In response to the growing number of people who work at home and a need for increasingly multi-functional spaces, this writing desk was designed to blend into a modern living room.

The Secretary is a writing desk with hidden storage under a hinged countertop. Designed by Copenhagen-based Isabel Ahm specifically to sit in the living room of a home, the raised level functions as a shelf for home accessories, books or a lamp – helping the workspace to look at home in a more informal environment.

Pens, cables and other office accessories can be hidden inside the body, underneath the main writing surface.

"I was inspired by the fact that a lot of people work in the living room with their laptops," Isabel Ahm told Dezeen.

"I looked at the architecture of the living rooms and compared it to regular work spaces and noticed that in the living room, the surfaces are in different levels, and I thought that was interesting in relation to making a desk that would blend naturally into the living room."

The desk is constructed from laminate and oiled oak, using a "sticks and plates" technique where the back legs support the top shelf and prevent it from bending.

"I wanted it to be very clear, long-lasting and unpretentious, and make something that just worked and didn’t make a fuss of itself," said Ahm.

The desk is part of the Need furniture collection, designed to improve everyday life for young families based on research into their behaviour in the home.

The range also includes the Thursday Chair, designed for a single person to relax in, and Stora, a modular shelving unit.

Isabel Ahm is a Copenhagen-based independent furniture and product designer. She graduated from the Danish Royal Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture in 2007 and formed her studio in 2009.