How to Design a Home Office Desk

Measure the room. Sketch the room with all door and window openings. Draw various placements of the desk. Plan a desk facing into the room or facing a window with a view. Sketch a desk with a wall unit behind it, for example.

Choose a desk size. Don't overpower the room with a large desk. Treat the desk as a piece of furniture that should look proportionate with other tables, chairs and lamps in the room. Look through catalogs of desks to review desks with a middle drawer and deeper drawers on each side to hold files of paperwork. Use accessories, such as overhead cabinets or a bookcase, to create extra storage.

Select an appropriate material. Buy an all-wood desk for a formal office with wainscoting, for instance. Choose a sleek, metal desk for a home office in a loft space with a high-tech look. Repurpose an old or new piece of furniture to serve as a desk. Create a desk from an old table by installing porcelain or ceramic tiles on the writing surface.

Design pleasant space around the desk. Install recessed lighting in a ceiling over the desk, for example. Add artwork, shelving or plants to give the desk workspace a unique ambiance. Don't allow clutter and paperwork to pile up that will destroy desire to use the office at all. Install a shredder to one side of the desk to take care of this.

Buy a chair that fits well. Choose a chair design to provide the right height and mobility in the desk area. Purchase a high-quality leather or fabric-covered chair that blends with the room's decor and the finish of the desk.