Do you struggle for motivation while working from your home office? Find it difficult to remain productive in your own living space? Then you need to make a few changes to your surroundings, and get yourself a comfortable and ergonomic home-office desk.
Contrary to popular opinion, you don’t have to break the bank to land the best home office desk for your needs. Modern furniture manufacturers have been allocating a lion’s share of their resources to churn out products for budget-minded users. So you can easily find a competitively-priced model.
Also, as you’ll find out by going through our home office desk reviews, they are minimalist masterpieces that will fit as easily in a condo as they’d in a villa. Their modular layout gives them huge storage space to keep the clutter to a minimum. Apart from that, their design is aesthetically pleasing too.
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Best Desks for Home and Office Use
1. ApexDesk Elite Series / Electric Height Adjustable Standing Desk
First things first, the ApexDesk Elite Series isn’t the cheapest model on the market. Though it justifies its steep asking price by doing more than your average standing desk. We can say that because we’ve seen this desk moving. That’s right; as this desk lets you adjust its height to complement yours.
It comes with a 6-button programmable controller using which you can adjust its height anywhere between 29’’ and 48’’. Equally impressive is its industrial-grade solid frame which empowers this unit to support up to 225lbs of weight. So it can support everything from your scanner to a photocopier.
To increase its shelf life, ApexDesk has provided this model with a durable MDF top. Its smooth matte finish allows this desk to retain its sophisticated and streamlined looks for years. Also, its steel legs have a matte white coat that protects them against rust and corrosion.
Read more: ApexDesk Elite Series ET60
2. Tribesigns 63” Large Office Computer Desk
At the cost of sounding biased, the Tribesigns 63’’ is the best desk to go alongside a desk lamp. That’s because its contemporary design and clean aesthetics will help this model make the lamp more visible. At the same time, its track-style legs and robust metal frame means it can withstand heavier items too.
To protect the tabletop from daily wear and tear, the scratch-resistant laminate finish plays its part pretty well. You might be equally impressed with the role of the leg pads. Their adjustability means you can use them to level this model on uneven floors with minimal effort.
What is more, you won’t have to spend hours to get this model up and running. Since it requires the installation of only four legs, a single person can assemble this unit in less than 15 minutes. Throw into the mix its 18-months quality assurance, and you should have no doubts about this office desk.
3. SHW L-Shaped Home Office Corner Desk
If you have a vacant corner, this L-shaped desk might be an ideal choice. It comes with three separate pieces including a center piece, a shorter side, and a longer side. You can rearrange all of them as you want and customize the desk to complement your space.
The space beneath its tabletop contains a footrest bar to take care of your comfort. The tabletop itself has tempered safety glass finish which is scratch and abuse-resistant. Underneath everything else is the steel frame which empowers this model to do some heavy lifting.
Furthermore, the inner part of the table boasts a Z-shaped design to ensure durability. It also has adjustable glides that help the entire unit remain even on uneven floors. If that wasn’t enough, the fact that this model is available in lots of colors makes it hard to ignore.
4. Coaster Home Furnishings Computer Desk
As you’ll see in the buying guide section, we don’t recommend keeping all those forgotten essays. But if you do, this Computer desk will help you store all of them with ease. It will do the same thanks to its two drawers. Both of them are of different sizes but serve the same purpose of storing your essentials.
Provided you want to store something bigger – like your computer’s CPU – the vertical cabinet on your right side will prove beneficial. Aside from that, it also offers an adjustable keyboard tray beneath which is another compartment where you can store your files and folders.
Lastly, it goes without saying that most of you won’t be happy with its huge weight of 115 pounds. However, the pounds aren’t there without any reason. Their presence points to the fact that this unit has a hollow board with honeycomb. That means that if kept maintained, the desk won’t rust away.
5. DYH Vintage Computer Desk
As a mere glance at this model would indicate, it’s made for the minimalists. The absence of any storage options, as well as its meager weight, means you can’t expect it to perform heavy tasks. Instead, you can use it for a variety of tasks including study, writing, ready and similar sorts of things.
