From ironing boards to bins: The wackiest working-from-home 'desks'

Many companies are responding to the coronavirus outbreak by asking employees to work from home.

Due to the last minute nature of these plans, people have had to create DIY desk set-ups to get them through their unexpected period of home-working.

Laptops have been balanced on everything from laundry baskets to car bonnets, from edges of baths to piles of books.

These creative desk set-ups have proven very popular on social media and given us a much-needed bit of respite.

Monzo’s product manager, Emma Northcott, is patiently waiting for her last-minute desk purchase to arrive.

She has smartly opened up her drinks cabinet to facilitate her laptop.

Despite the interim desk, Northcott admits that working from home is “going well so far”.

“The main challenge has been making sure I get enough exercise during the day without my usual walk to the office. It has been nice having more time to cook healthy lunches rather than picking up something quick next to the office.” She explained.

Another savvy woman shared her “unglamorous” work set-up after her and her partner were both left working from their studio apartment.

“My setup is a chair in front of the front door and my desk is our clothes hamper.” Jules Forrest said in her popular tweet.

People have since shared their not-so-glamorous makeshift sets ups and they’re a far cry from the sleek offices we’re used to.

Josh Mateo saw Jules Forrest’s laundry basket desk and raised the bar with his wheelie bin.

Mateo, who clearly comes from a warmer climate, is making the most out of the sunshine by balancing his laptop on his bin in the garden.

Quite a few inventive WFH’ers didn’t feel content with just any old desk and instead wanted to re-create a standing option.

Instead of investing in an expensive standing desk for what will hopefully be a short stint of home working, these savvy employees tried out a different approach.

Who needs fancy technology with a good old chair and table combo works this well?

Generally, the laundry basket hack has been a popular one, but one woman said it “hurt her back” and so she instead opted for a laptop, on a box, on a vanity unit, in the bathroom.

Our personal favourite? The ironing board desk.

It makes sense - it’s moveable, you can adjust the settings for sitting down or standing up and it’s big enough to sprawl all of your work over.

It’s a win-win-win.

Reporting by Caroline Allen

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