1 Lean On by Conde House

No bigger than a console table – it can even fit in the front foyer – this compact piece designed by MHK-Design offers a slide-out work surface with built-in recesses for storing utensils and power cables. Made of oak, Lean On is especially handsome in black lacquer and high-gloss anthracite.

2 Litho by Ligne Roset

Ligne Roset showed three desks at IMM Cologne – all space-saving cheerful numbers. The best was this asymmetrical desk perched on delicate legs, by French cabinet-maker Thibault Desombre. The piece gently hugs the worker with a lacquered surface on the right and a drawer in natural oak to the left.

3 Desk Pad by Böwer

Designed by Germany’s Eric Degenhardt, Desk Pad, with its striking silhouette, was hard to miss at IMM. The wallmounted work area features a leather-covered desktop that retracts to reveal storage as well as a strip of sockets for multiple devices. The privacy screen can be placed on either side of the surface.

4 Lutgarde by Pilat & Pilat

Seemingly lightweight, this wall-mounted desk is actually made of smooth solid wood proudly displaying its grain and knots. Named for a Belgian saint, the piece has eight staggered dividers that carve up the worktop into a workstation that supports a laptop and a series of shelves for books and other supplies.

5 Belharra by Treku

Named after a giant wave that forms off the Basque Coast, this piece features a rolling wood desktop that creates two curved storage spaces, one above and the other below. Designed by Jean-Louis Iratzoki, Belharra is available in several phenomenal laminate finishes.