In the past few years, many of us got the opportunity to work from home, whether all the time or just a few days a week. While this is a nice change, it can sometimes be a little challenging to fit a desk for one person in an apartment, let alone a home office spot for two people.
Below you can find my top picks for inspiring two-person desk solutions. Some are made by a carpenter, some require some DIY skills and some can just be made out of readily available Ikea components.
Two-person desk built inside a custom wardrobe
While planning this wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling custom wardrobe, space was carved out for a double desk. Similar to wardrobes constructed around a bed, two taller wardrobes are connected by a top row in the middle, leaving an area in between them that can be filled with a two-person desk.
via Entrance Makleri
A DIY double desk custom fit into the space
If you are a little skilled in the DIY department, you can always construct your own two-person desk that goes wall-to-wall. You can attach it to the wall with brackets, or work with a DIY foot in the middle to stabilize it. If you want to take it even further, you can even use the same wood for some open shelving like in the below example.
Styled by Marie Ramse and Pella Hedeby, photographed by Kristofer Johnsson
Below: A simple worktop attached to the wall with hidden brackets for a minimal two-person desk solution that seamlessly blends into the dark wall.
Styling by Anna Mårselius, photography by Ragnar Ómarsson for JM, via Hitta Hem
A wall bracket system is perfect to combine storage shelves with a double home office desk. The bracket system can be attached to the wall where needed and the wood boards can be cut to size to make room for one or two people working.
via Stadshem
Storage modules to make a two-person home office desk
Ikea has some really nice drawers that fit underneath a desk and when combined with a custom-cut worktop, they can be used as legs for a double workstation desk.
You can use three drawer elements for a double desk with a lot of storage space, or you can use one drawer element in the middle combined with legs on the side for a lighter effect.
Below: three Ikea Alex modules combined with a large black worktop
via Fantastic Frank
Below: An Ikea Helmer drawer module for extra storage space with two trestle legs (from an old Ikea collection) on each side
via Alvhem
via Alvhem
Below: an Ikea Alex module combined with a large black worktop with four hairpin legs on the sides to create a double computer desk.
via Historiska Hem
Trestle legs to make a custom double computer desk
Working with trestle legs and a worktop is probably the easiest way to create a home office spot, whether it’s just a one-person computer desk or one for two people. Trestle legs come in a wide variety of colors and materials, so you can just go for one that you like.
The nice thing about this type of construction is that as long as stability allows it, you can work with any size table top depending on how much space you both need for your home offices.
Below: White trestle legs and a white table top combined with contrasting black desk chairs for a black-and-white look.
Photography by Jonas Berg for Stadshem
Below: A small two-person desk made out of a wood top and black trestle legs. The black desk chairs add a certain sophistication to the apple green walls and the area rug visually separates the home office from the rest of the space.
via Historiska Hem
Below: a wood top plate fitting exactly between the two walls, supported by two white table legs offers a small home office desk for two people.
via Wrede
Below: A living room corner is transformed into a narrow yet long double desk with a combination of black trestle legs and a white worktop.
via Stadshem – see the full home tour here
Below: An all-white trestle desk solution for two, with a metal grid that is spread over the two workspaces as a pinboard.
styled by Pella Hedeby and photographed by Kristofer Johnsson.
Below: A small white two-person desk in white, with contrasting black Ant chairs for a contrasting look.
Styling by Pella Hedeby, photography by Kristofer Johnsson for JM
Below: a small office space filled with a two-person desk, a pin board spread over the entire wall, and ample storage space.
via Ikea Livet Hemma
Modular legs to make a big two-person computer desk
In the below example, the affordable Ikea Adils legs are used to create a custom double desk solution in white. White desks tend to blend in against white walls, making them seem less large.
Styling by Grey Deco, photographed by Jonas Berg for Stadshem
A long table turned into a two-person desk
While you can work on a custom solution or a DIY project to create double desks, sometimes all you need is a large table.
Below: A long vintage table functions as a two-person computer desk in an all-white space.
Photographed by Sara Medina Lind for My Home magazine
Below: The Mingle dining table from Ferm Living is used as a double desk with two beautiful pendant lights above it and open bookshelves on the wall.
via Ferm Living
Below: a vintage workbench gets a second life as a double desk against a dark wall for a moody office setting.
Sitting opposite each other at a large table
Instead of placing a long desk against the wall, you can always place a wider table in the middle of the room and create two workspaces on either side of the table. This allows you to place a bookshelf against the wall for storage.
Photography by Chris Tonnesen for Elle Decor
Below: Open bookshelves on the wall in combination with a table functioning as a double desk in the middle of the workspace. By limiting the amount of furniture in the room, you create a spacious and contemporary office space.
via Alvhem
When placing a large table perpendicular to the wall, you create a desk for two people and you can use the other wall space for a small drawer unit or a glass cabinet.
Below: A square table providing two workspaces with two of the same lamps creates a nice visual effect on the table. The wall underneath the window is used for a closed storage module that can hold papers and a printer on top.
A custom solution
When you have the opportunity to work with a carpenter when you remodel your home, you can anticipate two-person desks and integrate them seamlessly into the interior design of the space.
design by McLaren Excell
Below: a custom solution by Norwegian design company Ask Og Eng in Bamboo that creates two working spots in front of the window.
Norwegian design company Ask og Eng
A two-person desk combined out of two desks
The easiest solution to create double desks is of course to just combine two single desks next to each other. Below you can find one height-adjustable standing desk against another and since they touch, it seems like one big desk.
via the Ikea blog
Below: a double computer desk made out of two single desks right next to each other. By hanging pictures on the entire wall above the desks, you connect the workplaces visually.
Styled by Emma Persson Lagerberg, photographed by Petra Bindel for Elle Decoration