Turning our attention to its construction, and this unit features an MDF and wood grain tabletop. A steel tube frame supports the entire structure, with EVA pads preventing its feet from leaving scratches on your floor. The height from ground to tabletop is 29.2’’, making this model suitable for average height persons.
Impressively for a desk that weighs only 37lbs, its manufacturer takes responsibility for this model’s durability. Hence the reason why, in addition to a 30-day unconditional refund guarantee, you also get a 12-month warranty on this product.
6. Ameriwood Office L-Shaped Desk
When was the last time you came across an L-shaped desk which had storage options? This model is an exception to the norm as it provides 2 shelves for additional storage. These shelves aren’t huge, mind you, which means you can only count on them to store smaller items like books.
As for the desk itself, it isn’t cheap but provides good value for your money. It lets you join three desktops to create a larger wraparound workspace. Also, if you feel that its brown color is too old for your modern home, its dove gray and black oak models might prove to be more appealing options.
More importantly, and this is important, it features large grommet holes on its sides. You can use them to have a cable-free office. Depending on your storage requirements, you can even order a model with an attached hutch. That would give you more room to store your essentials.
7. Coavas Writing Computer Desk
The Coavas Writing Computer desk is an easily portable and storable option for your home office. Its 19.7’’ tabletop surface isn’t the biggest around, but it still provides enough space to store your laptop, a couple of speakers, a notebook, and even a plant to showcase your concern for the environment.
The model is well-built as well. Its waterproof MDF construction is durable and keeps warping at bay. The metal frame, though minimalistic in appearance, is sturdy. The presence of angled bars connecting all its legs with one other also does wonders for their durability.
Lastly, you won’t have any problems trying to assemble this unit. That’s mainly because of its foldable black frame which snaps open (and shut) in one step. That step is what it would take to complete this unit’s installation. Perhaps that’s why this model is more popular among people who are always on the go.
Home Office Desk Buying Guide
Based on the brilliant response that we’ve earned from our readers over the years, we’ve divided them into two sets. The first are those who scroll straight to the buying guide section in our reviews and use the information given here to make a sound selection from the products recommended above.
The second set of our readers does the exact opposite. They start by looking at the features of the products mentioned above. Then they come down and compare those characteristics with the ones we provide in the buying guide section. This process helps them decide whether the product is worth buying or not.
Regardless of the route that you may have taken, this buying guide will come handy for you.
Top 3 Considerations When Buying a Home Office Desk
Following are the questions you need to ask yourself before purchasing a home office desk:
Design of the home office desk
A simple Amazon search will reveal that home office desks come in various shapes. All those designs have their own pros and cons – which you should be aware of before taking any decision. That’s because they help determine whether the desk would be suitable according to your needs, room size, and desired storage options.
L-shaped/Corner Desks
As you might already know, corner desks dwarf their counterparts as far as their popularity is concerned. Their minimal shape, aesthetically pleasing design, and elegant outlook make them an attractive option for the average millennial.
However, corner desks aren’t without their shortcomings. Most of them have little to no drawers or shelves or hatches. True, you can get some L-shaped desks with all these features, but they’ll most likely cost a lot.
Pros
– Maximizes corner area
– Provides easy access
– Versatile and modernist appearance
Cons
– Not many storage optionsRectangular Desks
Available in center and straight desk designs, they’re the most common type of office desks. Unlike corner-shaped desks, you can place these almost anywhere you want. Their uncomplicated design also makes them carrying a little bit easier. And you can also use them as a makeshift dining table.
On the flip side, rectangular desks have very limited placement options. You can only take advantage of their four-side utility by placing them in the center of the room. That restricts room if your home office is small, and makes movement difficult.
Pros
– All-round desk
– Serve several purposes
– Easy to carry
Cons
– Limited placement optionsStanding Desks
Since standing for long periods keeps our blood flowing, more blood circulates through our body and we remain more alert. That makes it extremely difficult for you to feel sleepy. Also, if you can maintain a good posture throughout the day, you’ll be adding to the strength of your core.
