MANY HOUSES were built with a permanent desk in the kitchen. Today these spaces often are cluttered catchalls. We asked interior designers to reimagine the kitchen desk to make it more practical for our 21st-century lives.

1. STYLISH STORAGE Ditch the chair and place an oversize basket in the footwell and another on the desktop, says designer Michael Del Piero, who has offices in Chicago and in New York’s Hamptons. “This creates the look of a shelving unit.”

2. ENTERTAINING STATION Make it a bar, say New York–based designers Richard Kollath and Edward McCann. “Clear the desktop and arrange spirits, mixers, glassware and an ice bucket on a tray,” Kollath adds. Put a wine rack or a wine fridge in the space below.

3. READING NOOK Tear out the desk, says Dallas designer Shannon Bowers. Position furniture, such as an armchair and a lamp, where it had been. —Marie Proeller Hueston