The definition of a “home office” has gotten pretty flexible in the last few years. Especially with the shift towards wireless devices and telecommuting, even people without traditional work-from-home jobs are finding themselves in need of a workspace for those days they don’t make it to the office. The good news is, home office desks are evolving, too. Newer desks are not only more laptop and tablet friendly, but also more forgiving for home offices that don’t have a whole room worth of dedicated space. Extendable desks go a step further, sliding open to create a larger workstation when you need it and folding shut to take up less space on your days off.
What Are Extendable Desks?
Extendable desks come in a lot of different styles and shapes, but what they all have in common is that they come in two pieces that are attached with a pivot hinge, a sliding glider, or some other connecting piece that allows the two parts to change position in relation to each other. For example, many extendable desks consist of a simple rectangular work surface attached to a low bookshelf. Folded out, it’s a perfect full length or corner desk, but tucked away it’s a completely inconspicuous bookshelf.
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What’s The Benefit Of Extendable Desks?
On the simplest level, extendable desks are great for people who don’t have the space for a dedicated home office but need a usable desk space from time to time. The bookshelf-plus-desk design lets your desk sit inconspicuously in just about any room in your home and is still useful even off hours. You probably won’t be able to leave your work out on your desk, but folded open these desks provide ample workspace if you need to spread out your paperwork.
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How Much Space Do Expendable Desks Take Up?
How much space an extendable desk will take up depends a little on how you plan to use it, but the beauty is, you’ve got options. If you have a lot of wall space, you can easily leave your desk stretched out all the time. Ditto for a corner desk; a desk that’s left unfolded 24/7 won’t take up much more space than one that’s folded, or than a similar standard bookshelf. If you’re really crunched for space, though, and don’t want to leave a little patch of your wall unadorned just so you can open a desk flush against it, extendable desks can easily be made to swing out into the middle of the room.
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That’s the real beauty of extendable desks: while you wouldn’t want to leave them like that 24/7, when you need to, you can use the whole area around the desk as your workspace without disrupting your surrounding decor. Folded up, these desks are totally inconspicuous. When extended, they give you both ample workspace and lots of elbow room, so you can really settle in and get some work done. Better still, afterwards you can stow everything away so it will look like you were never there.
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Why Not An Ordinary Corner Or Laptop Desk?
To be fair, if you’re trying to sneak a home office into a small amount of space, there are desks out there that are more petite. That said, while it’s entirely possible to find a very very small desk, it’s hard to find a small desk that doesn’t look like a desk. Utilitarian desks are just that: utilitarian, with a minimalist look and feel that’s a lot more college computer lab than you probably want for your living room. Extendable desks look and feel more like furniture, and because they’re by nature multi-purpose, they’re an addition to your living space that’s both useful and beautiful.
If you’re looking for a full-sized, usable work desk that will blend in with just about any room you put it in, an extendable desk might be just what you need.
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