Buying for a team differs from buying for the home not in scale but in the fact that mistakes multiply. A poor desk at home annoys one person; a poor desk in the office annoys twenty and can only be fixed by replacing them all.
How much space per workstation
Start not with the desks but with the floor area. The norm used as a starting point in planning:
- 4–4.5 m² per person: a workstation with a desk, a chair and a walkway. This is the minimum below which an office stops being an office.
- 6 m²: comfortable, with room for a pedestal and personal belongings.
- Aisle between rows of desks: from 100 cm. People walk behind those who are sitting.
- Behind a chair: 80 cm, to push back and stand up without bumping a neighbour.
Work this out before choosing models. It often turns out that the premises fit not twelve workstations but nine, and it is better to find that out before ordering.
Desk width: 120 or 140
The main decision in the purchase, because it is multiplied by the number of people.
120 cm: one monitor, a keyboard, a notebook. The standard for operational roles: support, sales, administration.
140–160 cm: two monitors, or a monitor plus a laptop. Development, design, analytics. For these roles 120 cm is a daily inconvenience that people notice at the interview.
180 cm: a desk for two, if people sit side by side along a wall. It saves space, but doesn't suit everyone psychologically.
A practical move. Don't buy the same width for everyone. Divide the team into two groups by type of work and take two sizes: it is cheaper than giving everyone 160 and more comfortable than giving everyone 120.
Depth: why 60 cm isn't enough for everyone
Depth determines the distance from your eyes to the screen, and for large monitors 60 cm is already too little.
In short: 60 cm for a monitor up to 24″, 80 cm for 27″, 90 cm for 32″ or two monitors. A detailed calculation with the arithmetic is in the article desk depth for your monitor.
Our range has all these depths: Chill 2, MODE and VOK are 60 cm, Nagri 1 is 64 cm, Chill is 80 cm, CASUAL and Lofty 1 are 90 cm.
Why identical desks are better value
This isn't about looks but about money and logistics.
Rearranging without buying more. The team grows and moves between rooms. Identical desks can be put together in any configuration: rows, islands, a U shape. Mixed ones can't.
Replacing one unit. In two years one desk will get damaged. If there is one model, you order one more of the same. If there are seven different ones, the replacement will look out of place.
A batch is priced differently. Twenty identical desks mean one cutting run and one set-up. Twenty different ones are twenty separate pieces. The difference in cost and lead time is noticeable.
About pedestals
A pedestal under the desk seems essential, but it isn't.
It eats into legroom. A 120 cm desk with a pedestal gives 80 cm of real free space under the desktop. A person notices that.
The alternative is shared cupboards or lockers along a wall. Personal belongings go there, and the workstation stays clear. For an open-plan office this is almost always the better solution.
If you do need pedestals, ours are integrated into MODE, Lofty 1 and Nagri 1. Check which side the pedestal is on: it makes a difference for left- and right-handed people.
What to ask before agreeing the budget
- The lead time for the whole batch, not for one desk. Twenty pieces are a different place in the production queue.
- Delivery and carrying upstairs. An office on the fourth floor without a goods lift is a separate cost item, and it is better to find out about it before, not on delivery day.
- Assembly. Whether it is included or extra, and whether it is done by our fitter or your office administrator.
- The option to order more later. The team will grow. The question isn't "is it available now" but "will the same model be available in a year".
- Documents. Invoice, delivery note, contract: agree the format with your accounts department before, not after.
A soft seating area isn't optional
People think of it last, but it does more for the atmosphere than the desks.
A sofa and a few poufs in a break area give a place for informal discussions, lunch and breaks. In an office without such an area, people sit at their desks all day, and you can see it in how tired they are by Friday.
We have collected furniture for this separately: upholstered furniture for offices and coworking spaces.
Non-standard premises
Offices are rarely rectangular: columns, recesses, sloping walls, floor-to-ceiling windows. We make desk dimensions to fit your premises, and this is exactly the case where custom-made furniture is cheaper than a compromise, because it lets you fit in one or two more workstations.
For a batch the manager prices it separately: send a floor plan with dimensions and the number of people.
Read also: desk depth for your monitor and a desk for working from home.
In brief
- 4–4.5 m² per person minimum, aisle between rows from 100 cm
- Two widths for the team instead of one: 120 cm for operational roles, 140–160 for those with two screens
- Depth 60 cm for a monitor up to 24″, 80–90 cm for larger ones
- Identical desks are cheaper in a batch and can be rearranged without buying more
- A pedestal under the desk eats into legroom: shared lockers are often better
Need desks for the whole team? We'll help with sizes and the batch.
Desks in the catalogue →
