How To Choose The Right Desk
Your desk at home is more than just another place to take care of schoolwork – it’s a central hub to study, dream, create and even navigate your social life or enjoy some entertaining games. It’s really a centerpiece of your room, second only to your bed, of course. A desk offers a clean palette where you can decorate and arrange your favorite belongings to express your own interests.
With your teachers assigning bigger workloads as you progress through high school, the time logged at your desk can be significant. For that reason, balancing style and function is critical. Choosing the right desk for your needs means making sure there’s enough space to spread out your books, hook up your computer and add on accessories and other personal decorations. The right desk allows you to pay attention to everything from comfort to style and personalize it to your needs and tastes.
Size Up The Situation
When it comes to your desk, size matters in more ways than one. The desk needs to fit your space, which means measuring carefully and considering rearranging your furniture. A desk that takes into consideration your height and all the homework you need to get done is important. Here are a few critical factors to keep in mind:
Height: Most adults comfortably fit at desks between 28-30" high, but you can opt for a standard-size desk with an adjustable-height desk chair to get a more custom, comfy fit.
Leg Room: Growth spurts are a fact of life, so make sure your desk provides adequate clearance beneath the desk to fit your knees.
Workspace: The space on top of the desk itself needs to be able to accommodate the type of computer you use along with books, papers, notes and other study materials. You might need space for your keyboard, monitor, open textbooks and your notebook all at once, so think long-term about how your workload might increase.
Consider Function
Different hobbies and courses require various materials and projects and your desk is the ideal place to work on them. Love painting or drawing? You might want some additional surface area to spread out your oil pastels. Dreaming of writing captivating code? You might require multiple computer monitors on your desk. That’s why it’s important to consider your desired desk’s function, both currently and in the future, to make sure your workspace always accommodates your hobbies.
Balance Comfort And Style
When writing a paper, playing a video game, designing an art project or even chatting online with friends, staying comfortable is important. A desk with a funky shape, textured finish or multiple levels can certainly look stylish and fun, but it might not be totally practical for everyday use. Ergonomics is the study of efficiency and comfort in a work environment. The basic principles of this practice are easy to incorporate into your desk and make a large impact on your overall comfort and productivity as a result. Here are some ergonomic basics to look out for in a computer desk:
Viewing distance to the computer screen: somewhere between 20–40", or about an arm’s length, is ideal. The top of the monitor should be at or slightly below eye level.
Keyboard placement: for ideal wrist and shoulder support, your upper arms should hang vertically.
Lighting: whether placing your desk near overhead lighting or adding specific lighting features to the piece of furniture itself, keeping it dim so the screen is the brightest element in the room is best for your eye health.
Seating: a desk chair is as important as the desk itself. The ideal ergonomic chair provides lumbar and arm support to your spine and keeps your body upright.
Add In Cool Accessories And Features
Once you and your parents have all these basics in mind, the real fun of choosing your desk begins. Adding features such as side bookshelves, pegboards, desk lamps, organizers and other desk accessories lets you completely personalize your space to your style and needs. Consider not only practical elements such as a supportive desk chair, but also look at fun ways to integrate color, patterns and even themes into the desk area in order to make it a more personal and inviting space where you can’t wait to spend some time. Finally, add in other coordinating accessories throughout the room, including bookshelves, side tables and chairs that give you the opportunity to design a space that fuses function with your personality.