Life can get crazy. Your home should be your sanctuary, your cozy shelter away from it all. But it’s not always possible to have that sanctuary all to yourself. That’s one of the reasons a home office is so important, especially with the rise of remote or hybrid work. You need that space to maintain a work-life balance and separate work from the rest of your day-to-day.
Whether you’re setting up a home office for yourself, or the full-time student and occasional gamer in your life, having a dedicated workspace will help boost focus and productivity. How to organize a home office might seem tricky at first, but we’re here to help. The first thing you’ll need to buy is one of the must-haves for a home office: a durable, comfortable and stylish desk that won’t break the bank. There are a few things to keep in mind when shopping for the best home office desks.
1. The Size of your Home Office
Going remote made many of us dip into our creativity and whip up workspaces in unlikely places around the home. If you’ve since moved your work from the kitchen table to a designated room, a few factors will guide how to decorate your home office, including the size of your space.
Square footage counts when it comes to choosing the best work-from-home desk. If you’re short on real estate, you could benefit from our selection of small desks. Table desks with minimal, space-saving designs will keep things airy and open. Try to choose slim and straight rectangle home office desks that aren’t bulky or overpowering. They easily fit into any home office. L-shaped desks or smaller corner desks can also be great for compact home offices — they free up space when placed into the corner of a room.
If you’re lucky enough to enjoy a more spacious home office, your computer desk can be the statement piece of your room. You could opt for one of our larger U-shaped desks, built to define a workspace and invite collaboration, especially if you host meetings in your home office.
2. The Type of Home Office Desk
The purpose of your home office desk will also help decide which one works for you.
If your work is mainly wireless, a writing desk is all you need. They often feature a flat and smaller surface and a slender design that is suitable for less equipment. They’ll happily fit a laptop, writing tools, and notebooks, but usually come with limited to no storage options — a few drawers, but nothing too elaborate. The best writing desk should be free of features that would distract from your work.
A secretary desk is an even more minimalist option than a writing desk. Its design usually allows for it to double as furniture for storage or decor. This versatility makes it an easy piece to place anywhere in your home, from the home office to the kitchen. A hidden keyboard tray can be pulled out for the day’s work and pushed away once you’ve logged off. These are especially great if you mainly need a desk for routine tasks, like paying bills, online shopping, and booking vacations.
If your home office desk serves as headquarters for all your work, studies, gaming and more, then having plenty of storage should be a key factor for you. Look for a computer desk with a hutch for maximum storage. A hutch keeps all your essentials organized and easily available to you. They come in various styles: open shelves, closed cabinets, glass doors, and more. You can find home office desks with a hutch, or buy a hutch separately, depending on your needs and desk. Keep an eye out for bottom drawers and shelves while browsing the best home office desks to maximize on storage from top to bottom.
Are standing desks good for you? Yes, they definitely are. Between the 9 to 5 and whatever comes before and after, it can be hard to pencil in a workout – standing desks can help prioritize wellness while working. To maximize the benefits, a good standing desk should be about as tall as your elbow height, which should allow you to stand with your elbows at a 90-degree angle. Our array of standing desks are all adjustable, offering a range of heights. Test and adjust until you feel comfortable standing while working. Not ready to completely commit? Go for a sit-to-stand desk for total versatility and all options available to you throughout the day. You won’t have to wonder how long you should stand at a standing desk, but alternate as you see fit.
Meanwhile, executive desks maintain a classic approach to the home office desk. This is the ultimate, spacious desk with built-in drawers, a timeless look and finish, and tons of surface area to spread out and work. They often come as U- or L-shaped desks and are designed to be the centerpiece of any home office.
The last kind of home office desk to consider is the computer desk. Any other type of home office desk mentioned above can serve as a computer desk, but you might want to look out for certain features that make it easier to organize a desk. These include wire management grommets that you especially need if you’ve been wondering how to hide cords on a desk. They keep all your wires hidden and organized. Another feature to look for is a keyboard tray. It’s not a must-have, but it’s definitely nice-to-have, especially if you use your home office desk for gaming and multiple monitors.
3. Comfort and Ergonomics
Now that you’ve decided what type of home office desk you need, there are a few things to consider when shopping around. No matter how many hours a day you spend at your desk, you should be comfortable doing so.
Certain elements of the best home office desks can ensure your comfort. The first is the desk’s surface area. Think of everything you need to get your work done. Does it include a computer? External keyboard? Do you have tons of resource books? What about office supplies? Are you the type of person to use multiple highlighters? Are you a note-taker? Do you like to decorate? Work next to a plant or a framed photo of your family? The more questions you’re answering yes to, the more surface area you need. If not, you’ll find yourself with a cluttered desk and mess is never good for productivity.
The other questions to ask yourself are: how tall should a desk be? How deep should a desk be? The dimensions of the ideal home office desk should facilitate your comfort and ergonomics. The desk should be tall enough for you to sit comfortably with your legs under the desk. If space allows, you could even fit a footrest beneath your desk for complete ergonomics. The desk should also be the right height for you to reach your keyboard and mouse with ease and for the top third of your monitor to be at eye level. Your wrists should be straight and your shoulders relaxed — you should always try and avoid overreaching for things while working.
