Not all furniture is just meant to sit there and gather dust. Of the different pieces of furniture that we have in our homes, perhaps desks are the ones that we really need to keep in order, maintaining fully functional and organized. Having a beautiful home office desk will in fact make using it (i.e. working) a more pleasant, as the vibe given off by a quality piece of furniture is unmistakable. Beyond beauty, however, functionality is key in desks, and that's why customizing your desk—especially if you have a a specific hobby or job that requires detailed and specific compartmentalizing—is always a good idea to get the maximum benefits out of it.



The tradition of making desks stretches way back into human history, and over the years they got ever more elaborate and glorious, with perhaps the pinnacle of desk making being reached in the 1700s and 1800s, when American, British, and French carpenters took this art form to unprecedented heights of talent, detail, and craftsmanship. Today, modern desk styles have reverted to simpler, more geometric forms, with less complex detail, but with plenty of quality and aesthetic appeal. Desks remain one of the most significant pieces traded in the antiques market, and getting your hands on a good sample could really provide a new air of distinction and taste to your home.

To let your desk be as functional as possible, think first of all in exactly what you will be using it for. If you have a job that requires you to maintain many separate, organized folders and files, then you will want to get a desk with plenty of cubby holes built into it; if you will be using it to store many small pieces, then get a desk with plenty of tiny drawers. If you want to use your desk to show off photos, diplomas, and trophies, then get a desk with a display case built on top. The variety of desks out there is tremendous, and there is a desk conceived for every kind of use, from standard office work to more hands on work (like carpentry, sewing, etc.).

Make sure your desk fits in with the overall aesthetic make up of the room you want to put it in. If the colors contrast too much, you may not believe it but you will notice that there is a resulting distraction or nuisance that may be hard to perceive at first, but will eat away at you slowly until you finally figure out what the problem is. Study the color scheme beforehand to avoid this problem. Also, make sure that the desk you are buying will be of sufficient size to fit in all the things you are planning on containing in it, and that the quality of the build is solid, as if you fill it with heavy objects you may be surprised to see that a few years down the line it is starting to buckle or sag in parts. In the end, strong desks are more important than pretty ones.