Compact Home Offices

- B Y  A R T E K -

Today, as new approaches to work become ever more common, many of us are spending increasing amounts of time working from home. As companies across diverse sectors embrace remote or hybrid models, and associated technology improves, this shift may well prove to be a permanent one.

Creating a home office that is both functional and attractive can be a significant challenge, particularly given the limited size of city-centre apartments. Combining very different lives within restricted space, which may already serve multiple purposes, is rarely conducive to relaxation, focus or charm.

Alvar and Aino Aalto grappled with these issues in the 1920s and 30s, developing compact, open-plan apartments for expanding urban workforces, while also building their own home and studio in Helsinki. Motivated by these experiences, and by major architectural commissions such as the Vyborg City Library and the Paimio Sanitorium, they began to design the lightweight wooden furniture that remains at the heart of the Artek range today. The results include the stackable Stool 60, the elegant Wall Shelf 112, and the multifunctional L-leg tables, all of which have been furnishing schools, homes and public buildings in Finland ever since.

This modernist fusion of comfort, durability, visual appeal and compactness is evident across Artek’s collection, from Ilmari Tapiovaara’s versatile Domus Chair, designed in the 1940s for student housing in Helsinki, through to the recent Atelier Chair by TAF Studio for the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm and the Kaari collection by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. In both function and aesthetics, such products adapt to a variety of tasks and settings, making them ideal for the modern home office.

Artek Home Office Tool

The Artek Compact Home Office tool helps with these challenges: through a series of simple questions, an office tailored to available space and specific needs is created. A customised drawing illustrates the recommended layout, complete with a curated selection of Artek furniture, lighting and complements matched to the workspace. Even remote meetings are provided for – subtly patterned textiles by the Bouroullec brothers and Alvar Aalto, or the latter’s fluid Screen 100, act as room dividers, offering calm, privacy and alluring backdrops for video calls.

With the assistance of the Compact Home Office tool, a workplace can be created within any home – one that strengthens productivity, protects work-life balance, and enhances the entire living space through a combination of beauty and utility.

Try it here.

Shop the look

Button Text
In Stock
-15%
95 Table half-round, Birch Veneer - Artek - Alvar Aalto - Furniture by Designcollectors

95 Table half-round, Birch Veneer Artek

1 353,99 € 1 150,89 €
Save 203,10 €
(951,15 € excl.VAT*)
Button Text
In Stock
-15%
Stool 60 (3 Legs) - Natural Black Linoleum - Artek - Alvar Aalto - Furniture by Designcollectors

Stool 60 (3 Legs) - Natural Black Linoleum Artek

297,66 € 253,01 €
Save 44,65 €
(209,10 € excl.VAT*)
Button Text
In Stock
-15%
Stool E60 (4 Legs) - Natural Birch Veneer - Artek - Alvar Aalto - Furniture by Designcollectors

Stool E60 (4 Legs) - Natural Birch Veneer Artek

303,71 € 258,15 €
Save 45,56 €
(213,35 € excl.VAT*)
Button Text
In Stock
-15%
Chair 66 - Legs Natural Lacquered - White Seat - Artek - Alvar Aalto - Furniture by Designcollectors

Chair 66 - Legs Natural Lacquered - White Seat Artek

498,52 € 423,74 €
Save 74,78 €
(350,20 € excl.VAT*)
Button Text
In Stock
-15%
Wooden Dolls 5 - Vitra - Alexander Girard - Furniture by Designcollectors

Wooden Dolls 5 Vitra

129,00 € 109,65 €
Save 19,35 €
(90,62 € excl.VAT*)
Button Text
In Stock
-15%
68 Chair Birch Veneer - Artek - Alvar Aalto - Furniture by Designcollectors

68 Chair Birch Veneer Artek

542,08 € 460,77 €
Save 81,31 €
(380,80 € excl.VAT*)
Button Text
In Stock
-15%
81A Table, Black linoleum - Artek - Alvar Aalto - Furniture by Designcollectors

81A Table, Black linoleum Artek

1 623,82 € 1 380,25 €
Save 243,57 €
(1 140,70 € excl.VAT*)
Button Text
In Stock
-15%
REB 013 Kaari Shelf With Desk - Artek - Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec - Furniture by Designcollectors

REB 013 Kaari Shelf With Desk Artek

2 070,31 € 1 759,76 €
Save 310,55 €
(1 454,35 € excl.VAT*)
Button Text
In Stock
-15%
REB 006 Kaari console - black linoleum - natural oak wall bracket - Artek - Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec - Furniture by Designcollectors

REB 006 Kaari console - black linoleum - natural oak wall bracket Artek

775,61 € 659,27 €
Save 116,34 €
(544,85 € excl.VAT*)
Button Text
In Stock
-15%
Riihitie Plant Pot - shape A - large - white - Artek - Aino Aalto - Furniture by Designcollectors

Riihitie Plant Pot - shape A - large - white Artek

166,98 € 141,93 €
Save 25,05 €
(117,30 € excl.VAT*)
Button Text
In Stock
-15%
Toolbox Organiser - Basic dark - Vitra - Arik Levy - Furniture by Designcollectors

Toolbox Organiser - Basic dark Vitra

39,00 € 33,15 €
Save 5,85 €
(27,40 € excl.VAT*)
Button Text
In Stock
-15%
Hexagonal Containers, Dark green - Vitra - Jasper Morrison - Furniture by Designcollectors

Hexagonal Containers, Dark green Vitra

89,00 € 75,65 €
Save 13,35 €
(62,52 € excl.VAT*)
Button Text
In Stock
-15%
Joyn Bench, Writing Surface - Furniture by Designcollectors

Joyn Bench, Writing Surface Vitra

182,00 € 154,70 €
Save 27,30 €
(127,85 € excl.VAT*)
Button Text
In Stock
-15%
Cestita Bateria Table Lamp - Santa & Cole - Miguel Milá - Furniture by Designcollectors

Cestita Bateria Table Lamp Santa & Cole

665,50 € 565,68 €
Save 99,83 €
(467,50 € excl.VAT*)
Button Text
In Stock
Akari 1A Table Lamp - Furniture by Designcollectors

Akari 1A Table Lamp Vitra

339,01 €
(280,17 € excl.VAT*)
Button Text
In Stock
-15%
Cestita Metálica Table Lamp - Santa & Cole - Miguel Milá - Furniture by Designcollectors

Cestita Metálica Table Lamp Santa & Cole

1 040,60 € 884,51 €
Save 156,09 €
(731,00 € excl.VAT*)
Button Text
In Stock
-15%
Rivi Tray Plywood - Small - Blue/White - Artek - Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec - Furniture by Designcollectors

Rivi Tray Plywood - Small - Blue/White Artek

36,30 € 30,86 €
Save 5,45 €
(25,50 € excl.VAT*)
Button Text
In Stock
-15%
Tatu Lamp, White - Santa & Cole - André Ricard - Furniture by Designcollectors

Tatu Lamp, White Santa & Cole

484,00 € 411,40 €
Save 72,60 €
(340,00 € excl.VAT*)

Footnotes: 
Photography & text: designcollectors