Since the pandemic around 50% of us work from home at least one day a week. This means we’ve had to set up new spaces and home offices to account for this shift.
You might prefer to spend that time working from bed instead, but over time this laid-back position will take a toll on your mental and physical health. Thus, the need for a comfortable and appealing, modern home office desk!
First and foremost, any good remote office needs a desk and ergonomic chair to keep you comfortable during the long hours spent staring at your computer screen. Our guide will take you through some of the best, cost-effective options for kitting out your remote office.
The best desks for working from home, for all budgets & spaces
When it comes to modern home office desks, there are five types to choose from:
- An adjustable standing desk that you can adjust at leisure, depending on whether you feel like resting in your chair or getting some light exercise by standing. (That’s right… we called standing exercise).
- A corner desk for better space optimization and a stylish larger surface area for all your important documents, or 12 screens.
- A table desk: A basic desk that looks like a small table, for minimalist simplicity.
- A foldable desk: For those who need an office that neatly packs away at the end of the day.
- A gaming desk: For those whose computers are for work and play.
Desks can range from $80 to $800 so it’s important to go in with a good idea of your budget and requirements.
Choosing an adjustable standing desk
Staying sedentary for 8 hours a day isn’t good for our health. So, a remote office desk that encourages you to get up occasionally is the perfect ergonomic solution.
These desks can be adjusted to any height (within reason), so you can choose whether you want to work standing or sitting down. More expensive models will adjust electrically whereas the slightly less pricey options will require you to manually change the desk height.
Using a sit-stand desk can help prevent back pain and adds a little variety to your working day, helping to destress and improve blood circulation.
It’s the ultimate choice for those who feel like they need to move a little more throughout the day.
Horus X recommendation: Flexispot E7
The Flexispot E7, voted the best standing desk of 2021-2023 by Techradar, is the ultimate choice for adjustable sit-stand desks.
You can adjust the height from 25” to 50.6” without its top and its motors are almost silent, meaning you don’t need to notify your partner, cat and the neighbors every time you want to move.
The optional cable tray hides all your wires away tidily and its high weight capacity makes the Flexispot E7 a durable, worthwhile investment. No matter how many screens you want to put on it, the Flexispot can handle it (within reason).
The best part? You don’t need to worry about children and pets accidentally adjusting the height and hurting themselves. This standing desk comes equipped with locks that keep it securely and safely in position.
A truly modern home office desk option for the modern working professional.
Price: $309.99 (without the tray)
Choosing a corner desk
For space optimization and extra desk room, choose a corner desk. These L-shaped desks can be placed in a corner, making maximum use of your space while presenting more storage options.
These are particularly handy if you have a lot of equipment or work across multiple monitors.
Horus X recommendation: Vasagle
The Vasagle L-shaped desk for working from home comes equipped with a monitor stand, LED lighting, power outlets and 2 drawers and a shelf for extra storage space.
This desktop measures 120 x 150cm meaning it should fit most remote office setups while still offering a large double worktop in an attractive rustic brown.
With all the storage and extra options, you can customize this desk to perfectly suit your remote office needs, and have somewhere to store your files at the same time.
Price: $169.99
The table desk
Simple, functional and minimalist. For those who don’t want the bells, whistles and fuss of customizable desks, the simple table desk may be the best option. Just lay out your equipment and get to work! After scrolling Instagram for a while of course…
Table desks come in all styles and prices, with or without storage, and easily fit with almost any existing home design.
A classic, elegant choice of home office attire.
Horus X recommendation: The Zinus Jennifer
The Zinus Jennifer offers a simple, sleek and modern home office desk that doesn’t break the bank. Available in 3 sizes (47, 55 and 63 inch) at an unbeatable price.
It’s a straight, versatile desk that accomplishes exactly what you need it to: be a desk.
Price (55inch): $93.99
The folding desk
If your home office is also your living room, dining room, or bedroom, a folding desk can be the perfect option to pack everything away quickly at the end of the day.
As the name suggests, the folding desk is foldable, allowing your home to return to a palace of leisure (or chaos).
Discreet and functional, it can be used in any room without being overly bulky.
Horus X recommendation: AC5BW
The AC5BW might have a name that sounds more like code than a desk, but it fits the job perfectly. As a modern home office desk choice, it pairs function with convenience.
At 100x60cm it has a large work surface perfect for holding both a laptop and additional work equipment. And if you don’t want to pack it away every single day, it can double as an attractive side table!
Design-wise, it’s simple and both cost and functionally effective. An inexpensive, everyday choice for a new worker.
Price: $109.99
The gaming desk
For gamers, a computer desk needs to be more than just fit for work. It needs to be perfect for esports and casual gaming alike, ready for you to sit back, relax and take on hordes of players.
Get a gaming desk that does both: acts as a comfortable, functional workspace, and also a place to spend hours each evening fighting, shooting or healing your way to the top (Paladin’s deserve recognition too).
Gaming desks are traditionally the most modern home office desks with sleek, stylish designs, and optimized space for gaming accessories.
The downside? Gaming desks usually don’t come cheap… or small.
Horus X recommendation: Secretlab Magnus
The Secretlab Magnus is the ultimate gaming desk. Boasting a sleek metal design its perfectly situated at 29” tall for the ideal ergonomic sitting position.
Built to last, it tidies cables completely away with its magnetic ecosystem and provides plenty of space for dual monitors and other gaming accessories.
