Recommendations for Office Furniture
October 28, 2024 9:47 AM Subscribe
I am looking for recommendations for office furniture, mainly a desk and file cabinet or printer stand.
I would like the desk to either have an adjustable keyboard tray or adjustable height. I am not finding the keyboard tray. And the ones I find with adjustable height have zero storage. Storage would be nice.
I would also like a file cabinet or printer stand big enough to fit a printer that is 19.6L x 16W x 12H inches. Extra storage, such as for paper and standard office supplies, would be nice.
It would also be nice if these two pieces of furniture have a similar or complementary appearance.
I can spend up to about $1200 USD per year. I’d like to get them all this year, but I could spread it out.
I would like the desk to either have an adjustable keyboard tray or adjustable height. I am not finding the keyboard tray. And the ones I find with adjustable height have zero storage. Storage would be nice.
I would also like a file cabinet or printer stand big enough to fit a printer that is 19.6L x 16W x 12H inches. Extra storage, such as for paper and standard office supplies, would be nice.
It would also be nice if these two pieces of furniture have a similar or complementary appearance.
I can spend up to about $1200 USD per year. I’d like to get them all this year, but I could spread it out.
Seconded that the best bet is an aftermarket keyboard tray. In combination with an adjustable desk, you can lift the desktop and tray to the exact right height for your hands and chair. Also, if you get a good adjustable desk it should have a sturdy wooden top that allows for multiple aftermarket accessories and storage to be screwed in or clamped to the desk. There are a ton of great under desk cable management solutions as well as things like pull out drawers, shelves and headphone hangers. On top of the desk, there are monitor arms, pegboards and heavy duty shelves that can clamp to the back edge that are very sturdy. The options you have with a big solid tabletop are nearly endless and there are a lot of great ways to customize exactly to your needs. My main desk is beautiful and specialized with drawer storage, and after a few years I wish I had gone with the basic tabletop standing desk that would allow for clamps and under desk attachments.
posted by pekala at 11:47 AM on October 28
posted by pekala at 11:47 AM on October 28
Hard Seconding the Humanscale keyboard tray. Don't get an off brand. Very expensive, but it's the most important part of the desk, comfort wise. Get that first. Note: Before buying a desk, make sure the underneath of the top surface is flat, thick wood deep enough from front to back, as you need a surface to screw the keyboard tray to. Some desks have metal reinforcement bars across there which would get in the way.
For the desk itself, check out craigslist. "Executive desk" is a good search term if you want a nice big desk (rather than a tidy little 'bill paying' type desk). In our (big city) area, lots of retiring attorneys, refurbishing law firms, banks going out of business, etc. ensure a prolific supply of any type of "serious" desk you could want, for waaaaay less than new. Also there are office furniture liquidators with warehouses full of nice desks and accessories.
Older solid wood desks are more solidly built than the MDF stuff you'll find in your price range at Staples/etc., even if they might have a few blemishes. Also, they will have better drawer slides - those are important to your comfort/use/longevity.
Purpose-built Printer stands are hard to find, and the ones you can find are expensive and cheaply made. So maybe look for a "file cabinet" instead, and you'll have storage and a surface for your printer. Where you get your desk might also have matching accessories, depending where you buy it. Or a desk with a return (L shape) is good for that, if it fits your space. Or an IKEA Kallax 2x2 type unit.
Another idea for a desk is to get a table top and legs separately (amazon and etsy have lots of solid steel leg sets). Ikea supposedly has nice butcherblock tabletops (countertops?) for reasonable prices. That's what I have at home. No storage, so you'd need a rolling drawer thing.
One more option is a standing desk. Uplift is one of the good brands. They have a range of quality "tops", and their frame allows the keyboard to screw in. However, the frame style I got is a bit wobbly and that annoys me when my monitor jiggles when I type.
posted by bluesky78987 at 7:37 AM on October 29 [2 favorites]
For the desk itself, check out craigslist. "Executive desk" is a good search term if you want a nice big desk (rather than a tidy little 'bill paying' type desk). In our (big city) area, lots of retiring attorneys, refurbishing law firms, banks going out of business, etc. ensure a prolific supply of any type of "serious" desk you could want, for waaaaay less than new. Also there are office furniture liquidators with warehouses full of nice desks and accessories.
Older solid wood desks are more solidly built than the MDF stuff you'll find in your price range at Staples/etc., even if they might have a few blemishes. Also, they will have better drawer slides - those are important to your comfort/use/longevity.
Purpose-built Printer stands are hard to find, and the ones you can find are expensive and cheaply made. So maybe look for a "file cabinet" instead, and you'll have storage and a surface for your printer. Where you get your desk might also have matching accessories, depending where you buy it. Or a desk with a return (L shape) is good for that, if it fits your space. Or an IKEA Kallax 2x2 type unit.
Another idea for a desk is to get a table top and legs separately (amazon and etsy have lots of solid steel leg sets). Ikea supposedly has nice butcherblock tabletops (countertops?) for reasonable prices. That's what I have at home. No storage, so you'd need a rolling drawer thing.
One more option is a standing desk. Uplift is one of the good brands. They have a range of quality "tops", and their frame allows the keyboard to screw in. However, the frame style I got is a bit wobbly and that annoys me when my monitor jiggles when I type.
posted by bluesky78987 at 7:37 AM on October 29 [2 favorites]
As everybody else said, keyboard tray is going to be separate, and if you need it to be adjustable it'd be expensive, almost half the cost of the cheaper desk.
As for printer stand / storage, I'd go Ikea as they have a pretty generic look. I have separate "Z" style stands as I don't need storage, but you can get "microwave" stands that has doors / storage shelves below it that fits printers just fine. Just get one that matches your theme.
posted by kschang at 2:06 PM on October 29 [1 favorite]
As for printer stand / storage, I'd go Ikea as they have a pretty generic look. I have separate "Z" style stands as I don't need storage, but you can get "microwave" stands that has doors / storage shelves below it that fits printers just fine. Just get one that matches your theme.
posted by kschang at 2:06 PM on October 29 [1 favorite]
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
By far your best bet is to get the desk you like and add a keyboard tray. Humanscale trays are extremely nice and worth it for something your hands are resting on and punching downwards at for multiple hours a day.
I like Steelcase rolling file cabinets a lot for storage and sitting on. There may be a better solution if you don't need rolling, or would like the printer enclosed.
Actually, those rolling file cabinets are great for adding storage to non-storage desks. For desks themselves I'd start with Knoll or Steelcase.
posted by supercres at 10:57 AM on October 28 [1 favorite]