Working From Home: Folding Desk for Small Spaces

Note: Click here to view the standing desk featured in this post. (The child’s desk was a vintage find.)

At the start of the new year, our 3 year old graduated from his folding baby/toddler desk to a proper kid’s desk. I patiently searched vintage and secondhand shops until I finally found the piece that best suited his needs, along with the the format of our home.

We eventually ended up with a vintage wooden desk + chair + chalkboard combo that folds up neatly, allowing it to slide behind our sideboard or be suspended from a wall. 

I liked the piece so much that I was determined to find something similar for myself. 

For years I’d had a dedicated desk, but we replaced it at the start of the Safer at Home order to help us simplify our main room and keep our small home better organized. (Full details on that here.)

I discovered an Etsy maker/shop that crafts clever folding tables of varying sizes, heights and formats - click here to view.

I selected their standing desk*, an original, handcrafted design that can be customized to accommodate specific heights. This is particularly helpful for me, as I’m 5’11” and I usually have to use a laptop riser on most standing desks.

(*Note that the shop appears to make everything to order, so they don’t always have all listings marked as available at all times, depending on their pending orders. I had to check back a couple of times before I was able to place an order for my desk.) 

This model has an optional lower shelf that can be slid on for a touch of extra storage and surface space without requiring any additional inches.

With or without the shelf, the lower bars are great for a footrest if, like me, you can’t stand up without pause for the entire work day.

My favorite thing about this piece is the ease with which it can be moved and set up, allowing me to work in the smallest pockets of our home, and anywhere outdoors.

For those struggling to work effectively from a small home-office during the pandemic, I shared some tips/lessons I’ve learned during my 12+ years of working full-time from tiny, multitasking spaces here.