When it comes to home office furniture selection, technology seems to be in the driver’s seat. Whereas twenty years ago everyone wanted a rolltop desk with plenty of small drawers and cubbies, today’s most common request is for a desk that will hold a computer, perhaps a laptop, and then the peripherals such as CPU, printers, and telephone/fax equipment. Home office furniture has been broken down into 5 categories: Wall desk units, rolltop desks, large area flattop desks, armoire desks, and smaller decorative and student desks.
Wall Desk Units
Wall desks units are usually made up of 4-7 modular units that fill up a wall with storage space, either file or cabinet space, a place to store the computer, and finally if the room permits, a peninsular desk that extends perpendicularly into the room at a 90-degree angle from the wall units. The arrangement permits two people to use the desk or for one person to have space to open newspapers, blueprints, or scrapbooks on the worktable, while also having functional computer space.
Roll-top Desks
Rolltop desks are now constructed so that computer monitors fit into the covered top compartment. This provides security from children or pets as well as protection from dust. One disadvantage can be a sense of feeling “penned in” by the side panels, but the trade-off is a feeling of privacy. Perhaps the greatest advantage of the rolltop is that it can quickly be closed to hide the disarray often found in the home or business office.
Large-area Flattop Desks
Large area flattop desks range from the traditional 36-inch-by-72-inch top executive desk to a slightly more popular L-shaped arrangement where a somewhat smaller desk has a smaller secretarial return attached to one side of the desk where drawers are usually located. Again, one can work on the computer on one part of the desk and spread a large number of papers on the other desk. The wedge desk, where the working side of the desk is angled in the center so that the user faces the corner rather than the center of the desk is popular because it puts the computer monitor in the corner of the desk top and provides more open space for other work.
Computer Armoire
The computer armoire has many advantages similar to the rolltop but provides a slightly more efficient use of the same amount of floor space since the curved top is replaced by a taller rectangular cabinet. Armoires are great for multipurpose rooms and can make putting a computer in the kitchen or the living room a sensible option.
Desks as Gifts
Around graduation time in May or June, again in August, and finally at Christmas time in December, parents and grandparents come looking for that generous student desk gift that comes with the not-so-hidden suggestion that the recipient is expected to buckle down and do some serious studying, at least for part of their life. House of Oak & Sofas carries oak, pine, cherry desks that function both as standard and computer desks. The wise gift-giver brings the recipient along to help make the choice and thereby avoids the disappointment of choosing the desk they only “imagine” their child or grandchild might like. In the same category of smaller desks are slant-top, small rolltop and mini-desks that offer little workspace but rather might function primarily to “fill a space” and hold today’s bills.
When you are serious about buying a desk, a half-hour with one of the salespeople at House of Oak & Sofas will help you narrow your search. Whether you find the desk on the showroom floor, or find one similar in a catalog, you will often find home office chores to go much more smoothly with your improved use of office space.
