So You Want a New Desk? This Is What You Need to Know

So You Want a New Desk? This Is What You Need to Know 1

How much do you know about desks? If you are one of those people who are new to the work-from-home scene, you have had to learn a lot in a very short time. There is a good chance that most of what you learned is what doesn’t work. Those lessons can be unpleasant and rather expensive tutorials that you could have done without. You also don’t need to be ashamed of making some pretty rookie mistakes. After all, even many people who set up offices for a living don’t know all that much about desks. Just look at some of the abominations you find in the average office building. As the late Steve Jobs would say — yuck!

If you are setting up a workspace in a contemporary Alabama farmhouse, for instance, then you may have even greater challenges than professional office designers. The climate where you live makes a difference in what desk you should choose. Are you planning on ever opening a window in your work area? If so, you should know that not all materials react well to sweltering heat. If it runs cold where you live, you might not appreciate a metal surface. That is just one consideration. Here are a few others.

Sit/Stand Desk

One of the first things you should settle when considering your next business desk is whether it will be a desk that can adjust to a standing position. If you get a desk that is solely one or the other, you are stuck with whatever you chose. However, if you make sure your next desk can adjust to any position, you will maintain maximum flexibility for the many years you own the furniture. 

Standing desks are not just fads. Some experts suggest that standing up more can burn the same amount of calories as ten marathons a year. If you are the kind of person that would rather watch a marathon than participate, you can get some of the same benefits as the runner by doing your work in a standing position. A common misconception about standing desks is that you are supposed to stand at them all the time. You aren’t. That could result in minor injuries to your feet, knees, and back. Just standing for some of your workday is beneficial, though. So be sure you get a desk that gives you the freedom to do either whenever you like.

Looks Are Important

Back to that Alabama farmhouse… Notice that it has a certain structure and architectural character that makes it stand out. You don’t want to ruin that look by trying to turn some part of it into a modern office building. That would be a downgrade even if all of the furnishings were best of the breed. Appearance matters. If you have to Live with it and work at it and encounter it every day of your working life, you want something that not only inspires you to want to use it, but it has to fit naturally into the environment where it will be used.

In an older home, something more vintage makes a lot of sense because it looks like it belongs. To do otherwise would be like watching an old movie and noticing that one of the actors is wearing an Apple Watch. You would no longer be able to suspend disbelief. So when you are shopping for the perfect desk, ask yourself if the desk you are considering fits the style of the place it will live for the next several years.

Bigger Is Not Better

You should get the biggest desk that you need, and not one inch bigger. Desks take up a lot of space as it is. You might be living in a place that has plenty of space. But what if that desk has to be moved to a smaller space. How will it work then? There is also the problem of junk. Since nature abhors a vacuum, you will eventually use all the surface space you have by filling it with junk. Instead of something tight and functional, you end up with something cluttered and hard to use. Spend what you like. But be stingy when it comes to size.

There is a lot to know about buying a desk. But you are going to do just fine as long as you keep the standing option available, don’t fight the natural decor of the room, and refrain from getting something larger than you need.