Desk Buying Guide NZ: What Size, Height and Type Fits Your Room

Most people shop for a desk by width, then find out the hard way that depth and height decide whether it actually works. A desk that is only 48cm deep will hold a laptop happily, but add a monitor, a keyboard and a notebook and everything ends up crowding the front edge. A desk a few centimetres too high for you shows up as tight shoulders by Friday.

This guide puts the choices side by side: narrow or wide, shallow or deep, fixed or height adjustable, a plain writing desk or one with drawers, a straight desk or a corner desk, open or with a hutch. Every measurement quoted comes from desks in our current range, so you can go from reading to shortlisting in one sitting. If you already know roughly what you want, browse our office, study and computer desks and compare sizes.

Desk types compared at a glance

Start here to see which group of desks you should be looking at. The sizes are the ranges we stock today, not industry averages.

Narrow vs wide: how much desk width do you need?

Width is about what sits on the desk at the same time. Picture your normal working day, not your tidiest one.

• Laptop only, 80 to 100cm. Enough for a laptop, a mouse and a cup of tea. The Narbonne comes in five widths from 70 to 110cm, and the Roascio in rubber wood starts at 80cm with a single drawer.
• One monitor plus paperwork, 120cm. The most useful all rounder, and the width where most of our range overlaps: Seattle, Jena, Lyon, Humbie and Kemberg all come in 120cm.
• Two monitors, or a screen plus drawing or sewing, 140 to 160cm. Jena and Kemberg both go to 160cm, and the Humbie at 140cm adds a third drawer.
• Shared desk or big projects, 180 to 200cm. The Rello runs all the way to 200cm, and the Tarfala work station comes in 160 and 180cm in oak, cherry or walnut.

Before you settle on a width, measure the wall and note anything that gets in the way: a window sill, a heater, a power point you need to reach. Then check the room behind the desk. Leave roughly 90cm so your chair can roll back without hitting the bed or a wardrobe door.

Shallow vs deep: why depth matters more than you think

Depth decides how far your screen sits from your eyes and whether your forearms have somewhere to rest.

• 48 to 50cm deep works for a laptop and suits narrow rooms and hallways. The smaller Narbonne and Roascio sizes sit here.
• 55 to 60cm deep gives one monitor a comfortable viewing distance with a keyboard in front. Oslo, the Seattle writing desk and the larger Jena sizes sit in this band.
• 65 to 80cm deep is for large or twin screens, drawing boards and anyone who spreads out. On the Rello, depth grows with width, from 60cm on the 100cm desk to 80cm on the 200cm desk.

A useful rule of thumb: if you plan to add a monitor later, buy for the monitor now. Depth is the one thing that is hard to add later.

Fixed height vs height adjustable desks

This is the biggest decision in the guide, so here are both sides.

Fixed height desks

Our fixed desks sit between 74.8cm and 78cm high. That suits most adults once the chair is set properly: feet flat on the floor, elbows at roughly a right angle, shoulders relaxed. If you are shorter or taller than average, an adjustable chair does most of the work. Our study and office chairs are worth looking at alongside the desk.

• Pros: widest choice of timbers and styles, no power point needed, no motor to maintain.
• Cons: one height for everyone who uses it, and no option to stand.

Height adjustable desks

Electric desks let you switch between sitting and standing, and let a household with very different heights share one desk. The Lillers in solid ash rises from 70 to 118cm in 100, 120 and 140cm widths. The Prunus, in cherry or walnut, goes from 72 to 121cm and up to 160cm wide. Our Electric Height Adjustable Computer Desk covers 70.8 to 119cm and adds a three memory controller and built in USB ports. For a small corner, the Cary movable small desk is 72cm wide, adjusts from 71 to 112cm and sits on castors.

• Pros: fits every user, lets you change position through a long day.
• Cons: needs a power point nearby, and the frame is heavier to move.

If you work from home most days, WorkSafe New Zealand has guidance for people doing office type work at home, which is a good checklist for setting the desk up once it arrives.

Writing desk vs desk with drawers

A writing desk keeps things simple: a top, four legs and open space underneath. It looks lighter in a room and gives the most knee room. The Seattle writing desk comes in 120 or 140cm, in oak or walnut colour, and the Charcoal writing desk offers the same two widths.

