How To Buy The Best Office Desk

The right office desk can help increase productivity and the wrong desk can work against you. Finding the right office desk depends on a few key factors beginning with the amount of space you have inside of your home for a desk. Attempting to cram a large desk into a small space isn’t the best course of action, but buying a desk that’s too small can make organizational matters difficult.

No matter what type of work you do or what your current desk space looks like, there’s a desk out there that’s just right for you. After measuring the amount of space that you have, think about what you plan to use your desk for. Some desks were built for people who love to craft while other desks were made strictly for office tasks.

Shapes

There are a few basic desk shapes available including L-shaped, corner desks, U-shaped, straight desks and center desks. Knowing what shape will best suit your office will help you determine which type of desk to search for. Here are some things that you should know about desk shapes before picking out a color or a particularly catchy design:

L-Shaped Desks: These are great if you have a corner space. In addition to fitting snugly into most corners, these desks offer a large amount of desktop space so you can comfortably fit a desktop computer screen and many other objects in your workspace.

Corner Desks: These are slightly different from L-shape desks in that these desks come in many different shapes. Some corner desks are oval-shaped, while others are rounder. If you have a small corner space that you’d like to place a desk in, a corner desk may be your best option.

U-Shaped Desks: These are typically very big desks. If you have a large room, a U-shaped desk will provide more desktop space than any other shape. These desks are also ideal if you plan on sharing a desk with someone else as one person can easily sit on either side of a U-shaped desk.

Straight Or Standard Desks: These fit flush against a wall. Easily the most popular desk shape, straight desks don’t provide a lot of flexibility, since these desks cannot be placed in a corner or in most other parts of a small room.

Center Desks: These are what you commonly see in the corporate executive's office. These desks sit in the center of a room allowing equal amounts of space to exist on both sides of the desk. Typically, a center desk is only a good idea if you have a very large space. If this is the case, a center desk can be an ideal way to give a home office a formal look.

Knee And Arm Space

Another thing to consider is the height of the desk. It’s a good idea to test out any desk you plan to buy prior to purchase. Sometimes, a low desk will not provide adequate room for your knees and legs. When this happens, sitting for hours at a desk that’s too small will be very uncomfortable. You should be able to stretch your legs without hitting the top of a desk.

Your forearms should rest comfortably on any given desktop. If you find that you are reaching for the top of a desk or bending over to reach the surface while sitting down, you may want to look for a different (lower or higher) desk. While the height of your desk chair will impact the overall fit and comfort of a desk, any desk that’s too high or too low from the start will be hard to work at.

Standing Desks

Standing desks are fairly new. Instead of sitting at a desk all day long, the idea behind a standing desk is (you guessed it!) to stand. Various studies have shown that sitting at a desk for long periods of time is not good for your physical health. Humans weren’t meant to sit still for hours on end and the standing desk was invented to suit a more natural pose.

If you are considering a standing desk, you will be joining the likes of authors and all kinds of professionals around the world. A standing desk will allow you to move around, burn more calories and prevent back strain that can be caused by sitting in a chair. But, the main problem with a standing desk is that your feet may become sore if you work for hours at a time. Various office supply stores sell standing desks that are worth a look.

Cost

Desks range in price from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars. Expensive desks tend to be made from pricey materials such as titanium and exotic woods, and some ergonomic designs can also be expensive. If you have money to spare, take a look at solidly built desks (made form thick wood or steel) that will last for many years to come. If you are shopping on a budget, try to find the right kind of desk for your workspace online. Often, companies that sell desks online can offer desks at much lower prices than brick and mortar retail shops.

Before you buy a desk, take the time to really think about your current office space, the type of work that you do and whether you want to stand or sit all day.