Designing a bespoke office wooden desk for home working

Like many people during Covid, I suddenly found myself booted out of the office and working from home. At the time I was working as a patent attorney and the work often involved reading and comparing a multitude of complicated documents at the same time, as well as formulating arguments and redrafting claims. In the office, I had two monitors and plenty of space to spread out. Suffice to say, my kitchen table was not the optimum work environment. I quickly realised that I needed to upgrade my work station if I was going to work in any way efficiently.

Why choose a bespoke wooden desk?

I’m not alone in this. More people are working from home either a few days a week or else permanently remote working, and demand for custom desks has soared as a result. One client put it best for me: he said that if he was going to spend most of his life sat at the same desk at home then he wanted to make sure he actually enjoyed sitting at that desk.

That’s the thing. We spend thousands of hours at our desks. In the past, you might have changed jobs, swapped offices, or moved desks. But working from home, you will likely sit at the same desk day in, day out. If there’s ever a piece of furniture worth investing in, it’s probably this one.

Could you buy something decent off the shelf? Of course. But the beauty of having a desk made for you is that it reflects you. A mass-produced desk is fine, but a one-of-a-kind desk that you’ve had a hand in shaping feels different – more personal, more enjoyable.

Here’s a walnut desk with drawers that I built for a client who left me this review:

“I couldn’t be happier with my handmade desk! It’s an absolutely beautiful piece. The craftsmanship is outstanding, and you can tell immediately it’s been built with care and attention to detail. I gave Theo a broad vision and he definitely delivered.

The wood is stunning, with a natural finish that really brings out its character. It’s solid, sturdy, and feels like something that will last for generations. Every time I sit down to work, it brings a little joy. Thank you for creating something so special, it’s truly one of a kind!”

Designing a bespoke desk for how you actually work

Of course, a desk isn’t just there to look nice – it has to function well. When I design a bespoke desk, I always start with practical questions:

·       Do you need drawers for papers, stationery, or tech?

·       What kind of computer setup do you have – one screen, two, more?

·       How do you feel about cable management (hide them away or don’t mind seeing them)?

·       Do you eat or drink at your desk (which affects finishes)?

·       How tall are you, and what chair do you use?

That last one is important. Standard desks are usually one-size-fits-all. A well designed desk might make sensible use of anthropometric data, as outlined in Lawson’s Furniture Design (Lawson, 2021)[1], to provide the optimal working level for a keyboard and comfortable long-term desk use.

However, in reality they don’t fit everyone and it is always going to be a compromise when buying off the shelf. Many women find them too tall, and very tall people often find them too short and develop sore backs working at them. A custom desk can be built exactly to your proportions so you’re comfortable working at it all day.

Just some of the other options to think about:

·       Would you like a sit/stand mechanism?

·       Will the desk be against a wall, or floating in the middle of the room?

·       If it’s going in a living room rather than a home office, should it look more like a piece of furniture than “a workstation”? (I’ve often thought a modern take on the old bureau – where you can hide your work away at the end of the day – would be brilliant for this.)

Materials and styles

Once we’ve sorted out the practicalities, we get into the more enjoyable bit: design and materials. For some people, that means a bold statement piece like a solid walnut desk with drawers. For others, it’s something lighter and more minimal.

I recently built this pair of minimalist oak desks for a couple who both worked from home and wanted his and her desks. They wanted something simple but beautiful to go in their wood-clad garden office. They left me this review:

“Theo has made two custom […] beautiful oak desks with natural edges. They are solid and carefully constructed. We love them.”

Each commission ends up being different. Sometimes it’s about creating a desk that looks at home in a shared living space. Sometimes it’s about storage and organisation. Sometimes it’s about making a desk that doubles as a centrepiece. But always, it’s about making something that feels right for the person using it.

Conclusion

Working from home has changed the way we think about furniture. For many of us, the desk has become the most important piece in the house. A well-designed wooden desk – whether it’s a solid walnut desk with drawers or a more minimalist oak design – is worth every penny if it makes work more comfortable and more enjoyable.

If you’re considering a bespoke desk for your own home office, I’d be happy to chat through ideas. You can get in touch via my contact page. I discuss the process of commissioning a bespoke wooden desk in much more detail in an article that can be found here.

[1] Lawson, S. (2021) Furniture Design. 3rd edn. London: Laurence King Publishing.