Flashy LED lighting (that you control from your phone!) complete the look and lets you switch from office chic to intense gamer mode with a single click.
Price: $588+
Why a modern home office desk is important
Modern home office desks have been rigorously tested to ensure they offer comfort and physical health protection over the long hours spent at work.
They offer numerous benefits over the old “table and kitchen chair” option you’re (probably) currently working from.
For comfort and health when working remotely
A poor workstation design can have surprisingly significant negative impacts on your health.
In recent years, the word ergonomics has become more popular as people have started to realize the long-term consequences of desk working.
Uncomfortable work spaces often lead to poor posture, which in turn can have a negative effect later in life, increasing your risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders and back pain.
A good home office is well-organized
Not to judge the messy ones among us (myself included), but we can all accept a tidy, organized space is a more pleasant one to work in.
If you’re going to spend hours each day at the same desk, looking at the same machine in the same chair, you want to make sure you’re as comfortable and relaxed as possible.
Improved productivity
A place for everything and a mental space for you that means “work time” all helps improve productivity.
With the ability to shut yourself away and classify an area as “work space”, you can more easily shut off from typical household distractions (the laundry, food, the dog, the kids…)
How to set up a modern home office
A home office is more than just a desk. There are other things you need to consider when setting up your work from home space.
🛋️Location
Whether you’re lucky enough to have a separate room for your office, or if it’s a space within another living area, you need to consider its dimensions before ordering any furniture.
Will it fit in the space? Can you still move with it installed? These are important things to think about when you set up your dedicated work area.
🧑💻 Ergonomics
We’ve already covered ergonomics in our hunt for the perfect modern work from home desk. But it bears repeating. A good desk and a good chair will make all the difference to your short-term comfort and long-term physical health.
Bad posture can usually be attributed to a poor choice of desk, chair and screen positioning. Make sure your setup allows you to sit at a 90 degree angle, without straining your neck.
Make sure your desk is at a working height that’s appropriate for your chair.
This is where an adjustable desk can make all the difference, allowing you to adapt its height for your perfect posture positioning.
Now try saying that 10 times fast.
It’s not just your desk that’s important. Both your chair and mouse should also be ergonomic to keep you comfortable all day and night.
Design and material
Your desk should make you feel happy.. or as happy as a desk can. It should be in a design you like and feel comfortable being around for long hours.
Whether that means having a wooden, metal or plastic desk is down to you.
We still suggest trying to make the desk match the room, lest you face the wrath of judgmental TikTokers or Twitch streamers.
🪴Decoration
There’s nothing worse than working in an environment where you’re uncomfortable. You want to be able to relax into the space, letting it power your mood for an effective day at the office.
Don’t be afraid to personalize your space with whatever little touches and aesthetics most appeal to you. The happier you are, the more productive you’ll be.
Don’t forget to consider cable management in the design, no one wants to fall headfirst over an errant HDMI and put their face through their computer screen.
📏Desk dimensions
We already touched on keeping the dimensions of your space in mind. But the bit that’s most important for is purchasing your home office desk.
The ideal minimum desk length is 80cm, but ideally the more room you have the better. A 100cm desk is perfect to be able to both work and keep some documents to hand.
🗃️ Storage
Depending on your job, or gaming style, you might need a fair amount of storage space for documents, headsets, trophies from defeated foes…
Check to see if the desk you like comes with additional storage options, or if there’s space to add your own. Being able to store your supplies for easy access can make all the difference in the middle of a stressful work day.
But if all you need is a computer, monitor and keyboard, then you might prefer the minimalistic approach.
💸 Price
As you’ve seen, desks come in a wide variety of prices, and what you choose is usually down to budget.
Maybe you could treat yourself, or ask a loved one to. Otherwise, there are plenty of affordable options out there.
Our advice for working from home
Once you’ve got all the accessories, there are still a few things to keep in mind to ensure you stay comfortable and protected long term:
- ⚠️ Pay attention to your posture: A bad posture equals neck pain, blurred vision, and has long-term impacts on your joints, bones and muscles.
- 🚶 Take regular breaks: In addition to relaxing your mind and body, taking a few breaks is also beneficial for your eyes and your productivity. So, why deprive yourself of it?
- 👓 Protect your eyes with anti-blue light glasses: Screens emit blue light which can be harmful to your eyes and cause blurred vision and aches. Blue light blocking glasses help protect you from dangerous artificial blue light and with stylish options, you can even wear them on your video calls.
- 💺 Choose good equipment: Invest in a quality chair and ergonomic mouse and keyboard for a comfortable setup that suits your aesthetic.
- 🖥️ Place your screen at the right height: When you work on your computer, you tend to (like everyone else, rest assured) lower your head and eyes. Unfortunately, this is extremely bad for your back and neck, hence the importance of having a raised screen at a good distance from your eyes.
- 🧘 Disconnect outside of working hours: Breaks are good but disconnecting completely is better. Even if it’s just for a few hours to get away from the screen before your nighttime session of League of Legends.
Choosing the best home office desk: Final thoughts
Now you know everything you need to about choosing a modern home office desk that suits your work style and life.
Don’t forget to consider ergonomics and long-term comfort when on the hunt, and choose a model that will work for you long-term.
Measure out your space and stick to the budget and you’ll have a sleek home office setup that will be the envy of your friends and relatives.