Unfortunately, standing desks can be brutal on your legs/feet if you don’t prepare. They have what our experts call ‘acclimatization time’ which you have to pass to get comfortable. Also, no matter how many advantages you read in any standing desk buying guide, they will get you fatigued after a long day.
Pros
– Always ready for action
– Feeling more energetic
– Contribute to core strength
Cons
– Might cause feet/leg soreness at first
Material of Construction
There are four materials used in the construction of home office desks that are popular among users. Let’s take a brief look at the plus and negative points of all of them.
Wood
As far as versatility and durability are concerned, not many materials can rival wood. Also, since your home might already have wood furniture, it won’t be difficult for you to find a complementing model.
What we don’t like about raw wood is its softness. That makes it susceptible to marks and scratches – thereby lowering the shelf life of the entire product.Metal
Metal owes its popularity among home office desk users due to its durability and modern appearance. So you can store them as easily in a Victorian house as you could in a modern condo.
Aside from that, metal’s sturdy frame helps it withstand heavy wear. You can also get away with relatively less cleaning of metal. However, if you don’t place any pads underneath its feet, it might scratch your floors.Laminate
Although they might resemble wood, laminates differentiate themselves with their stylish-looking finish. You can also count on them to better resist stains and spills than their metal or wood counterparts.
That said, the one area where laminates cannot compete with metal is their sturdiness. That is, unless, they are supported by a steel frame – in which case they’ll be hugely expensive.Glass
Looking for an elegant, polished option? Then glass desks are the way to go. Apart from giving your home office a refreshed look, they are also a cinch to clean.
That said, if you aren’t careful while using them, they might as well shatter or crack. This means that if you’re looking at desk lamp reviews, make sure that the lamp you are going to place on glass isn’t heavy.
Size and Storage options
Here’s how you can decide which size desk – and how many storage options – you might need:
Go big
Provided you earn a living from writing or paper-laden jobs, go for a bigger-size desk. You might also want it to have as many storage options as possible to store all your gear.
But how big is too big? Luckily, we have the answer to this question. Experts tell us that large desk’s tabletop width exceeds 60’’, whereas medium desks range between 40’’ and 60’’ tabletop clearance.Go small
If your laptop is the be-all and end-all of your work life, invest in a bare-bones home office desk. Apart from costing less, their minimalistic appearance also makes these options look modern.
Important Home Office Desk Features and Specs
Here are some of the must-have features and specs for a top-rated home office desks:
Complementing Desk Height:
To make sure that your desk’s height is right for you, place your arms on the desk and bend them at 90-degree angles. If your hands are resting comfortably, it means the desk is ergonomically correct for you.
Adequate Leg Clearance:
Most desks you see in this review offer leg clearance between 28’’ and 30’’ – which generally suit persons who are between 5’6’’ and 5’11’’. If you’re taller/shorter than the average height, make adjustments to the leg clearance accordingly.
Pull-out Keyboard Shelf:
Since you aren’t going to choose the best lap desk, make sure it comes with a pull-out keyboard shelf. Otherwise, if you type for a living, the absence of this shelf will result in pains in your back.
Hutch:
Are you going to store lots of gear inside your desk? Then you might appreciate models that come with a hutch. Provided you have the space to store them, desks-with-hutches can fill up an empty room.
Cable Management:
Don’t know how you’re going to manage all those cables running around? Invest in a desk that has a built-in cable organization hole, and you won’t have to worry again.
Rubber feet/legs:
Since you’re going to experiment with its positioning at first, make sure your desk has rubber feet/pads. They will save your floors from scratches.
4 Tips for Choosing the Right Shape Desk for Your Office
How do you decide which of the above-mentioned desk shapes suit you? To help you answer this question, we’ve come up with these useful tips.
Choose U-Shaped Desk If:
You desire/need a lot of workroom on a daily basis. Their counter space is so huge that people partaking in paper-heavy jobs can find them most beneficial. It goes without saying, though, that these desks would consume a lot of space on the ground. So make sure that your room’s dimensions exceed that of the desk by at least 1.5x.
