Wall-mounted vs fold-down desks for tiny apartments

The short version

Both types hang on the wall and leave the floor clear, which is why they suit tiny apartments. The difference is what happens after work:

• A fold-down desk (also called a drop-leaf or murphy desk) folds up or down so it sticks out only a few inches when closed. You get your room back every evening, but the work surface is usually small and rated for light loads.
• A fixed wall-mounted desk (often sold as a floating desk) stays open all the time. It does not disappear, but it usually offers more surface and storage, and you never have to clear it to close it.

We have not used these desks ourselves. The specifications below come from manufacturer pages and retailer listings, which we link to at the end.

Side by side

The options

Dimensions are as published by the manufacturer or retailer. Check the current listing before you buy.

Fold-down with storage: Tangkula Fold-Down Wall-Mounted Desk

This is a cabinet that hangs on the wall. The front panel drops down to become the desk, and shelves inside hold small items. When closed it is just a shallow box on the wall. The listing rates the desktop at 44 pounds and each shelf at 11 pounds, so it suits a laptop, a notebook and a lamp rather than a monitor on a heavy stand.

Simple fold-down table: Mount-It! Wall-Mounted Drop-Leaf Table

A plain shelf on folding steel brackets. Mount-It! sells it in two widths, 30 and 45 inches, with a 15-inch-deep top, and rates it for 33 pounds. With no cabinet around it, it folds flatter than the Tangkula, but there is nowhere to store things. A 15-inch depth is enough for a laptop and a mouse; it is too shallow to put a monitor at a comfortable distance (see how far your monitor should be).

Fixed, with shelves: Manhattan Comfort Bradley Floating Corner Desk

The Bradley can stand on its legs or, with the legs left off, hang on the wall as a floating desk. It adds an overhead shelf and a sliding keyboard shelf, so a monitor can sit on the top while the keyboard slides out below. One caution: the retailer listing we checked gives two different widths (36.66 and 43.98 inches), so confirm the measurement with the seller before ordering.

How to choose

1. Decide whether the desk must disappear

If the desk shares a room with your sofa or bed and you want that room to look like home again every evening, a fold-down desk is the only one of the two that truly vanishes. If you can leave a corner set up permanently, a fixed desk is easier to live with: no packing up, and more space for a monitor and lamp.

2. Check what you need on it

List what has to sit on the desk at the same time: laptop, monitor, lamp, notebook. Compare the total weight with the published load. Fold-down desks are usually rated lower than fixed ones; the two fold-down options here are rated at 44 and 33 pounds.

3. Measure the wall, not just the floor

You need:

• Clear wall width for the desk, plus a few inches either side.
• Height: Mayo Clinic's office ergonomics guide suggests a keyboard height that keeps your hands at or slightly below your elbows. Standard desks are about 28 to 30 inches high, but set yours by sitting in your own chair and measuring. OSHA's desk guidance adds that the clear space for your legs under the desk should generally be 20 to 28 inches high, so leave room under the desk for your knees.
• Floor in front: room for your chair to pull back. Our desk size guide covers clearance behind the chair.

4. Find out what the wall is made of

Both types put their full load on the wall. Bob Vila's guide to hanging shelves recommends locating wall studs for heavier loads and using drywall anchors only when studs are not an option. Many wall desks come with hardware for one type of wall only, so check what is included. Brick and concrete need different anchors again.

5. Ask before you drill (renters)

Every desk here must be screwed into the wall. If you rent, check your lease and ask your landlord in writing before drilling. If drilling is not allowed, look at freestanding options in desks that fit small spaces, or our renter-friendly upgrades.

Installation tips

1. Find two or more studs where the desk will go, and mark them. Studs are usually spaced evenly; a stud finder makes this quick.
2. Mark the height with the desk's bracket or a level line. Measure from the floor in two places so it sits level.
3. Pre-drill pilot holes, as Bob Vila suggests, and do not over-tighten the screws into the brackets.
4. Test before loading. Press down firmly on the open desk. A little give is normal; clear movement at the wall is not.
5. Keep it clear of children's climbing reach. The Consumer Product Safety Commission's Anchor It! campaign advises anchoring furniture that has drawers, doors or shelves; a wall desk is already fixed, but do not let anyone hang or sit on an open flap.

Common mistakes

• Choosing by looks alone. A beautiful fold-down cabinet with a 12-inch-deep flap may be too small for daily work.
• Ignoring the closed depth. Check how far the desk sticks out when closed, especially beside a door or walkway.
• Overloading the flap. Fold-down desks are rated for the flap, not for leaning on. Do not rest your weight on the front edge.
• Forgetting power. Plan where the laptop charger plugs in. A short, properly rated surge protector clamped under the desk keeps cords off the floor; see power strips and surge protectors.

Which should you get?