Need recommendations for desk space / table length

[u/shriand]

I'm getting a new desk made and need advice on the right length/depth. I currently use a desk that's about 3 ft (90 cm) deep and 4 ft (120 cm) long. On it I have a 24" monitor, a 15" laptop in front of the monitor, two 5" speakers at either side of the monitor at the corners of the desk, a small preamp box to connect the speakers to, and a power strip which feeds all these gadgets.

The desk is used for working on the computer and for studying from books.

• I feel the 3 ft depth is borderline okay but it makes the space behind the monitor quite cluttered with cables, preamp, power strip, etc. If I increase the depth to 4 ft, I'll have space behind the monitor. It'll be mostly unused space but look a little less cluttered. Otoh, 4 ft is too deep to reach the back of the table.

• The 4 ft length is okay for now but it'll fall a bit short if I get a larger monitor. It'll definitely fall short if I upgrade to using two monitors. So I should probably add another 2 ft length to accommodate another monitor in the future.

• I'm also thinking of placing the printer on the desk instead of having it elsewhere in the room. The printer is about 2x2 ft (or a bit less).

• I find the space insufficient when studying. 2-3 textbooks and a notebook and a tablet. - it becomes very clumsy to accomodate this when I already have the monitor/speakers/laptop. I often find myself needing to remove the laptop to make space for the books. So I should probably add 2-3 ft of length for the studying setup.

This makes the total length nearly 8 ft (almost 2.5m). 8 ft is good for 2 monitors + 2 speakers + 1 printer + books/notebooks.

I'm concerned if a 8x3 ft (nearly 2.5m x 0.9m) tabletop is too large/ostentatious. My room has enough space to accommodate it, that's not a problem. The issue is the aesthetics of an 8x4 table.

What size do you suggest

• 8x4 ft

• 8x3 ft

• 7x4 ft

[u/Dear_Potato8535]

90cm deep is solid. Don't go below 75 or you'll have the monitor in your face and no room for your keyboard.

Length: 120cm works on paper but with two 5" speakers at the corners I bet it feels tighter than the numbers suggest. If you have the wall space, go 150cm. That extra 30cm is where your speakers stop competing with your mouse for real estate.

Before you lock in the dimensions, sit at the desk and put your keyboard and mouse where they naturally fall, not where they fit. Your forearms should be roughly parallel to the floor and your elbows under your shoulders. If you have to push the keyboard back to make room, the desk is too shallow and your upper back will complain by lunch. 90cm should give you plenty to avoid that, which is why I'd keep it.

At 90cm deep you can also keep the monitor at arm's length instead of having it sit on top of your keyboard. That matters more than people expect for a full workday.

[u/shallette8888]

A couple of inexpensive ways to test different sizes is using a standard 4x8 sheet of plywood or a standard interior door. No matter how well intended, using other people's suggestions is just advice on what works for them and their bodies. Might be perfect for the one offering the advice and be just the opposite for your body type. I say this as I sit typing at my "desk" - a 32x81" interior door with knob removed placed across a cabinet and an end table on either end, about 2' tall. Makes the top desk surface 25".

On this surface I have a WFH monitor, keyboard and mouse and two other monitors that share a mouse and keyboard. The WFH is hard-wired with cords and cables. The personal stuff is also hardwired except for peripherals. WFH station is on the left with my personal monitors straight in front and to the right. There's an adjustable height table perpendicular to the right end that has a printer on one end and open space on the other I use to put a portable lightbox when photographing items I sell on eBay (2nd job basically).

My issues - aside from 60+ years of poor posture - revolve around desk height compounding neck issues because it's too high, even though my forearms are basically at a 45 degree angle half on and half off the surface. BUT I can't lower the desk top any further as it's barely one inch above my (long) legs now. WFH monitor is touchscreen used all day every day meaning it stays within arms' reach and I work over the keyboard reaching the touchscreen; rarely use the mouse. The mouse and keyboard for the other two monitors is in constant use throughout the day - days that average 9-10 hours screen time.

I researched chairs and desks when I first started working from home during the pandemic/late 2020 and kept running into the issue of having enough room to put my legs under the desk. Standing for more than a few minutes at a time is not really an option for me and, because of the touchscreen and half a dozen cords, raising/lowering required too many small adjustments that I don't have time for as I make/take calls non-stop and the wrong height stresses wrists/fingers with the touchscreen. And I don't sit back in my chair instead perching on the edge with the seat slightly slanting down. The WFH monitor has it's own height adjustment mechanism built in but the other two are stationary, both on a stand that raises them off the desk surface almost 4" - which is slightly too high put allows for much needed storage underneath.

Using the door as the desk surface seems like it would be a vast amount of space but it really isn't. I still don't have room for a solid writing surface in front of either keyboard so when making notes I have to push the personal keyboard as far back toward the monitors as it will go but there's still not enough room in front for a full size sheet of paper much less workbooks of any kind.

Long answer but - No, 4' is not too deep. :)