This cardboard desk facilitates working from home in small spaces

NOT everyone has a home office setup, either in a separate room or in an area of the living room, bedroom, or any other living space. To address the lack of such a space in our homes, a Japanese company has imagined a cardboard desk, which can be unfolded in just one minute, and which allows its user to work from home in an optimal manner.

Dining tables, sofas, and even beds have been transformed in recent years into work spaces as individuals have sought to cope with social distancing rules imposed during the pandemic. While some people have gone so far as to seek out more spacious interiors, even if it means moving away from big cities, others have had to deal with these new configurations in restricted spaces, alone or with the presence of their families. It's an issue that many companies have taken on board in an attempt to offer remote workers an optimal environment, isolated from the rest of the family, and comfortable.

One example comes from the company SOiRO which has created a foldable workspace made of cardboard partitions. The idea may seem absurd, but it allows a worker to have a sturdy desk, and above all a closed space, which, once folded, can be slipped under a bed or against a wall, to avoid cutting into the living spaces of our homes. Water resistant and with a thickness of 5 cm to guarantee a certain solidity, this new-generation desk can be assembled in just one minute in any room of the house.


The Japanese company has designed three different heights to allow all family members to use its cardboard desks for all purposes. An adult can use it in either sitting or standing position, for greater ergonomics, while a child can use it in a sitting position throughout the day. And if you want to cowork, it is possible to position the desks next to one another without risks, since the partitions prevent projections.

Priced at 26,400 yen (about US$230), the cardboard desk can just be thrown in your recycling bin at the end of its life just like any other cardboard packaging.