Eurway Education: What Kind of Desk Do I Need?
Corner Desk
Corner Desks are designed to be placed in the corner of a space. They are often also designed to connect with other desks or desk pieces to make up a large L-shaped desk. Corner desks help you get the most out of a space by utilizing the most cumbersome portion of any space to great effect and efficiency. Corners are often overlooked and under-utilized. Corner desks can overcome this deficiency and add to the theme of the space with their style. They are convenient and can be quite versatile - serving as a place to sit at your computer or as a console, displaying photos and plants. They are usually smaller than the average desk, and as a result, are often very affordable. Because of their affordability and spatial efficiency, corner desks are great for dorm rooms, efficiencies, studio apartments and lofts. Some corner desks are quite large, however, and serve to maximize the use of space in an office by placing a formidable workstation directly in the corner.
Computer Desk
Computer Desks are designed to have a desktop computer used on them or stored in, on or under them, and still have surface leftover for additional work to be done around them. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes, some designed specifically for one type or brand of computer. L-shaped computer desks are very popular because their user can devote one side of the L to their computer space, and the other as their work surface. There are many features you should be aware of when shopping for a computer desk. If the computer you plan on using has a tower, in addition to its monitor, then you should consider a computer desk with built in storage for the tower. A computer desk should also address cord management in some way. Computers have power cords and countless USB and other wires connecting them to peripherals and networks. Desks with cord management features allow you to keep a clean organization of cords instead of a bird's nest of tangled wires that will invariably accumulate on a desk with no cord management features. If you need a lot of work surface leftover after the computer is placed on the desk, consider a desk with a keyboard tray. This will save you space in front of your monitor. If ergonomics are important to you, consider the height of the desk, and sit a comparable height surface in your office chair. Would it be cumbersome to work at a desk of that height? Also consider that there are adjustable height desks on the market that solve this problem handily. Some computer desks also have elevated platforms for monitors built into them to aid with neck ergonomics.
Sit-Stand Desk
Sit-Stand Desks are designed to lift up and down so that their users can go between sitting and standing while working. They are designed for ergonomics, that is to say, so that you can keep good posture and alignment while working at them. Standing while working, whether constantly or intermittently, increases blood flow to the legs and keeps muscles from tensing and gathering lactic acid. As a general rule, it is a good idea to stand up and stretch once an hour if you are working at a desk. If you are standing while working, this problem is completely negated. Sit-stand desks allow you to maintain your posture and blood flow while keeping your work flow going. They are the ultimate desk for type "A" personalities who cannot stand the idea of taking a break, or the idea of decreasing the quality of the posture and their muscular make up. If your doctor or chiropractor has lectured you about your posture while you work or about standing up and stretching while working, then you should seriously consider getting a sit-stand desk.
Hutch Desk
Hutch Desks have a storage hutch mounted on the back portion of the desktop that adds extra storage within easy reach of your work surface. Technically, the writing desk depicted below is a type of hutch desk, but writing desks usually have low, specialized hutches, while hutch desks have high, large hutches designed to organize and store anything that you might need in the office to stay productive. Usually, you can buy the hutch and the desk separately, so if you want to try the desk out with no hutch at first, and then add it later if you find it necessary, that is usually possible. Desks with high hutches also help save valuable floor space by lifting the storage up off the floor and onto the back of your desk. Saving this floor space does mean that you are sacrificing some of your desktop surface in the name of storage.
Reception Desk
Reception Desks are designed for the front reception of an office. They provide the receptionist with privacy and a work surface while giving the person being received an additional, high front surface that can be used while standing and facing the receptionist. If your office has a receptionist but no specialized desk for them, you are doing them a disservice. Reception desks are designed to make their job as comfortable and convenient as possible. It also gives office visitors a better experience, so you could be doing your customers or clients a disservice as well if you don't have one. They are ideally designed for the interaction between a standing arrival and a sitting receptionist.
Executive Desk
Executive Desks are usually found in private offices. They are designed to be a complete work station, storage area and computer desk for a serious professional. They often take up the better portion of the office they inhabit. Aptly named because they are often utilized by the "higher ups" of a company, they provide those with more responsibility the work surface and organizational tools necessary to get their job done. Because they are often times large and cumbersome, it is even more important to measure a space before buying an executive workstation for it. Always draw the desk to scale on a plan of the office before buying an executive desk so that you know exactly what to expect in terms of size, storage, orientation, view and leftover space.
Writing Desk
Writing Desks are simple work surfaces meant for a pen and paper or a typewriter. They are usually smaller than the average desk, and often times they include a small mini-hutch on the back for additional pens, pencils and paper. The simplicity of the writing desk leaves room for style, and writing desks are often the most flamboyantly styled of all the desk types. They usually make a personal statement about their users through their forms, materials, colors and fashions. Writing desks also have a couple of subcategory groups: secretary desks and roll top desks. Secretary desks have a fold-down writing surface. Roll top desks have a cover that rolls down to enclose their writing surface.
Laptop Desk
Laptop Desks are very small surfaces designed specifically for laptops. They are usually adjustable in height and have casters for mobility. They are meant to provide a great surface for your laptop without sacrificing the mobility and flexibility that a laptop provides. Laptop desks are usually the temporary home of your laptop computer while it charges. Some of them include built-in charging stations and plugs. They are a way to keep your other peripherals and printers separate from your laptop, giving you more organization and peace of mind.