The best desks for a stylish home office (2020)

Every good home office deserves a good desk. So to save you the trouble of finding one, Ben Griffin has rounded up some of the best desks around.

When creating a home office (something many of us are now having to do) or upgrading an existing one, a desk is essential. It can add storage space, improve aesthetics, hide unsightly wires and provide you the worktop you need for your computer or laptop. Maybe even make a room look bigger. To save you time, A Tribe Called Cars has scoured the ‘interwebs’ to find the best desks around for various budgets.

Best desks 2020: George Nelson Swag Desk

In 1958 designer George Nelson wanted to design a desk that was easy to assemble and had a sculptured leg. The result is the Swag Desk, a stylish piece of furniture that gets its name from the process of using intense pressure to taper and curve a metal tube known as ‘swagging’. Today’s version is identical except for a grommet on the right side to route your cables.

Best for: Those who love the style and mainly work on a laptop
Dimensions: 87.6cm height x 99cm width x 72.3cm depth
Price: £573.30, Mobelaris

Best desks 2020: Airia Desk

The Airia desk designed by Observatory (formerly Kaiju Studios) has a draw for hiding away your laptop, iPad and stationery, a shelf at the back for whatever you want and, best of all, multiple elegant openings for feeding unsightly cables into a hidden area. This practical desk and the accompanying media cabinet is worthy of any decent home office – if you can track one down. Sadly, the Airia Desk is currently unavailable at Herman Miller.

Best for: Those who love things that can do both form and function equally well
Dimensions: 77cm height x 142 cm width x 76cm depth
Price: £1,185 (currently unavailable), M-Edition

Best desks 2020: Ikea Linmon table top

For an ultra-tight budget, you can do no wrong with the Ikea Linmon table top. It comes in two sizes (the latter of which is more than capable of housing two or more monitors) and there’s a choice of colours to match your home office. The legs can be as cheap or expensive as you like. The square chrome legs are our favourite if you can afford, but the height-adjustable bog-standard round offerings are just as tough. Pro-tip: An extra leg in the middle of the desk will greatly increase the supported weight.

Best for: Anyone who just wants a medium or large desk at a cheap price
Dimensions: 70cm height x 150cm width x 75cm depth
Price: From £15, Ikea

Best desks 2020 Mash Studios Lax Series

To make an office look bigger, a wall-mounted desk can do just the trick. The Mash Studios interpretation has three cubby holes for storing things, one of which is kept hidden by an aluminium front. A stylish walnut finish completes the design. Floating desks are not only good for small offices, being able to see the floor below can trick the eye into thinking a room is larger than it actually is. One of many reasons why this is one of the best desks around.

Best for: A small home office or one where you want to maximise the space
Dimensions: 30.5cm height x 147.5cm width x 51cm depth
Price: US$792, Design Public

Best desks 2020: Trestle Desk

Dark wood desks may not be to everyone’s tastes, but there’s no denying the Trestle Desk from Blue Sun Tree packs one stylish punch, thanks to the white drawers and simplistic styling. Speaking of drawers, having three of them helps keep your desk from becoming a cluttered mess of bits and bobs. Sadly there’s no cable management, but there are other ways to hide your wires if you want to.

Best for: Those who appreciate the look and want a bit of drawer space
Dimensions: 76cm height x 150cm width x 70cm depth
Price: £249, Blue Sun Tree (website down)

Best desks 2020: Fonteyn

Yet another variation on the practical three drawer theme, only this time the Fonteyn desk designed by British designer Steuart Padwick ditches square edges for smooth round ones, giving it a slightly softer aesthetic. It comes in either an oak and walnut finish or walnut with red lacquer drawers. Just be careful where you rest your cup of tea.

Best for: Those who like curves and drawers
Dimensions: 75cm height x 140cm width x 45cm depth
Price: From £399, Made.com

OneLessDesk

Another good option for small home offices or for those who like to keep things svelte. The OneLessDesk allows you to wheel away the lower desk under the main desk, giving you more space out of hours. It comes in a variety of eye-catching colours and includes a shelf at the back for hiding plugs, wires and even a router/modem if it’s small enough.

Best for: Those who want to claim some space back in their home office
Dimensions: Upper desk – 77.5cm height x 83.4cm width x 20cm depth
Price: From US$749, Heckler Design (tough to get)

StudioDesk

For hiding away wires, the StudioDesk is one of the best. A sliding desktop surface reveals a large area to stow away your extension lead, USB cables and anything else you would rather hide out of sight, with a thin opening all the way along the desk for feeding wires onto the surface. Available in two sizes so all but the smallest office should be catered for.

Best for: Those who want to vanquish wires
Dimensions: Regular desk – 75cm height x 120cm width x 70cm depth
Price: From €749, Bluelounge (currently on sale)

Dostal Desk

Coming in a the budget end of the market is the Dostal from Wayfair. Yet despite its low price tag, it manages to look expensive. The mesh area at the back may eat into space a little, but it does help with tidy wiring, while the three cubby holes let you store all your paperwork, gadgets and gizmos.

There’s even a cable hole at the back left for various wires including one for a monitor or laptop power cable, plus there are two lighter wood types available if you want it to match the rest of your furniture. The mesh pen holder, meanwhile, is a nice touch for those who still use older methods of communication.

Best for: Those on a budget and have limited space, but want something original and practical
Dimensions: 97cm height x 109cm width x 51cm depth
Price: £129.99 (on sale), Wayfair

Arty Desk

French retailer and website Maison du Monde does some particularly cool things for the home. That includes the Arty mango desk, complete with its black metal legs, drawer on the right and large cubby hole, which is partially split into two for aesthetics and storage.

By using thinner legs and a lighter coloured wood, the Arty Desk manages to blend better into the background. Although its design is by no means one you would want to hide, especially as it costs nearly £400.

Best for: Those who love its design, elegance and practicality
Dimensions: 76cm height x 130cm width x 60cm depth
Price: £378, Maison du Monde