While some of us have the luxury of having a room dedicated to a home office, in most of our homes, a desk is added to a living room, bedroom, or other available space. When combining room functionalities together, especially when working with a smaller floor plan, it’s crucial to select a desk that is compact and includes storage.
This post is all about the combination of computer desk functionality with a bookshelf to provide extra storage for the paperwork you want to keep within reach or accessories you want to have on display in your interior.
Some of the solutions below are products from brands you can shop as readily available items, others are more general concepts that can be made out of shelving systems. They all have one thing in common though: they will allow you to create a nice home office spot on any free wall in your home while blending in with your interior style.
A black bookshelf with a desk against a greige wall for a dramatic effect
This black wall bracket system spreads over an entire wall painted in a beautiful greige paint color. The desk surface is big enough so it can be used as a computer desk and the other shelves are great for a mixture of storage and display of accessories.
When working with a customizable shelf system, make sure to leave enough space between the desk shelf and the shelves on top so you can place a lamp or display in your home office.
Styled by Nouvel Interior, photographed by Alen Cordic for Bjurfors
A white wall-mounted bookshelf with a desk on a small surface
Similar to the first example, this bracket system provides the space with a home office spot on a relatively small surface right next to the sofa in this living room. The white shelves and brackets blend in with the white wall and make the bookshelf desk even more subtle.
The black desk chair and accessories stand out against the white backdrop and the desk light is a clasp lamp that is attached to one of the shelves so it doesn’t take up any space on the desk itself.
via Alvhem
A walnut bookshelf desk system with gold brackets
The classic DK3 Royal System was designed by Poul Cadovius in 1948 and has a very classic look. The system consists of wall-mounted wooden rails, shelves with hangers in brass or stainless steel, and various cabinets that can be customized to your needs, including a desk to turn your shelving system into a little home office.
I love the combination of the dark green walls with the walnut wood and the brass brackets, which must make this the most elegant and classy solution on the list.
A wall-mounted bookshelf desk with a drawer
This beautiful wall shelving system made out of wood stands out against the modern white walls. The black brackets and the black desk chair add contrast to the setting, which is a color combination that comes back in the adjacent hallway.
The drawer underneath the desk provides extra storage for small office supplies and the assymetric placement of the shelves makes the setting a little bit playful.
Interior design by Laura Seppanen and photography by Pauliina Salonen
A custom corner shelving solution with a desk in black against pink walls
A small niche corner in this hallway with pink walls has been transformed into a corner bookshelf desk with black walls and black shelving. In order for this corner bookshelf to work as a desk as well, the shelves have been cut at an angle, to allow enough space for the home office section.
The combination of the pink hallway walls with the black color palette in the home office section is very powerful and matches the color of the doors and window frames in the space. The grey carpet adds a soft touch and comes back in the seat cover on the desk stool.
A freestanding white bookshelf solution with closed storage and a computer desk
For my studio home, I selected the Moebe bookshelf system, which is a freestanding modular solution that includes both a computer desk and a storage cabinet module with doors. While this bookshelf desk is available in a wood or black version as well, I picked out a white setting that would blend in with the white flooring and white walls in this place.
The desk is the perfect home office when I’m in Belgium and I love working from my laptop next to this window looking over the fields.
A large wall-to-wall shelf that includes an office spot
When you have a larger wall available, like in this beautiful living room with grey walls, you can spread your shelving solution over the entire wall for a more impressive effect. The computer desk on the right side is paired up with a few shelves for books and a large green plant that really stands out in this setting.
via Alexander White
Two wall-mounted desks with shelving designed by Børge Mogensen
The recently released BM29 shelf designed by Børge Mogensen is a bookshelf system with a desk that is available as a single or double desk solution for when you work from home with two people. You could also use one of the desks a computer desk and the other for making notes.
Børge Mogensen designed the BM29 bookshelf for Fredericia in 1956 and this timeless and functional piece of furniture adds beautiful Scandinavian elegance to your home office.
A bookshelf desk that continues on the other wall for a cohesive look
The white bracket shelving system used in this turn-of-the-century living room is paired up with natural wood shelving for a natural look that matches the wood color in the flooring and the other furniture pieces in the interior.
The shelving system is spread over two walls on each side of the doorway, with a home office spot with a computer desk on the left side and a bookshelf with closed storage on the other side.
via Alvhem
A computer desk as part of a wall-attached bookshelf system
The Tônn bookshelf is a modular bookshelf system that attaches to the wall and can be customized with closed storage, shelving, and even a desk module. The off-white bookshelf desk blends into the wall with the same paint color and the closed storage right above the desk module is easy to reach while working.
A simple wall-mounted bookshelf with a desk blends into the wall
In this living room with white walls and white-soaped hardwood flooring, a white bookshelf desk system blends into the walls and takes up only a small corner next to the door. The shelves can hold folders, decor items, and paperwork, along with accessories, while the long and narrow desk makes for a spacious home office spot.
via Alvhem
The String Furniture System bookshelf with a desk or table
String Furniture is one of the most famous brands for modular wall shelving and it’s also the solution I have had in my personal home for years. It’s easy to update and adjust to your needs and over time, I included a foldable table, which functions as a computer desk as well.
The bookshelf can also be used in the kitchen as a small table for having coffee next to your espresso machine and the foldable table can also be replaced by a smaller desk shelf if you want your home office setting to be even more compact.
