February 16, 2024

Hidden Home Offices

Need a home office space? This round-up features multifunctional furniture that not only works well but looks good too. Yayaya

Working from home is all fun and games (more flexibility, less commuting, and no need for “hard pants”) until you realise you need to find a place for your computer monitor or laptop. Up until a few years ago, many home designs did not need to account for the space for a home office, but nowadays it’s on many peoples’ “must-have” list. A small footprint can up the complexity of effective home office design; not only do you need to find a space to put it, you may also need to find a way to trick yourself into believing it's not there (at least during off hours).

Writing:

Kate Kolberg

Photography:

Custom Joinery

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Murphy Desk

Office

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This Paris apartment features a Murphy desk inside of a built-in cabinet.

Mini Murphy Desks

With only 25sqm/269sqft to work with, architect and engineer Marlice Alfera of Maaxi made clever use of each nook and cranny of her cosy Paris apartment. Alfera managed to zone the space through tricks such as the shoji-inspired panelling around her bed as well as an enclosed floor-to-ceiling storage unit with a drawer that folds down into a desk. The discreet desk allows Alfera to hide away any office clutter when she is using the space to relax or entertain.

Images by Marion Péhée and Never Too Small

It is obvious with just one look at the stylish Paris home of architect Jean-Malo Le Clerc and his partner Victor that they would not be satisfied with balancing their laptop on top of a stack of books on the dining table. The apartment’s aesthetic is considered and cohesive with accent furniture and curved tile walls. Amid this sleek design, Le Clerc mounted a floating stainless steel cupboard onto the tiled wall by the dining table, which opens to reveal a retractable desk for when one of them is working from home. The unit matches a similar one in the entryway and is nicely balanced by the beige polished concrete of the floors.

Images by Juan Jerez Studio and Never Too Small

Behind Closed Doors

Architect Alexander Symes describes this passive home in Wollongong, Australia, as a “24-hour building”, operating by day as the office for the home’s owner and builder Adam Souter, and by night as a relaxing retreat. To allow the day-to-night conversion of this sustainable space, Symes and Souter created a joinery made of Paperock, a fully recyclable paper-based cellulose material, which conceals the comfortable office space behind a set of two pocket doors. The same material carries on throughout the kitchen and is in great harmony with the natural feeling throughout the space, which was designed around a 60-year-old pepper tree.

For this 27sqm/291sqft studio apartment in Sydney, industrial and interior designer Nicholas Gurney achieved a minimalist aesthetic by concealing all of its functional elements into a single joinery unit along the wall. Along with sleeping, cooking, and storage space is a substantial workspace designed for the client who works from home full time but also wants to shut off from work at the end of the day. A simple sliding panel transforms the room for the evening by closing off the office niche and revealing the Murphy bed.

Images by Kat Lu

The versatile Melbourne home of architect Jack Chen of Tsai Design is an exemplar of multifunctional design with its bespoke built-in furnishings. Both a living room and an office, Chen wanted the elements for each function to be able to appear and disappear when needed. The workstation is entirely contained in the floor-to-ceiling corner cabinet in the living room: a mirrored cupboard holds a lamp as well as an extendable, arm-mounted computer monitor, while a large tabletop folds up and down from the front. Chen’s office chair can also be lowered into a lounge seat for watching TV from within the very same cabinet.

Hidden in Plain Sight

It is incredible how much Nina Tolstrup and Jack Mama’s of Studiomama managed to fit into this tiny 13sqm apartment in London. In addition to the bed, dining table, and built-in sofa, the duo added a standing desk that pulls out from the storage unit to allow some extra space to do a bit of work from home.

The waterfront home of designer Koen Fraijman features a lot of DIY projects, including a pink timber storage cabinet that was made by painting and combining three Ivar IKEA cabinets. In addition to the added storage, the unit offers a hidden desk by way of a slide-out table top.

Watch now: Kloedenstraße, Berlin

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A section of the kitchen and dining room ceiling has been lowered, creating an oval cutout at its centre and a recessed shelf around its perimeter—ideal for both housing pot plants and concealing an air conditioning unit. The lowered section, made from wood, contrasts with the white painted void above it and mimics the oval shape of the table beneath it to neatly demarcate the dining space. This is reminiscent of a spotlight on a main stage, amplified by the pendant lamp dangling from above.

Upon entering, there is an immediate sense of refreshment. Thanks to the glass panels and an open-plan layout, panoramic views can be seen from the front door. The entrance itself is painted a rich dark green, the colour seamlessly flowing into the bedroom to create a clear visual link.

A warm wooden palette with pops of green runs throughout the space, along with moody shades of black and grey that contrast with minimalistic white walls—much like the colours in Apartment Andradas, Porto Alegre.

At the entrance, the architects created a custom-designed wall shelf unit made from Cumaru wood veneer, a golden brown hardwood originating from South America. This unit wraps around a corner, transforming into a study desk with floating shelves on either side, creating a versatile space for work, storage, and hobbies.

Kitchen & Living

A section of the kitchen and dining room ceiling has been lowered, creating an oval cutout at its centre and a recessed shelf around its perimeter—ideal for both housing pot plants and concealing an air conditioning unit. The lowered section, made from wood, contrasts with the white painted void above it and mimics the oval shape of the table beneath it to neatly demarcate the dining space. This is reminiscent of a spotlight on a main stage, amplified by the pendant lamp dangling from above.

All that remained from the terrace door removal was a support pillar, clad in mirrors on all sides to make it simultaneously disappear in the space while also appearing larger and brighter. It also serves as an anchor for a bar-height table that accommodates up to six people, turning the multi-purpose space into an informal breakfast nook, amongst other uses.

By substituting two existing walls with bi-fold doors that intersect with sliding panels, the whole space is immediately more flexible. When open, the dining and living rooms are one generous, open-plan space and when closed, each space becomes more private and intimate and a guest room is available as needed. To enhance a sense of intimacy in this hybrid living room/guest bedroom and the master bedroom, warm hardwood was selected for the floors, starkly contrasting with the cool concrete floor of the entrance, dining room, and terrace.

Writing:

Kate Kolberg

Photography:

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