The Best Desk/Workspace Ideas for Work + School at Home

While by now most of us have settled into a new normal with much of our school and work life happening at home, today I wanted to share the ideas I found for affordable desk and workspace options during our current home office overhauls (yes, plural!). You can read about our plans to switch everything around in my home projects post here.

As I mentioned, I accepted the fact that I needed to give up my pretty, feminine blush pink office so my husband had a quieter place to take work calls during the day. I am SO excited to show how that space is coming along next week. I went a bit out of my comfort zone with a dark and moody color scheme and I really love the contrast it adds in our mostly lighter home. I am just waiting on the new artwork to come in for the wall behind the desk but here is a sneak peak!

During this transition I spent a lot of time looking for desks to add to our spaces. We had to accept that this situation was more long-term than we initially hoped, but also that new desks were worth the investment for everyone’s comfort and sanity. Now both of my children and my husband have a dedicated, quiet, personalized workspace. It took some moving things around, but this new plan should work well for us for the near future.

Once I put the graphic together I realized how many of these desks we now have and those I can tell you about from personal experience, the others were my second choices but I have included them too.

Affordable Desk Options

I let my daughter select a new desk for her virtual schooling area and she immediately picked this white one from the Target Opalhouse line. It was less than $2oo, and great quality. It was also easy to assemble (which is another pet peeve of mine!) but all we had to do was add on the legs. This boho look fits her room perfectly.

This one above was our second choice though it was more my style than hers with the glam gold legs. It it is another good option especially if you like the gray tone (though it comes in white, blue and black too). If you sign up for rewards you can take 15% off right now, making this one about $250.

The new Studio McGee line came out at Target after I had ordered new desks but this writing desk would have been a contender if it had been available earlier. What I really like about this (in addition to the cane detail) is that it would be a perfect hallway console table if a desk use was no longer warranted. I love the black too. If you need something larger, they also have an executive desk option here.

This desk (above) is more traditional in style (which I loved) but also could be used as a desk or as a console table down the road. It is less than $200 and comes in black and white too. So many great options!

Above is the desk I settled on for my husband’s new office. This was not a surprise as I have had my eye on it for over a year. I like how this one is is essentially (decor) gender neutral and I think it could work in almost any space with its light wood tones. It was easy to put together, seems to be very good quality and again, you can save the 15% if you sign up for rewards.

I kept trying to justify getting myself a new desk (I mean, everyone else here was getting one!) and this one above was my top pick for me. The light wash on the wood evokes a French country style and this would transition well into a bedroom or other space down the road. I wound up keeping the desk I had in my office to use in my new workspace in our loft, but I still wanted to share this pretty option.

We have had this campaign style desk above now for several years so I am including it. I bought it for my oldest son’s room in the walnut finish several years ago. I have been really happy with it, so much so in fact I considered moving it into my husband’s office for him to use for the time being. My son is currently away at college but in these strange times he does have to do work while he’s home. Again, this one is great quality for the price.

This desk above is a great, inexpensive option I came across if you just need another workspace.

One thing I have noticed is how creative people have been in creating their workspaces in their home. I know not everyone has extra empty rooms around, but we very quickly learned that using the kitchen table for work or school created more trouble than it was worth. Have you seen the “cloffice”–when someone turns a closet into an office? Though even a formal dining room or living room makes a great option if you have those spaces.

Here are the quick links to all the options above~