The ultimate in hidden home offices, this drop-down desk from wayfair.co.uk is wall-mounted and folds back up to take up no room at all. An office for literally any space.

Use a multipurpose piece of furniture as your office and it will blend seamlessly back into the background after use. This sideboard from wayfair.co.uk has big enough cupboards to hide a printer, and a sliding desk top that conceals all your paperwork at the end of the day.

As flagged up by Instagram account @workspacegoals and thousands of Pinterest accounts, a set-up like this proves a useful office space can be tucked away into a corner – especially if you opt for a shallow desk – and be in keeping with the rest of the room. A light, pale, natural colour palette helps.

If you need to keep all your work in one place, but still want the option of hiding it away, put your office in a cupboard (literally). An armoire, such as this from thedormyhouse.com, is an excellent way of keeping your workspace contained, yet having enough room for all the essentials.

Home offices don’t have to begin with a whole spare room and a huge desk to put in it. Think smaller and use any nook in the house, as in this example from houzz.co.uk. There’s enough space for all the vitals, but it doesn’t impact on the room too much as it’s set in a wall recess.

Image: Rikki Snyder/Houzz

Any space in the house can become a workspace. Commandeer an under-stair area like this with a desk, shelving and small storage units. Remember – as it’s such a tiny space, you need to keep it organised or it’ll quickly become indistinguishable from the messy cupboard it used to be (and sadly, you have no door to hide behind).

Houzz.co.uk’s Victoria Harrison says storage is key when utilising an existing table. You can co-opt the kitchen table quickly and easily if everything is neatly stored: “You don't necessarily need to have shelves, but make sure you've got somewhere to stash pens, papers and stationary to keep your home tidy and organised. A portable basket can do the job as you can hide it away at the end of each day to help you switch off properly from the working day.”

Choosing themed accessories (these are from the Get Organised range from Paperchase) will also make it feel more like a proper work area.

If you’re lacking a room inside the house, you could move out of it completely and into a shed that’s your space and your space alone. You’ll need electricity or a laptop with a long-lasting battery though...

As with previous examples, you don’t need a whole spare room – just use you’ve already got. However consider physically designating an area in your lounge or bedroom as a workspace by sectioning off with a curtain (as seen here from houzz.co.uk). A desk doesn’t take up too much square footage, and it can be hidden away when the work day is over.

Image: Rikki Snyder/Houzz