Choose Center Desk If:
You want workspace both on the front as well as the back of the desk. Their traditional shape means that if you’ve helping hands, you can easily move these units around. You can also invest in a pricey model with a cable management system if you don’t want your internet and computer wires to remain visible.
Choose Straight Desk If:
You’re going to anchor your desk to the wall to make it durable. While they have as much desk space as center desks, they provide comparatively more legroom. However, if you’ve them anchored to the wall, you won’t be able to easily move them around.
Choose L-Shaped Desk If:
Also known as corner desks, L-shaped models take minimal space in the center of your room. That characteristic makes them ideal if you do not want the ease of movement through your home office. Their shape also helps them provide more storage space than the models discussed above.
Benefits of Using L-Shaped Desks in Your Office Desk
Following are some of the reasons why you might want to invest in an L-shaped desk.
Maximize Your Space With A L Shaped Office Desk
More Space
Since they have a unique shape, you can place L-shaped desks in the corner and free up room in the center of your office. That would make it easy for you and any of the coworkers that you may have to easily move around in the office.
That they take up less office space doesn’t mean that L-shaped desks will offer less workspace as well. Their ‘L’ shape will allow you to store more items – and that too within an arm’s length – than other shape desks.
Customization options
Imagine that you’re unhappy with the workspace offered by your L-spaced desk. Their unique design will allow you to easily add cabinets on top. Their longer surface means that the overhead cabinet will offer huge storage space.
What is more, you don’t have to restrict yourselves to the cabinet. Provided the lower structure of your model is sturdy, you can even add a hutch. That property of an L-shaped desk means that they’ll never force you to run out of workspace.
Separate workspaces
Almost all desk jobs have two items that are each other’s worst enemy – a computer and paper. All of us know what a stack of paper can do to our keyboard, so we should keep them as far away as possible.
The unique design of L-shaped desks helps us do just that. You can delegate one part of the “L’ to store paper, and the other to place your computer. A similar arrangement might be worked out if you’re sharing your office.Every Item Within Reach
People who are already using L-shaped desks know that they make it easy for you to reach any item you might need. That isn’t the case with equal size rectangular desks which require a lot of back and forth rolling. That makes these desks a must-have for people with shorter arms.
Importance of an Office Desk
Why do you need an office desk? Can’t you just lay down a carpet, organize all your items and start working? In this section, we’re going to list down the major benefits of an office desk.
Major Benefits of an Office Desk
Avoid Workspace Injuries
We aren’t going to go into detail of neck, back and shoulder injuries you could succumb to if you spend your entire workday sitting in a bad posture on the carpet. Instead, we’re going to lay out the benefits which office desks provide.
Take, for instance, desks that come with slide-out keyboards. By allowing your elbows to rest at the body’s sides, they reduce the likelihood of muscle fatigue. Or, you might want to look at all the shelves and drawers that it provides and make sure that everything you need is within your reach.
More Productive Work Day
It goes without saying that employees who are happy with their work environment tend to be more productive. Uncomfortable desk configurations can force employees to come up with excuses for leaving their workspace as often as they could.
Units that aren’t designed for office work don’t place much emphasis on placing everything within easy reach. Take your dining table as an example. Would you be comfortable working on it? Of course, you won’t. And that’s the reason why you need a dedicated desk for your home office.
More organization options
You don’t need us reminding you that your regular desk is a minimalist’s worst nightmare. It has no cable management options and lacks drawers to store extra items that you may need in the future. Also, while it might offer plenty of legroom, the workspace on offer might not be as much as you’d want.
The reverse is true for office desks. Provided you were successful in choosing an office chair cushion, they’ll make your workday comfortable. How? They have cable management options to make the wires disappear, have drawers to store all your items and the workspace to store all your gear.
Office Desk Organization Ideas & Cleaning Tips
Feel like your productivity is going down amid all the clutter on your desk? Then you might want to try out these ideas to give it a shot in the arm.
Top 5 Desk Organization Ideas:
Use Binder Tips To Organize Cables:
If you’re having trouble dealing with cables, clip binder clips to the side of your desk. Then, pass your cables through the space between the metal parts, and you’ll never again have to see them tangled on the surface.
