Cologne, Germany  - Office work can't be entirely kept out of the home nowadays. Many an office worker takes time on a Sunday afternoon to finish a presentation for the week ahead or prepare a tax return. Any written correspondence has a way of spoiling an evening.

But in an apartment, there's often barely room to set up an office. Thus, more and more furniture makers now have modern versions of folding or stowaway desks to offer, allowing the workspace to be discreetly tucked away.

This is often achieved by raising the surface of the desk, covering its drawers and other inner workings. Some desks can be disguised as living room furniture in a mixture of wood or lacquered surfaces.

"The living spaces are growing together. Bathroom and bedroom, the kitchen and the living or dining room - and the part of the apartment used to spend free time is blending with the study," said Elmar Duffner, president of an association representing the German furniture industry in Bad Honnef.

People who cannot go entirely with the trend because they lack the space, use leisure space to work.

Sitting rooms become salons or show spaces for socializing and entertaining. They also bear witness to the hours spent in the home office, according to the organizers of an international furniture trade show held in late January in Cologne.

Thus there is a growing need for modern desks that create a workspace in a corner of the bedroom, for example.

The Austrian furniture maker Voglauer's latest furniture collection highlights the trend. The desktop of its i-panel disappears behind a vertically sliding, natural wood panel. The panel rests on a track that allows it to move up and down.

Keyboard and writing materials can be moved in and out on the desktop, while there's room for the printer and paper in the bottom of the seat.

There's storage room to the right side of the desk. It measures about 50 centimetres - the width of a computer tower. There's also room for a computer or laptop. The vertical panel keeps the materials behind it safe.

"There is a certain amount of protection from romping children - or if a party is planned," said Peter Gruenwald, chief executive of Voglauer, noting that electrical cords can be pushed through canals, to make them invisible.

"Everyone needs a place to work in the home every now and then. But especially in apartments in large cities, space is limited," said Andre Schelbach of the German furniture maker Yomei in Detmold.

That's the inspiration for its Magic Cube Work, a cube-shaped cabinet whose workspace disappears behind two side shelves that can be folded to the front.

When access to written documents and storage space is not needed, the exterior resembles a box in a high-gloss finish. A magnetic board holds notes, and the bottom, which can be pulled out, turns into a workspace.

By contrast the Yomei Magic Desk looks like a modern synthesizer when it's folded up. One cable connects the desk to the electrical socket. All the other cables can be plugged into a junction box in a drawer under the workspace. This is also where the transformers, often needed with a laptop, are placed, said Schelbach.

The space between the workspace and the storage compartments above it is sufficient for a notebook computer or a flat notebook and printer.

By contrast, the Flatmate desk by the small Rephorm furniture maker in Berlin fits inconspicuously on the wall. It's only 12 centimetres deep when folded up and deep enough to put CDs or documents.

The thin desk is mounted flat onto the wall, leaving more living space. Its desktop is 45 centimetres by 70 centimetres, or large enough for a laptop and mouse pad, and it can be folded up and latched closed.

"I once lived in an old apartment with long and narrow rooms. No proper desk fit into it," said designer Michael Hilgers.

Flatmate has a built-in electrical socket behind the desktop. The surface above has little holes enabling small shelves to be placed as desired.

Students with just one room in a flat, however, are not the first target buyer for Hilgers' design. Among them there's sure to be a few who can afford it, though. It is expected to cost 1,200 euros. (dpa)