A desk with drawers earns its place when there is no other storage nearby. The Humbie has two drawers at 120cm and three at 140cm. The Kemberg writing desk with drawers comes in 120, 140 and 160cm. The Oslo has one or two drawers depending on size and a built in USB port, and the Jena offers one drawer on the smaller sizes and two on the wider ones.

• Choose a writing desk if the desk shares a room with a bookcase or chest of drawers, or if you are tall and want clear knee room.
• Choose drawers if the desk is the only storage in the room, or if it doubles as a homework station with pens, chargers and paper to hide away.

Straight desk vs corner or returning desk

A straight desk goes anywhere against a wall and is easy to move later. A corner or returning desk turns an awkward corner into two work zones: one side for the computer, the other for writing or a printer.

The Randers returning desk comes in 120, 140 and 160cm widths with a 120cm return, in a left or right hand layout. The Kalana extending corner desk pairs a 120 or 140cm desk, 50cm deep, with a 104cm shelf unit. The Lazio return storage desk comes left or right, as a desk only or with a hutch top.

Measure both walls from the corner before ordering, and confirm which side the return sits on against the product photos. A return on the wrong side is an easy mistake to make and an awkward one to live with.

Open desk vs desk with a hutch or shelves

In a bedroom or a small study, floor space is the thing you run out of first. A hutch or side shelves use the wall above and beside the desk instead.

The Oliveri comes in 120 or 140cm, as a desk only or with a hutch top, in oak or walnut. The Monte desk with hutch starts at 60cm wide and has a pegboard with one or two shelves. The Rocca desk with side shelves stands 180cm tall, 60cm deep and 131.5 or 151.5cm wide, in natural or walnut colour.

• Choose open if the desk sits under a window or you want the room to feel bigger.
• Choose a hutch or shelves if books, files or a printer would otherwise live on the floor.

A study desk for kids vs a desk for full time work

A child's desk needs to grow with them. The Ancona in solid beech has a desktop that sets at 63, 69 or 75cm, with a hutch above, in widths from 90 to 130cm. The Monte, from 60cm wide, fits a younger child's bedroom without taking over.

A desk for full time work from home should be at least 120cm wide and 60cm deep, and it is worth weighing up height adjustment. If the desk has to share a small living area, the Naples extending dining table office desk folds down to a slim 22cm side table and opens out to 70 or 94cm wide. For a big kitchen or dining space, the Seattle ash large dining table office desk gives you 180cm for meals and work.

Solid timber vs flat pack desks

Nearly every desk in this guide is made from solid timber: oak, ash, cherry, walnut, beech or rubber wood. The electric desks pair the desktop with a steel lifting frame. Solid timber tends to feel steadier under typing, while flat pack costs less up front and is lighter to move. We compared the two in detail in our guide to flat pack vs solid timber for a home office, so we will not repeat it here.

Which desk suits you? A quick decision guide

• Laptop in a bedroom or apartment: 80 to 100cm wide, 48 to 50cm deep, fixed height.
• Daily study or hybrid work with one monitor: 120cm wide, 56 to 60cm deep, drawers if there is no other storage.
• Full time work from home with two screens: 140 to 160cm wide, 65cm deep or more, and consider height adjustable.
• An empty corner: a returning or corner desk, with the return on the side you measured.
• A small room that needs storage: a desk with a hutch or side shelves.
• A growing child: a desk with an adjustable desktop height.

Take ten minutes tonight to measure the wall, the depth you have and the space behind the chair, then write the numbers down. With those in hand, shop our full desk range and your shortlist will take care of itself.

Desk size questions, answered

What is a standard desk height?

Most fixed desks are about 75cm high, and the fixed desks in our range sit between 74.8cm and 78cm. Set your chair so your elbows rest at roughly a right angle with your feet flat on the floor.

How deep should a desk be for a monitor?

Around 60cm gives one monitor a comfortable distance with a keyboard in front of it. A 48 to 50cm desk suits laptop work, and large or twin screens are happier on 65cm or more.

What size desk do I need for two monitors?

Look at 140 to 160cm wide and at least 65cm deep. That leaves room for both screens side by side plus a keyboard and some writing space.

Is a height adjustable desk worth it?

If you sit at a desk for most of the working day, or several people of different heights share it, it is worth considering. Our electric desks adjust from around 70cm up to 118 to 121cm, depending on the model.