One silver lining of working life in recent years has been the increased ability to work remotely. Fewer commutes, less expenses, and more downtime — the benefits are pretty sweet! Of course, if you are WFH and living in a small space, we’re pretty sure your 9-to-5 isn’t without its problems. You’ve probably had to either convert a bedroom into a home office or squeeze a makeshift workspace into a tight corner. Or, if you work from your bed or sofa, you’ve probably discovered that it’s not exactly an ideal setup (for your productivity or back pain).
No matter what your WFH situation looks like, investing in a quality table is never a bad idea. There are plenty of compact, low-budget options out there, but if you’re working from home for the long haul, you might be in the market for something that will last and look great for a long time, and you’re willing to splurge a little in return. Well, you’ve come to the right place. You don’t want to blindly spend hundreds of dollars on an expensive desk, which is probably why you’re reading our Personal Shopper series. Here, we dive deep into the shopping mission, visiting the brick-and-mortar stores of your favorite home retailers, including Pottery Barn, Design Within Reach, and Ashley, to test out their furniture and decor. After that, we provide a detailed analysis of which sofa, carpet, chest of drawers or coffee table is best for your space.
If you’ve followed our previous installments, you’ll know that we’ve been at West Elm looking for new furniture categories. This time, we’re sharing the desks we’ve seen and our honest thoughts on each one, along with information on the lifestyle that best suits them. Whether you want to turn your guest bedroom into a real office or need some small space for a corner of your living room, you’ll find something stylish and long-lasting here.
West Elm is an editor and reader favorite for all things home, including tables. Its impressive selection not only looks good, but you can trust that its products are made from premium materials that will stand up to everyday use. West Elm also offers free furniture customization and design guidance, as well as free samples to help you find your ideal materials and colors. Below are the exact tables we tested, including those from customer-favorite collections and smaller models sure to make apartment dwellers happy.
We rated every West Elm desk we found in-store based on the following five criteria, giving each category an average score between 1 and 5. These scores helped us determine who the desk is best suited to, from the fully remote worker to the abbreviated worker. hobbyist working hours for journaling.
Appearance: What style of decoration best suits the desk? Is its design warm and traditional or elegant and modern? Is it classic with a wooden finish or contemporary with clean lines and a mixed material design?
Storage capacity: Does the desk have drawers? If so, how many are there and how big are they? Are there shelves or extra storage space?
Space Requirements: How much space does the table take up? Does it require a lot of horizontal space or is it relatively compact? Is its surface wide or narrow?
Area: How big is the desktop? Does it offer enough space to work, store supplies, and even display some decor? Or enough for a laptop and coffee?
Durability: Does it smudge or wear easily? Is it made of breakable materials? Do you have to use coasters? Would it age well with regular use?
Every editor-tested desk at West Elm
What impressed us: Vintage charm and slim drawer.
Even if you work from home five days a week, you could get away with using a mid-century mini desk as long as you don’t need two monitors or other large desk equipment. It would also make a great crafting station if you wanted to place it next to your bed or somewhere in your living space. However, these are not the only reasons why we found it the most versatile. This table is part of West Elm’s popular and timeless mid-century collection, which means it will fit into a variety of interior styles. The fact that it’s available in four finishes also helps. In terms of storage, you get one slim but wide drawer, which is handy for pens and stationery. You could even use the table as a dressing table if you wanted! We noticed some minor surface scratches in the store, but natural wear and tear is normal over time. Just be careful not to put anything too abrasive on the wooden work surface.
What impressed us: Legs in gold tones and an elegant glass top.
We fell in love with West Elm’s mid-century art display coffee table during one of our first visits, so you can imagine how excited we were when we saw the table’s complementary design. This showpiece dazzles with its elegant glass top and golden metal legs. Although there is no drawer, you get a spacious lower shelf for stationery and decorative items. The table might seem fragile at first, but when we pulled the swivel chair up to it, we found it to be perfectly solid and stable. Again, we recommend this style if you mostly use your laptop for work. It would also make a very aesthetically pleasing journal space – just add a sophisticated table lamp, perhaps in gold. Another bonus? No matter what you need during work hours — whether it’s a post-it note, a snack, or a hair tie — you’ll always be able to easily find and grab it without having to rummage.
What impressed us: Compact size and color contrast.
West Elm has an abundance of mini tables for small spaces, which was such a pleasant surprise. The Industrial Storage Mini Desk was the smallest we looked at based on dimensions, although the other mini desks on the list weren’t too far off. You don’t get much space for anything other than your computer and planner on top, but there are two decent-sized drawers underneath. They don’t have pulls and proved to be a bit difficult to open, but there is enough space inside for notebooks, a stapler and other small office items. While the top of the table is made of slightly textured mango wood, the frame itself is a smooth black metal, which contrasts nicely with the light wood. We also like the two horizontal metal bars that run along the bottom of the frame, which serve as handy footrests. While we wouldn’t exactly classify this as an “adult” desk, it would suit most entry-level corporate employees just fine.
What excited us: Built-in wardrobe and freestanding design.
Next to the industrial storage mini table was a wall table from the same collection, which has more built-in storage compartments than any other model we’ve seen. We also appreciate that even though it’s a wall-mounted table, the design is completely free-standing, meaning you don’t have to drill to keep it upright (good news for renters!). At just over 4 feet wide, this modular wall-mounted desk doesn’t take up a ton of floor space, making smart use of vertical space. You basically get two tall shelves above the cabinet for books and other items. The closet itself is hidden behind a door, so you can hide clutter without having to organize it. The table is also designed with the idea of adding modular shelves from the same collection, so if you ever decide to expand your home workspace, you can do so effortlessly while building on the same industrial look. If you don’t go to the office and most of the day revolves around your desk, make it nice and comfortable with this spacious selection.
What excited us: Rustic design and modest silhouette.
The Hargrove desk is quite unassuming, which is ideal if you want to tuck it in among other furniture without disrupting the carefully designed style of the room. Of course, it fits best with a seaside or country house aesthetic, thanks to the gently rounded legs and light wood finish. You also get a footrest bar with this piece, not to mention the easy-to-glide drawer that’s common with West Elm’s mini tables. A single black metal drawer pull works as a subtle yet elegant detail, and you’ll also be pleased to know that the table has built-in levels to prevent rocking. Basically, this table is tiny, cute and easy; just slip it into an unused corner or next to a window and keep working.
What excited us: Substantial side drawers and bronze fittings.
When you hear the word “desk,” you probably imagine something pretty similar to a mid-century normal-sized desk. It is spacious without being bulky and just afraid of looking ordinary. Despite its classic design, it manages to stand out thanks to its slightly tapered legs, warm acorn finish and bronze drawer pulls. Like the mini version, this desk has one narrow drawer in the middle which is the perfect place to hide your phone if you want to work without distractions. But you also get two large side drawers for everything else; they can even function as makeshift filing cabinets if you don’t want to invest in a separate piece to store important documents. The drawers slide out smoothly and snap back into the surrounding beveled edges when closed, confirming this piece as a high-quality, well-built desk that can be in your life for decades if you decide to keep it that long—and we have a sneaking suspicion you will.