With remote working now a standard practice, workers and students are demanding flexibility from their working environment, prompting designers to scale back and create minimal and multifunctional designs. Whether in the office, classroom, hospital or home office, narrow and compact desks are an increasingly popular option for mobile workers who need a simple workplace just wide enough to use with a laptop or tablet. 

The Desk Pad by Eric Degenhardt for German company Böwer has a retractable desktop with a traditional book rest and pen holder.  A multiple socket strip and multi-functional compartments are stored away underneath the desktop and a handy shelf can be used for storing files and books.

London-based design studio Raw Edges have created the Deskbox for Dutch furniture brand Arco.  A simple sliding mechanism opens and closes the desk surface so that when not in use it can be used as a simple shelf.

Peter Pepper Products' wall mounted Express Desk is a fold down workstation designed specifically for healthcare environments. Fully customizable, inside the desks you will find a compartment suitable for storing clipboards, patient binders, medical charts, prescription pads, x-rays, laptop computers and general medical supplies. When not in use, it can be quickly and neatly stored away against the wall.

The Media Portable Desk by Domitalia is a multi-task, portable workstation, perfect for pulling up to a sofa or an armchair in the office for a spot of impromptu work.

Set on four smooth-rolling castors, Ergotron's Teach Well is a mobile workspace that lets teachers access a laptop and CPU, keyboard and mouse, portable document cameras and projection devices in a single space. The unit's easy maneuverability makes it simple for teachers to use it as a small desk-for both prep time and to create a casual classroom dynamic-as well as a standing lectern or podium for traditional lecturing, and as control center for multi-media displays.