Which Type Of Desk Is The Right Choice For Your Home Office?

When setting up any home office, the most critical centrepiece is the desk, which is why so many homeowners have opted to invest in a bespoke office workspace that is not only comfortable but inspiring and helps you feel your best when working. Anyone who has experience working from home knows that the right desk can transform your working environment, something that is vital not only for productivity but long-term physical and mental wellbeing. Having a desk is important, but what is equally vital is choosing the right one. But with so many different options available, how do you know which one is right for you? In order to answer that, we must first explore why your desk choice matters so much, the ten main types of office desks and how they fit into each home office and each budget, as well as the questions to ask yourself before choosing a bespoke desk.

Why Does Your Desk Matter In Your Home Office?

If you have an office job, you will likely spend the majority of your waking hours at your desk, which makes it vital that your office is a nice place to be, especially since it is not typically a place we want to be by ourselves. Everyone has different needs from their desk, not only because every office job is slightly different and needs varying kinds of storage and work spaces, but also because everyone has a unique working style that helps them to think and to stay motivated. As many people who tried to work on sofas, in bed or on kitchen tables can attest, a less-than-ideal working environment can be disastrous ergonomically and lead to long-term chronic pain, soreness, fatigue, and difficulties properly focusing. It is also a reflection of your priorities at work; a properly ordered desk reduces the temptation to leave your office filled with clutter, allows you to store and locate important pieces of equipment and work information, and maintain a level of security necessary to do your job well. 

The Ten Main Styles Of Office Desks

There are countless types of desks available on the market, each of which is designed for a particular type of office, aesthetic or working need. This level of choice can be utterly bewildering, but in order to ensure you find the right desk for you, here are the ten main types of desks available, their pros and cons, and what work they were designed for. All of these types of desks can be built to be freestanding or fixed to a wall, depending on the particular design and needs of the room itself.

Writing Desk

Also known as a bureau plat, a traditional writing desk is a table with a set of drawers directly below the main surface, designed to store pens, ink, pencils, paper and other implements. The original home office desk typically fitted in a study or home library; writing desks are ideally suited to people who work from home but have relatively minimal storage needs. If you would typically hotdesk in your office, working wherever you can set up a laptop computer, a writing desk may be a suitable option if paired with the right type of chair, but if you have more substantial business or home office needs, a writing desk is more of an aesthetic choice.

Executive Desk

Exactly what constitutes an executive desk can be difficult to define, but it is a desk, most commonly a pedestal desk, with a large work surface that is made from high-quality materials. It is similar to a writing desk, but the two pedestals provide multiple large drawers for storing important office equipment, paperwork and other work materials necessary for doing business. An executive desk is typically a more imposing, larger option, but you can get narrower desks which retain the functionality, making it ideally suited for most home offices.

L-Shaped Desk

Also known as a corner desk, an L-shaped desk is a desk designed with two work surfaces at a 90-degree angle to each other, typically used to fill the corner of a room with as much space and storage as possible. Corner desks are perfect for home offices which are intended to be part of a multipurpose room rather than be their own dedicated space, and the additional workspace and storage options make them ideal to help with focus.

Roll-Top Desk

A variation of the historic cylinder desk, a roll-top desk is similar to a pedestal desk, except that the main work surface not only has a series of additional shelves and nooks, but also a rolling cover that can often be locked in place. Often confused for either a writing desk or a bureau, a roll-top desk can be a very elegant solution, particularly if you want to definitively compartmentalise your work and home life. However, because they are relatively small and much of the space is made up of shelving, they might not be the most elegant solution if you require space for a monitor or desktop computer.

Bureau

Also known as a secretary or slant-top desk, a bureau is a desk with a lid that opens up to extend your workspace, alongside several drawers. Its biggest advantage is that it is space-saving; by making the work surface the lid, you can keep it in the corner without it encroaching on other parts of the room. However, you need to ensure that the hinged writing surface is strong enough for anything you want to put on it. Whilst they are typically sturdy enough for pen, paper and a keyboard, a particularly heavy-duty laptop may be a problem.

Hutch Top Desk

A desk with cabinets and shelves above it, a hutch-top desk is a perfect luxurious solution, with a lot of scope to expand it with the storage solutions you need. Also known as a credenza, a hutch-top desk is perfect for executives who have larger than usual storage needs.

Partner Desk

Similar to an executive desk, a partner’s desk has drawers on both sides to allow for two people to use it at once. This can be useful if you intend to have meetings or work with assistants in your office job, but otherwise the desk has limited use in a home office.

Standing Desk

A standing desk has a work surface with an adjustable height, allowing you to both stand up and sit comfortably whilst working. This is useful if you want to keep active whilst working and take advantage of its multiple health benefits.

U-Shaped Desk

A U-shaped desk usually combines the additional work surface of an L-shaped desk with further storage you would typically find in a credenza. This is perfect if you want your desk to act as a physical partition from the rest of the room.

Computer Desk

A computer desk can have elements from these other nine desk types, but the key is that it features multiple shelves and surfaces designed to comfortably and ergonomically fit a computer, keyboard, monitor and additional peripherals such as printers.