Planning for Performance: Rethinking the Modern Home Office Desk

The modern home office desk is the show pony of today’s work-from-home environment. While any desk is the workhorse of any office, your home office deserves more – more style, more performance, more comfort – than you’ll find in a generic desk or workstation. Even in small or limited spaces, choosing a modern desk as your operational base equips your workplace for maximum productivity and functionality.

So how do you go about selecting such an important piece of office furniture? To identify the modern home office desk that’s ideal for you, follow these 3 preliminary planning steps:

Step 1: Define the size requirements for your modern home office desk.

Picking your best desk begins with understanding what size desk you need. Sounds simple, right? Not so fast. More than just choosing a desk that fits, you want to select the modern home office desk that fits your personal work style and accommodates your work tools. In general, you should ask yourself:

  • How many technologies will need to sit atop your home office desk and how should they be arranged?
  • How many wires and cables are required and how will they be managed?
  • How much open surface area will you need for hands-on tasks like writing, researching and calculating?
  • Do you prefer to work sitting, standing, or both? (If both, consider a height-adjustable desk.)

The most suitable home office desk allows you to do all your tasks comfortably and efficiently without feeling cramped or confined.

Step 2: Evaluate the office space you have available.

Modern office style is built on clean lines and uncluttered spaces, so even though your desk will be the most prominent piece in your office, it still needs to exist harmoniously within your available office space. Consider making a carboard cutout in the size you identified in Step 1 and use it to test the desk’s footprint within your designated floorspace:

  • Experiment with different positions, angles, arrangements and floorplans.
  • Step off traffic patterns to ensure adequate access, flow and legroom.
  • If you’re considering a standing desk or adjustable-height desk, be sure to also eyeball your vertical spaces for any potential obstacles.

The modern home office desk must suit your space, your body and your preferred working positions.

Step 3: Examine your purchase options.

From shopping online to perusing catalogs to visiting physical or virtual showrooms, it’s never been easier to gauge what’s on the market as well as compare product prices and features. Many sellers even offer apps and room planning tools that allow you to visualize specific products in your own particular space. As you narrow your selections, be sure to doublecheck all desk measurements against your Step 1 and Step 2 calculations.

Take your pick, then sit back and wait for delivery. Once you’ve found your perfect modern home office desk, outfitting the rest of your workspace will be a snap.