Make sure to read through the dimensions of each of our home office desks online and calculate the ideal measurements for your body and equipment.
4. The Style of your Home Office Desk
If you’re wondering how to decorate a home office, choosing the right desk will be the biggest piece of the puzzle. With so many variations that exist, once you’ve decided on the type and size of your home office desk, you’ll also have to choose the finish and style that best pairs with your space’s aesthetic.
If you’re thinking of a warm and cozy space, perhaps embellished with rustic flair, check out the home office desks that are part of our Salinas Collection. Most pieces included attractive wooden detailing and a casual look.
The glass door cabinets of the home office desks in the Westbrook Collection would complement any space with a farmhouse to contemporary feel. The desks of our Lennox Collection reflect a more relaxed approach, with a coastal appearance and unique accents.
For something more modern and trend-forward, look to the high-end appeal of the home office desks in the Coliseum Collection. It blends elegance with contemporary accents with an industrial twist.
Love mid-century design and architecture? Our Method Collection seeks inspiration from mid-century décor to offer a range of desks ideal for your office.
Finally, if you prefer a more standard look that can easily be enhanced and fit in any home office, browse through the furniture pieces of our Cabot Collection and Somerset Collection.
5. Where to Buy Your Home Office Desk
Choosing the Right Office Desk
Think about what kind of work the desk will be used for, where it will be installed and the equipment it will need to contain. Desks can be used for a number of purposes including administrative tasks, receiving clients, creative or manual tasks, computer work, calling clients or a combination of uses. The purpose of the desk will have an impact on the size, height, storage, privacy and security required.
Whether you need a home desk or a commercial desk make sure it is dimensioned correctly to suit your needs, especially if you will be in the same position for long periods of time. Things to consider include the recommended desk height and the distance of computer screens from the user’s eyes. Some desks may have adjustable height to accommodate for different users or to allow both standing and seated work positions.
Since teleworking has become more widespread with the coronavirus lockdowns, choosing a home office desk that allows you to work effectively has become more important. The design you choose will depend on how much space you have available, your decor and whether it will need to be used for other tasks outside of work hours. Creating a dedicated workspace in a home environment can have a positive impact on productivity and well-being. When this is not possible, there are a number of clever desk designs that can be hidden or folded away to allow you to enjoy your home without constantly being reminded of work.
Commercial desks tend to be more costly than home office desks because they often need to be more robust and meet local health and safety regulations. Making sure that desks are ergonomically suitable for the tasks at hand can also help employees avoid health problems and boost office productivity. If you need multiple desks for an open plan office, make sure that the desk model and floor plan chosen give each employee enough space to work safely and comfortably. You might want to consider desk partitions to limit noise levels or, inversely, desks without partitions to encourage interaction.
In commercial and public buildings, the design and style of the reception desk can be particularly important to give clients a positive first image. It can have a split level counter to receive visitors at standing level and also hide the desktop from view. If the reception desk will receive a high volume of people, consider whether sneeze guards or lockable storage will be required for security.
Consider the total height, width and length of the space available for the desk, taking into account windows and lights so that the desk is in a well lit, pleasant environment. Be sure to allow enough space for circulation and desk chairs and, if necessary, space to receive visitors or clients.
The majority of desks available are free-standing, offering flexibility in terms of positioning. For compact spaces, a foldable wall-mounted desk can free up space when the desk is not in use and allow for easy cleaning. Free-standing desks also come in a number of compact designs. This can be particularly useful for desks in the home, student residences, hotels or those used only occasionally.
There are a number of desk shapes available adapted to certain desk functions:
- Straight/rectangular desks – Flexible and easy to con in multiples
- Curved desks – The desk top has a curved shape to optimize the work surface and make the desktop more accessible when in a swivel chair.
- Corner desks – Designed for corner installation.
- L-shaped desks – Great for multitasking, dividing work areas for multiple users or having a distinct desk area to receive clients.
- U-shaped desks – Great for reception desks, allowing a distinct work area to be created.
The material of the desktop and the legs can have a big impact on the ease of maintenance and the aesthetic style of the desk.
Wooden desks can come in both solid and engineered wood. Solid wood desks can use traditional joinery techniques can add a touch of prestige to an office environment. Engineered wood products such as plywood and veneer give a greater flexibility of shapes in contemporary desk designs, with the aesthetics of real wood.
Wood-based desks finished with melamine or laminate are economical, easy to clean and available in a wide range of colors and finishes. Better quality products usually have a high-quality core such as MDF or plywood rather than chipboards of lower densities. Less expensive products might save on production costs by only using the laminate on the visible sides of the desk.
Glass desks are stylish and optimize natural light but are more fragile than other materials and may chip or scratch over time. A glass table top can be combined with a wood base, with a metal base for a more industrial look or be all-glass for a minimalist appearance. Metal is normally only used for the desk base. While it is less common to have metal desktops, they can be great for slim industrial and minimalist designs.