Buy a Jelly Jar:
There are lots of smaller items like pencils, staplers and to-do notes which clutter our workspace in unforeseeable ways. You can put all these items in a jelly jar, and see your workspace get free of clutter.
Label Everything:
Want to get rid of that nagging feeling which punishes you for always forgetting where you place your items? Then label every drawer and shelf. Doing that will also save you time, as you won’t have to search through a million items to find your USB.
Hang a Shelf:
Provided you’re going to place your office desk against a wall, you can expand your workspace by hanging a shelf. You can then exploit the extra room to store books or tech items.
Get Drawer Dividers:
In contrast to what you might have come to believe, your USB doesn’t have to be buried underneath layers of paper in your drawer. With the drawer dividers, you can keep business cards, flash drives and sticky notes in their separate compartments.
Here’s how your desk should be organized!
6 Ways To Get Your Desk Clean And Keep It That Way!
Feeling lost amid all the clutter on your workstation? It’s time you make some space to perform the most important tasks using these tips.
Use File Folders With Dividers:
Having file folders with dividers will let you stack loose papers by category in their designated spots. That way, you’d never have to find your way to your laptop buried underneath layers of paper.
Follow ‘Ins = Outs’ Rule:
Got a new stapler? Time to move the old one to the bottom drawer. This self-accountability mechanism will help you keep the maximum number of items on the desk to a manageable level.
Go paperless:
Do you use a telephone book but also have all the numbers in it stored in your phone? It’s time to toss it away. Having a scanner nearby can also let you make copies of documents whose original versions you don’t need (and can, therefore, throw into the bin)
Think vertical:
If you can afford to, install shelves above your desk. They will increase the storage space to let you tuck all those items away which you don’t need on an urgent basis. At the same time, since these items will be within your arm’s reach, they’d remain accessible.
Capture a picture:
Do you have items on your desk just for reference? Like a printer cartridge that you need to refill or an article you promised you’d read later in the day? Instead of leaving them there, take a picture. You can always browse through your images later on to reference the items.
Avoid multitasking:
According to research carried out by experts from Stanford University, multitasking reduces our efficiency. When we do multiple jobs at one time, we’re sending conflicting symbols to our minds. Doing away with multi-tasking will also minimize the clutter on your desk.
FAQs and Answers
- Q: Why do I need a home office desk?
A: Apart from providing ample working space, home office desks also offer sufficient storage and have elegant-yet-functional design elements. Provided you choose the best one according to your height, you’d find these desks helpful in improving your posture and mitigating the risks of any back pains. - Q: Do home office desks require assembly?
A: Most home office desks in this review are delivered to your doorstep in flat-pack form. That means that they require self-assembly. You don’t need to worry as they also come with an instruction manual. You can use the guide to get the desk up and running in less than an hour. - Q: What is the ideal height of a home office desk?
A: Depending on your height and the model’s shape, its height should be between 725mm and 740mm. You can also perform a test to make sure that the desk’s height is ergonomically correct. Gauge the level of the desk when you’re sitting on the chair next to it. If the desk’s surface is level with your elbows, then that means that it’s ergonomically correct. - Q: What is the difference between home office desk and table?
A: While most manufacturers use the terms interchangeably, there’s a difference between home office desks and tables. In contrast to tables, most office desks have built-in storage options i.e. shelves, drawers or hutch. Also, while we normally see desks mounted to a wall, that’s not the case with tables.
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Conclusion
In contrast to what our society as a whole believes, people who work from home also take their work seriously. They’re real people who, for whatever reason, can’t (or won’t) step out of their abode to earn a living. Still, like traditional workers, they need all the stuff that would keep them productive.
That’s where the best home office desks come in. Depending on the needs of their users, they can be minimalistic-masterpieces or heavy-duty, age-old storage desks. That means that whether you’re a writer who’s always tossing papers into the bin or a software programmer, they have got something to offer.
Have doubts about this claim? Then you must scroll back to our home office desk reviews section. Only then you’d realize how versatile these units can be. And only then you’d be able to select a model that won’t only fit inside your office but would also meet your storage requirements.