Double duty

Desks that look like consoles. File drawers camouflaged as credenzas. These days, office furniture doesn’t have to look the part. New designs landing in stores and online have been crafted for those who don’t want their home office to look like a corporate cubicle.

These new pieces are useful particularly for the space-challenged -- anyone who needs a living room, dining area or entryway to pull double-duty as a work space. The old-school secretary is even making a comeback as consumers look for a compact place to organize paperwork by day and hide it by night. After all, there comes a time when this office needs to close.

For more examples, including an inexpensive desk from West Elm and more refined selections from Williams-Sonoma Home, go to the expanded gallery at latimes.com/home.

-- David A. Keeps and Craig Nakano