Where Should You Place Desk In Home Office? [ Practical Guide]

Placing the desk in your home office is no doubt the most important interior decision. It is simply the biggest and most frequently used furniture in any workstation. So, where should you place a desk in the home office?

You can place the desk against a bright window. However, if you love to work overnight, place the desk against a wall with a direct overhead light or side lamp. Also, consider placing the desk near a power outlet for an easy connection.

Not every layout will work for you. But the basic layout rules apply to every office. So, throughout this article, we will try to educate you regarding all the Dos and Don’ts of placing a desk inside your home office.

Things That Matter While Placing A Desk In Your Home Office

When it comes to placing the desk in your office, there’s no right or wrong. Each person has his own preference. But there are certain matters that you should consider before placing the desk. After all, repositioning the desk can be a pretty daunting task.

So, without further ado, let’s proceed.

What View Do You Want?

The first thing you have to consider is the view. Especially, if you do a remote job, it’s even more important. The view in front of you has a great impact on your productivity and overall mood.

Now, you have three options here. We will describe them one by one for you.

I. Face The Wall

You can place the desk against a wall. It’s an interesting choice for workers who get easily distracted. One negative side of having a beautiful view in front of your eyes is the distraction. If you are a procrastinator, the impact will be even worse on you.

To avoid this, many workers choose to face the wall instead. It’s super boring. But it helps to boost short-term productivity. You can’t see what’s going on outside or what’s happening behind you. It’s a great way to intensely focus on one thing and get it done quickly.

This layout also works best for home offices situated in a bedroom. You see, facing the wall helps people feel like they are in a workstation instead of a bedroom. It’s important to get into a so-called working mode.

Note: Facing the wall only increases your work performance for a short while. It would be pretty difficult to maintain that level in a 5 to 8 hours work shift. 

II. Face The Door

Desks normally face the entrance door in any typical corporate office. This setting makes it easier for the worker to see who’s entering through the door. It eliminates the need to turn your neck every time.

In this case, you must ensure the desk is placed at a safe distance from the door. You wouldn’t want the door to get stuck midway because of your desk. That’s a major red flag.

This layout works best for offices where meetings are held frequently. It’s kind of rude to let important guests see your back when they enter your office.

III. Face The Window

Facing the window is the most popular desk layout. All you have to do is pick the biggest window in the room and place the desk against it. That way, enough sunlight can reach you.

Moreover, you don’t get bored constantly. You can always look outside and get a break. It’s essential for employees who work long hours. At the end of the day, you feel less stressed and frustrated. Don’t have a window? Check out how you can still lighten up your work area.

Note: It might get harder to work when the sun is shining brightly. It’s called the window’s glare.

Is The Power Outlet Accessible?

Before you make up your mind on a particular layout, consider the outlet’s accessibility. By that, we mean, whether you can reach the main power sockets from the desk or not. If not, change the layout.

Tripping on power cords is pretty common in offices. When your desk is far from the sockets, you have to put extensions on the cords and drag them throughout the floor. As a result, the ground is full of scattered wires. It’s easy to trip and fall if you are not careful.

Not only do you get injured, but the objects on the desk also are never safe. Overall, it’s a bad idea to place your desk away from the power outlet. 

Do You Prefer Natural Or Artificial Lighting?

Another thing that matter is what kind of lighting you like in your office. Some workers perform better under natural lighting (sunlight). On the contrary, some workers prefer a side lamp or overhead lighting. Depending on your lighting preference, you can choose a desk layout.

For example, if you love sunlight, you will put the desk against a big window. That’s a no-brainer. But sunlight doesn’t work for everybody. Especially if you love to work from evening to midnight, you would need another lighting source. So, putting the desk beside a window doesn’t make any sense.

We suggest you look for the office part with the maximum amount of lighting. It can be an overhead bulb or ceiling light. Place the desk under such a lighting fixture. It will ensure you are working with sufficient lighting. Plus, sunlight can be very unpredictable. If it’s raining or just cloudy, you don’t get the benefits of working beside a window. Follow this article for more lighting ideas.

Note: whether you choose a window or direct lighting, make sure your eyes are comfortable. Too bright or too dim lighting can cause irritation and headaches.       

Where Should You Place A Desk In Home Office?

You might have a picture in your head. How the desk is looking inside your home office is a big factor too. But it depends on the size of your desk and home office. Some layouts work best for cozy home offices while some suit spacious ones. So, let’s discuss both types of office space and which layout suits them better.

1. Small Office Space

A cozy home office will not have enough space to hold a large desk. A rectangular or L-shaped desk in the middle of the room will take up all the space. It will be hard to open the door without smashing it against the desk. Not just that, you will have a hard time moving smoothly in your chair since there’s not enough legroom.

The solution would be to avoid the middle space for placing your desk. That way, the room wouldn’t feel cramped or congested. Try to keep a small but functional desk against the wall. It ensures the door can operate smoothly and so does the ergonomic chair.

2. Large Office Space

If you have a medium to large office space in your home, that’s a big plus point. You don’t have to worry about overstuffing the room. You can try placing a square or oval-shaped desk in the middle of the room. This would be the most eye-catching element within the whole room.

After that, you can build the whole office room environment around the desk. For example, put a book self, decorative lamps, and plants behind the desk. It would make the desk stand out. Installing overhead lighting just above the desk would enhance the beauty of this layout even more.

Where Should You Place An L-shaped Desk?

Do you need more devices on your desk while working? then, choosing an L-shaped desk seems to be the best option. It has two sections. The desk looks like a regular rectangular table with an attached secondary desk. Both the desks are perpendicular to each other. That’s a unique shape for any office desk. It works when you have to look between multiple screens at the same time. 

Now, the best way to place an L-shaped desk is against the walls. But instead of one wall, you have to choose the joint of two walls. Then, place the desk’s deepest part (where two parts meet) against the wall’s joint section. It should be a perfect fit. It also enables you to move between the two portions of the desk freely. 

However, if you don’t like facing the wall, we have a trick for you. Place the desk perpendicular to the entrance door. For example, one portion of the desk would go against the wall beside the door. That way, whenever someone opens the door, you are right in front of them. It’s better than giving the visitors your back.

Final Note

Finding the right spot for your desk is crucial. It directly impacts how you will perform throughout the day. Not just that, certain desk positions can make you feel boxed in and down. That’s why some people find it harder to focus on work from a home office. When in reality it might just be a bad desk location.

That’s why we tried to give you a detailed guide on this matter. So, you would know which type of layout would work best for you. Our final suggestion is to look for a layout that makes the room feel spacious. Scientifically, people don’t like to work in a cramped room.

With that we are signing off. Hope you have found the article helpful.