Get the ergonomics right first
A fitted desk is fixed, so the dimensions have to be right. A desk height of 720 to 740 millimetres suits most adults in a standard chair; a keyboard should sit at elbow height with forearms roughly level. Allow at least 600 millimetres of depth for a laptop and more like 750 for a monitor at a comfortable viewing distance.
Leave clear knee space: about 600 millimetres wide and 600 deep, uninterrupted by a drawer pedestal on the side you sit. If two people will share the desk, plan 1,400 millimetres of width per person as a comfortable minimum.
Sit-stand and flexibility
If you want a sit-stand option, decide before the joinery is designed. Electric frames can be integrated into a bespoke desk, but they need a clear void beneath and cables that tolerate movement, which means no fixed rear panel and no rigid conduit.
A simpler alternative in a small room is a fixed desk at seated height plus a separate standing-height shelf or a section of worktop at around 1,050 millimetres. Less engineering, no motors to fail, and it doubles as a place to put things down.
Storage that suits actual work
Most home offices need less filing than people assume and more surface and equipment storage than they expect. Plan a shallow drawer for stationery, one deep drawer for files or a printer, a shelf for reference material and a closed cupboard for the untidy - cables, chargers, packaging, spare paper.
Open shelving above the desk keeps the room feeling light, but keep the bottom shelf at least 500 millimetres above the desk so you can work without hitting your head, and make shelves adjustable.
Cable management
Cables are what make a home office look chaotic. Build in a rear void of 60 to 100 millimetres behind the desk, with a removable panel and a grommet or slot for cables to drop through. Mount a multi-socket extension inside the void on a bracket so it does not sit on the floor.
Bring in power at desk height, not just at skirting level, and specify a hard-wired network point if the room struggles for wifi. Plan for a monitor arm - it clears the desk surface and needs a clamp edge or a fixing point designed in.
Lighting
Position the desk so daylight comes from the side rather than directly in front of or behind a screen; facing a window causes glare, backing onto one silhouettes you on video calls. Where the room dictates otherwise, use a blind to control it.
Layer artificial light: a general ceiling light, an adjustable task lamp at the desk, and, if the desk sits under shelving, a warm LED strip on the underside of the lowest shelf. For video calls, a soft light at face height in front of you makes far more difference than any camera upgrade.
Acoustics and separation
Hard floors, bare walls and glass make a room echo, which is exactly what a microphone picks up. A rug, curtains, upholstered seating, books on open shelves and a fabric-faced pinboard all reduce reverberation cheaply.
If the study is in a shared space, a solid door with perimeter seals and a drop-down threshold seal is the most effective single improvement. Joinery can also form a partial screen, giving visual separation without splitting a room permanently.
Fitting an office into a small space
Not every home has a spare room. An alcove desk with shelving above uses 250 to 500 millimetres of depth and turns dead space into a study. A landing or wide hallway can take a shallow desk run. A cupboard office - a full-height unit with doors that close on a desk, shelves and cables - hides the whole thing at the end of the day.
In a bedroom, design the desk to read as furniture rather than office equipment: matching finish, concealed cable routes, and a drawer deep enough to swallow the laptop so the surface clears in the evening.
Costs and programme
Indicatively, an alcove desk with shelving above typically runs £2,000-£4,500 in London; a full study wall with cupboards, shelving, integrated lighting and cable management is generally £5,000-£12,000, depending on size and finish.
Allow four to eight weeks from signed drawings, plus electrical first fix before installation if you are adding sockets or data points. Installation is usually one to three days.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the ideal built-in desk height?
- 720 to 740 millimetres for seated work with a standard chair. If several people of very different heights will use it, an adjustable chair and a footrest solve more than changing the desk height.
- Can a home office be built into a bedroom without it looking like an office?
- Yes. Matching the finish to the bedroom joinery, concealing cables and specifying a drawer that swallows the laptop lets the desk read as a dressing table or console when not in use.
- Do I need a separate circuit for a home office?
- Usually not for a laptop and monitor, but adding sockets and data points is first-fix work that must be planned before joinery installation.
Planning a project like this?
SH Joinery surveys every room before quoting, so you get a fixed price against a written specification rather than an estimate. Send us your drawings, photographs or rough sizes and we will come back with an honest view of what your project involves.