smoking, and controlling. The price tag is $7,000.

The Emperor Workstation

(image credits: novelquest)

The king of luxury workstations is by far The Emperor 200. Unless nature calls, you would never need to leave this workstation.  The Emperor comes with reclining Recaro seats, three 19 inch monitors, HEPA filters, touchscreen controls, a web cam, and optional PS3.  It rotates 360°, has LED lighting, and a BOSE 5.1 surround sound system. If you aren’t sitting, please do so before sticker shock knocks you down. The Emperor 200 costs $39,950.