5 Questions customers ask when looking for an office desk

We like to make buying office desks and other office furniture as easy as possible for our customers. We do this a number of ways:

• By making UK Standard delivery free when you spend more than £250 net on our products.
• By integrating a Live Chat on our website so its quick and easy for you to get the answers you need to any product questions, when you need them.
• And by featuring a clearance and ex-demo section online where you can pick up a bargain, even if you don’t live near our new Banbury showroom.

However, there are some questions we’re asked regularly by customers when they are looking for a new office desk… so we decided to share them. And, more importantly, we’ll share the answers. In doing this, we hope to make it even easier to find answers to all the questions you might have as quickly and easily as possible.

What is the best home office desk?

This is always one of the first questions asked by a prospective office desk buyer, but it’s also one of the most difficult ones to answer. The best home office desk for me, isn’t necessarily going to be the best one for you, or for your colleague.

The best office desk will depend:

• whether you use a PC or a laptop,
• how much space you need to be able to work,
• if you work independently or in a team,
• your preference on sitting all day or having the choice to, or whether prefer to stand.

Fundamentally, the best office desk will be the one that is spacious enough for you to work efficiently and effectively.

What depth should a desk be?

However, many desks from high street retailers tend to sell desks that have a depth of around 50cm. Yet, for anyone doing more than a bit of homework, this desk depth is usually too small to fit a computer or monitor, a keyboard, a mouse, a paper and pen, and maybe a hot drink without some kind of disaster occurring. A much more effective desk depth is an 800mm desk such as our X3 Goalpost desk frames, although, for those who are compromised on space and may need a shallower  desk, we do also offer a 600mm depth desk.

What are the key factors to consider when buying an office desk online?

When buying an office desk online, think about how it will be delivered or whether you have a vehicle large enough to collect it. Is the desk to be delivered in one piece, or in two? If in one piece, are your access options wide enough to fit the desk? This is less of an issue if your desk frame and desktop come separately, to be bolted together when they arrive.

What is a standing desk and why would I need one?

Ah, standing desks are arguably one of the best developments in desk design ever. Standing desks are designed to be raised to standing height so you can sit for a bit and stand for a while to reduce the impact of a sedentary office lifestyle. They can be beneficial to your health in many different ways, You can find more details on these in our blog on why a sit stand desk is good for your health. What’s more, you can choose from a manual sit stand desk, or an electronic one. With a manual desk, you control the height through a crank mechanism. With electronic sit stand desks you simply push a button. The more upmarket models sometimes even have an electronic screen to display the height setting so you can also set your desk to the perfect height for you.

What are the key features to look for in an office desk?

Another question we’re often asked is what our customers should look for in choosing an office desk. While this is quite subjective, there are certain suggestions we tend to make including:

• The right height for the user. Most desks come at 75cm high as standard, but for particularly tall people, adjustable feet may be quite useful to add that extra height needed for ergonomic position.
• The shape – do you need a desk that fits into the corner, or one that sits within a bank of desks? Perhaps it will be positioned in the centre of a room and shaped edges may be an interesting feature? Or perhaps you require a cutout?
• The finish – ensure sure the desk finish fits with the aesthetics of your room and matches or complements any other desks or furniture already in the area. We offer desk frames and desktops in many different colours and finishes so, at Box15, you’re bound to find one that will work with your office design.
• Don’t worry about screen risers, desk grommets or power sockets at this stage. They are all quite easy to add retrospectively.

In summary, the most important thing when you are choosing a desk is to understand how it will be used and where it will be used. Everything else stems from that. Once you’ve bought your desk you can then choose to add power sockets, grommets, screen risers and even acrylic desk dividers to create the right working environment for your employees or, if you’re kitting out a home office, for your dream home office environment.

If you have any questions about any of our desks or choosing the right office desk for you, you can speak to one of our helpful product advisors through our online chat.