With buying tips from multiple designers in mind, we researched options of various sizes with functional features. Our top choice is Pottery Barn’s Pacific Desk, a durable, two-drawer workstation with a minimalist-modern aesthetic. Scroll down for the best home office desks. It has an oak wood veneer, and all sides are finished in a uniform color, allowing you to place it anywhere in your home office, even with the back exposed. More color options would be nice, but the natural finish and minimalist-modern design are undoubtedly versatile. This mid-sized workstation also has two wide drawers with smooth-gliding groove pulls. Like many Pottery Barn products, the Pacific Desk is made to order and takes weeks to ship out. But delivery includes white-glove service, meaning it arrives fully assembled and will be placed in your room of choice. Price at time of publish: $799 At 44 inches wide, it’s on the smaller side, but you can bet it’ll fit in nearly any room of your home. Just a heads up, though: You’ll have to put this desk together at home. Luckily, the process should be quick and easy. Price at time of publish: $185 The modern, streamlined design is the perfect medium size—you’ll have plenty of room for your computer and other essentials but won’t have a problem fitting it in your space. We also like that this desk has three drawers that can be mounted on either side and a hidden cable-management slot. Price at time of publish: $1,095 The digital controls have four memory profiles, allowing multiple users to easily adjust it to their ideal height. While this desk doesn’t have any drawers, we appreciate the industrial-grade steel frame and reliable telescopic legs. The only drawback is a lack of available storage space. With no drawers, you’ll have to find somewhere else to stash your desk essentials. Price at time of publish: $249 Thanks to rubber grommets, the motor noise is muffled when it goes up or down. It also has four presets, so multiple users can quickly access their go-to height. Backed by a 15-year warranty, the Jarvis’s heavy steel frame makes it exceptionally stable, too, supporting up to 350 pounds of weight. Price at time of publish: $1,029 At 60 inches wide, the sizable surface offers a spacious workstation with plenty of room for a computer, keyboard, mouse pad, accessories caddy, charging station—you name it. The drawers provide ample hidden storage for office supplies and files as well. The smooth drawer glides and interior filing capacity make it a breeze to stash or access everything from important paperwork to everyday essentials. Just note that you will have to put this desk together yourself when it arrives. Price at time of publish: $340 This piece is made of crack- and warp-resistant solid kiln-dried eucalyptus wood, sustainably sourced from lumber certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). One thing to note is that unlike most West Elm products, you’ll have to put it together at home. You’ll also want to keep in mind potential shipping time, which can take weeks. Price at time of publish: $499 The Cuuba Libre flaunts a spacious drawer, a large cabinet, and two shelves, plus a hole in the back to hide cords. You can adjust the orientation to have the storage components on either side, and thanks to the finished back, you don’t have to place it in a corner. Price at time of publish: $300 With slab-style legs and rounded sides, it nods to mid-century design without compromising its minimalist, versatile appeal. The 50-inch width is an ideal medium size for home offices, and the finished back means you can place it anywhere in the room. However, you’ll want to note that with just one small drawer, there isn’t a lot of storage space available within the desk itself. Price at time of publish: $1,299 Featuring rounded corners and slightly flared legs, the Seb Desk has a tasteful mid-century modern vibe, with a bit of rustic flair. In addition to the steep price, we should note Castlery only accepts returns within 14 of receiving the desk. Price at time of publish: $749 This desk is available in two sizes and colors, including classic clear acrylic or a black tinted hue. It doesn’t have any built-in storage, but in the end, a drawer or shelf might take from its striking simplicity. And although the Embassy boasts a hyper-modern design, it’ll pair effortlessly with industrial, mid-century, minimalist, and Scandinavian decor schemes alike. Price at time of publish: $500 According to AbouZanat, the most important detail is to choose a “big enough worktop surface for everyday use.” Height matters, too, so think about whether you need a standing desk or an adjustable model for more flexibility.
Material
The best desks for home offices are often made of wood or metal. Solid wood is ideal, as it’s durable and long-lasting—extra points if it’s kiln-dried like the Pottery Barn Pacific Desk. Powder-coated steel is exceptionally sturdy, too, as with the Herman Miller Mode Desk. You’ll also find sleek, modern acrylic options like the AllModern Embassy Desk. Acrylic is a surprisingly durable, fade-resistant, antimicrobial material that’s conveniently easy to clean.
Storage
“Consider if you need drawers for storage,” says interior designer Amy Forshew of Proximity Interiors. “We are seeing more and more desks with shallow pencil drawers or no drawers at all.” Standing desks like the Fully Jarvis Bamboo Desk may not have storage, but many models have drawers, shelves, or cubbies, like the Castlery Seb Desk. Even if you’re not quite sure what you’ll put in the drawers of cubbies yet, you might be glad to have the additional storage space down the road. Think about cable organization too. “If you want your desk to float in the middle of the room and the desk is open underneath, you have to consider the computer cords running down the desk,” says Forshew. “Alternatively, choose a desk with a finished back so you can hide the cords.”
Ergonomics
Some of the best office desks are designed with ergonomics in mind. They might be curved in the front to encourage proper positioning when typing at a computer, while others may feature adjustable heights to limit the amount of time spent sitting down during your work day, as with the SHW Electric Adjustable Standing Desk.
Why Trust The Spruce?
Theresa Holland is a professional commerce writer specializing in home improvement and decor. She interviewed two experts for this story, interior designer Ahmad AbouZanat of Project AZ and interior designer Amy Forshew of Proximity Interiors. With their expertise in mind, she considered dozens of desks from various manufacturers, narrowing it down to durable, functional, versatile options with notable features. Theresa covers furniture, organizational products, and storage solutions at The Spruce. But other than that, it’s mostly a matter of aesthetic preference. For instance, something with rounded corners may flaunt a mid-century modern vibe that breaks up the monotony of a streamlined home office space.
