Each week we highlight the interesting workspaces of Lifehacker readers and others around the world. Today we're looking back at the 20 most popular workspaces from 2011 for your browsing and idea-gathering enjoyment.


Today's featured workspace actually has a computer built into a desk with a glass top, for some pretty incredible illumination.

In the entry for the Cooler Master 2011 Case Mod Competition, Peter (a.k.a., L3p D3sk) describes the scratch build as having the following features: More »


Transparent Monitors: A Space Enhancing Solution Minimize the visual weight of your computer monitors by setting up a background that gives the… Read more

Minimize the visual weight of your computer monitors by setting up a background that gives the monitor the illusion of transparency. Lifehacker reader Louish Pixel could have made his monitor background images anything at all, but he opted to make them a properly scaled photo of the room behind the monitor... More »


The Single Cord Workspace We love a good cable management scheme, and today's featured workspace has a great one. Flickr user Read more


We love a good cable management scheme, and today's featured workspace has a great one. Flickr user jahue was inspired by the seemingly cable-free tables at the Apple Store and decide to make his own that has nothing but a power cord exposed. More »


The Transformer Bed Workspace Reader William Robinette wasn't satisfied with his desk options, so he hacked his IKEA bed to… Read more


Reader William Robinette wasn't satisfied with his desk options, so he hacked his IKEA bed to pieces, picked up some extra wood, and made himself a desk. More »



This featured workspace is also known as "holy crap, that's a lot of monitors!" It features a wide, encapsulating desk with five active displays curving around the user. More »



Today's featured workspace packs three screens, multiple touch devices, and Nendoroid Japanese figurines on one desk. Flickr user saebaryo's desk setup is an update from his 2010 workspace. More »



Today's featured workspace, designed by Erica Islas, is not just a home office but also a bedroom. By day it's the workspace you see in the photo, but by night (or whenever, really) the desk slides out of the way and makes room for a murphy bed. More »


The Suspended Hidden Workspace Today's featured workspace turns an Ikea wall-mounted drawer into a sleek hideaway for a Mac Mini… Read more


Today's featured workspace turns an Ikea wall-mounted drawer into a sleek hideaway for a Mac Mini and peripherals. The unit, meant to hold DVDs, is just the right size to fit the computer, keyboard, external hard drive, router, etc. More »


The Home Office Sandbox If you've ever spent a day at your desk wishing you could put your feet in the sand and listen to… Read more


If you've ever spent a day at your desk wishing you could put your feet in the sand and listen to the roar of the ocean, this unconventional home office is for you. Justin Kemp, an artist's assistant from Massachusetts, was inspired by the Beach Boys to set up a sandbox for his workspace. More »


The Zen-Like Outdoor Workspace Even a small backyard can be a beautiful outdoor workspace, as today's featured workspace shows. An Read more


Even a small backyard can be a beautiful outdoor workspace, as today's featured workspace shows. An empty backyard was transformed by the folks at HGTV into an inspirational place to think and write.

Small spaces are often ideal for streamlined Asian-influenced designs. More »


A Spacious and Elegant Basement Workspace Many basements are poorly lit, cramped dungeons that would be depressing to try to work in. Today's Read more


Many basements are poorly lit, cramped dungeons that would be depressing to try to work in. Today's workspace is the antithesis of that; it's a spacious office with harmonized wood surfaces and clean lines. More »


The Custom-Fit Workspace Small office spaces are sometimes better designed when the desk takes up the whole width of the… Read more


Small office spaces are sometimes better designed when the desk takes up the whole width of the room, as this workspace shows. Instead of wasting space with a desk that was too short, Gary used Ikea shelves to expand his workspace. More »


A Spacious Office in the Wall Wide desks are often hard to come by but exceptionally useful when you require it (like with audio… Read more


Wide desks are often hard to come by but exceptionally useful when you require it (like with audio workstations), you want a desk ready for coworking, or you just want the room to create little sections to work. More »



Matthew Hoffman restored a 70s era Airstream trailer and hid the office in the kitchen. A restaurant-style booth makes for both a great working space and a place to eat.

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When space is at a premium you have to fit your workspace in wherever you can. Today's featured workspace is tucked inside a closed turned home office. Lifehacker reader Chelsea McGowan had an ugly closet with cruddy bi-fold doors but no home office. More »



On the surface today's featured workspace looks, stylish desktop arrangement aside, fairly normal. Peeking under the hood, however, reveals that the guts of this Hackintosh setup are bolted right to the wall of the desk. More »


The Floating Corner Desk Today's featured workspace is an elegant, custom-built desk that makes smart use of available space Read more


Today's featured workspace is an elegant, custom-built desk that makes smart use of available space by hanging everything on the wall. More »


The Glowing Audio Workstation Today's featured workspace comes from reader bcarpenterfh, who created a beautiful glowing desk for Read more


Today's featured workspace comes from reader bcarpenterfh, who created a beautiful glowing desk for his home office. It's pretty much all there is to the space, but sometimes all you need is one really great piece of furniture. More »


The Treehouse Workspace Nobody ever said treehouses were just for children, or if they did they were apparently wrong.… Read more


Nobody ever said treehouses were just for children, or if they did they were apparently wrong. Treehouse building-company Blue Forest created today's featured workspace, providing a roomy office with plenty of room to work and relax. More »


The DIY Floating Workspace We've featured a few minimalist floating workspaces before, including one made from an Ikea DVD… Read more


We've featured a few minimalist floating workspaces before, including one made from an Ikea DVD cabinet and another built into a corner, and today's workspace continues this trend, with a desk you can build yourself with just four oak boards and some brackets. This simple workspace is easy to build... More »


So, there you have it. It's been a great year for finding workspace design inspiration, drooling over some great gear, and peeking into others' home office setups. Whether your favorite made the list or not, we'd love to hear about your favorite workspace posts in the comments. (And, remember, you can always show off your own workspace by adding it to the Lifehacker Workspace Show and Tell Pool on Flickr with some details about your setup. You just might see it as a featured workspace on Lifehacker.) Cruise on over to the Most Popular Featured Workspaces of 2010 and 2009 to take a peek at our most popular offices of yesteryear.