Making the decision to work from home can be a difficult one, but many people have embraced remote work with open arms, preferring flexibility over structure. But even when you are working at least part time from home, you still need some structure to your workspace in order to remain productive. If you’re just setting up your work from home space for the first time or you’re upgrading because you’ve decided to continue with remote work indefinitely, you need to start with a well-organized executive desk.
Here are the things you need to keep in mind when looking at executive desks with hutch.
Size is everything – measure twice, order once
Executive desks can look sleek and professional, but they won’t appear that way in an overly cramped office. If you have an average bedroom to use as your home office, you might be surprised to discover that most executive desks will be too large for the room. However, getting an executive desk with a hutch of the right size can help open up the space, especially since you can eliminate the need for a storage cabinet with the addition of the hutch.
Even though getting a desk and hutch of appropriate size for the room shouldn’t be too difficult, you do need to make sure that you understand how much space you have to work with. In addition to the dimensions of the desk itself, you will also need to make sure that you have room to move around the desk and be seated at the desk comfortably. Overall it is best to leave at least an 18-inch path all the way around the desk (except the wall side, of course).
If you are ever in doubt of whether or not a new piece of furniture will fit in your home, create a pattern with paper or cardboard using the dimensions of the executive desk you want and place it in the room as you have pictured. This will give you the opportunity to make adjustments before you order.
Say away from L shapes
An L-shaped executive desk might seem like a great idea, but while these desks are imposing they are not very practical, especially in a home office. You probably don’t have a lot of room to spare, and while the L-shape gives you more surface area to work with, it also takes up most of the room by itself. Instead, get an executive desk with a hutch so that you can keep your work surface clear, and add an accent cabinet or other small furniture item to hold those items that don’t fit well in the hutch itself.
Finish isolating the space with some decorative screens
You can use decorative screens or room dividers to further enclose your executive desk, with or without a hutch. If your office space will be in the open, such as in a living room, family room, shared bedroom, or dining room, it is important to be able to block out the rest of the household while you work. Decorative screens both add to the overall aesthetic and sophistication of your home, while also serving as a means to maintain productivity.