What's the right height for a home office desk?

72 to 76cm for a seated user 5ft 8 to 6ft 2 tall. Lower (68 to 72cm) for under 5ft 8, higher (76 to 80cm) for over 6ft 2. The elbows should rest at 90 degrees with the forearms parallel to the desk top. Standard adult desks are 75cm; adjustable-height desks (Vinsetto, Wyld and Coco ranges) range 65 to 125cm for seated-to-standing use.

Are sit-stand desks worth the extra cost?

Yes for any workspace used more than 4 hours a day. NHS guidance recommends standing for 1 to 2 hours of an 8-hour workday to reduce back, neck and circulation issues. Electric sit-stand desks start at £200 (Vinsetto, FlexiSpot entry models) and run to £700-plus for premium ranges. Manual hand-crank versions sit £150 to £300 cheaper.

How much weight can an office desk hold?

Most office desks are rated 30 to 80kg static load on the top surface, well above the combined weight of a 27-inch monitor (5 to 8kg), laptop (2kg), and accessories (5kg). Gaming and sit-stand desks rated 100kg-plus carry dual monitors and heavy PC towers. Check the spec before adding monitor arms with multiple displays.

How much floor space does a home office desk need?

A standard 120cm rectangular desk needs 200cm of room depth (desk plus chair pull-back plus walking gap). Corner L-shaped desks (140 by 140cm) need 220cm of room width. Smaller bedrooms suit a wall-facing 90 to 100cm desk; living-room corner setups benefit from L-shape so the user is not facing the wall during meetings.

Do home office desks come pre-assembled?

Almost never. UK retailers ship 95% of home office desks flat-packed for delivery cost reasons. Assembly takes 30 to 90 minutes for a basic desk, 60 to 120 minutes for a corner or sit-stand model. Pre-assembled options exist from John Lewis at premium pricing (£100 to £200 extra) and from some second-hand office furniture suppliers.