A HOME OFFICE DESK FOR A PERFECT HOME WORK ENVIRONMENT

02/11/2015 02:00 pm

If you are like most people, when you are home after a hard day at the office, you want as little to do with your work as possible. You spend enough time in the office already, after all, so why bring it home? And yet, there is no doubt that home itself requires a certain amount of deskwork and paper shuffling. Why not be supremely comfortable at home with a proper home office desk?

Signs of Quality in a Home Office Desk

You may spend some prized weekend hours seated before your desk, paying bills and scheduling your social calendar. Conducting your home affairs at anything less than a beautiful, comfortable, ergonomically correct desk will only make you unhappy and reluctant to attend to necessary work.

When searching for the perfect desk, quality is evident in materials and workmanship:

1. Look for well-known manufacturers with reliable track records
2. Look for thick metal legs and smooth plating to provide maximum support and easy cleaning
3. In laminates, inspect the edges for clean, crisp lines that show high compression strength with little likelihood of chipping
4. In wood veneers, expect book-matched, quilted, quad-matched or burl wood veneers for showpieces, such as the front of the home office desk
5. Verify that your home office desk can adapt to your needs ergonomically by allowing you to rearrange shelves, use a dropped keyboard shelf or have sliding rollout shelves

Style

A home office desk is the hub of your most productive home time, where you will organize personal finances and schedule events around family and friends. Select a style to match your personality and set the tone for your home office space, whether it is a separate room or simply a corner of the kitchen, recreation room or master bedroom.

Common styles include:

• Traditional
• Modern
• Old-World
• Contemporary

Common materials include steel, wood veneer, plastic laminate and combinations of these elements.

A home desk is a surprisingly large piece of furniture. Dark tones tend to seem heavy against lighter tones in walls and floors, so consider the overall appearance carefully. While you may prefer a lovely dark-stained wood veneer, something lighter may work better in your space, helping to reflect light.

Unlike executive desks at your business, your home office desk is not meant to impress visitors. It should make you feel comfortable. In many cases, the front of the desk will be against a wall, so take time in the showroom to sit and get a feel for working at the desk.

Comfort and Ergonomics

For maximum comfort, balance distinctive style with practicality:

• Your desk must keep you organized, so allow plenty of surface area and drawer space within easy arm’s reach
• Increase productive home time by choosing a desk for the task, whether you work mainly on a computer or through handwritten correspondence and letters
• If the home office space is carpeted, consider a floor mat to allow your chair to roll easily.

Future Possibilities

When shopping for a home office desk, keep in mind that your needs may change over time for unforeseen reasons, so consider a manufacturing line that offers matching pieces. Perhaps a family member is contemplating beginning a small business, or maybe he or she will work from home. Having a matching credenza, filing cabinet and bookcase conveys the right note of foresight and serious business.

If you are unable to budget a complete home office of matching furniture when you purchase the home office desk, make a note to periodically review your needs. Revisit the furniture showroom so you can keep track of your particular line’s availability.