Computer Desks

The first piece of furniture that is typically added to an office will be a computer desk for your computer(s) and other equipment. The computer has completely transformed the way desks are designed. Before computers appeared, desks were typically made from wood, were not portable, and were mostly designed for handling and the storage of paper, for recording transactions and writing. Once the computer appeared, and the storage and handling of paper shifted from the desk to filing cabinets and other desk accessories, most desk activities consisted of using a keyboard and mouse, and looking at the monitor. If the desk you purchase is not suited for these computer activities, you will never be happy with it.

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Computer Furniture:
desks | chairs and stools | gadgets | workstations | cabinets | armoires

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Kinds of Computer Desks
Based on the table, the desk has always existed in some form or another ever since the existence of paper. Desks were different from tables in that they had drawers or something similar to store paper and writing instruments and were designed so that you could only sit on one side of the desk. Prior to the Industrial Revolution in the 17th century, desks were nothing but large and bulky tables with the odd drawer, slot or hook for writing instruments and stray pieces of paper. To handle the explosive increase in paper used by a new class of desk workers, desk manufacturers slimmed down the size and dimensions of the desk and added all kinds of new features to deal with all the paper, i.e., drawers with partitions for writing instruments and other desk accessories.

The Pedestal Desk
Computer desks, as we know them today, acquired their form during the Industrial Revolution in the 17th and 18th centuries when desk manufacturers began producing desks in massive numbers using steam powered machine tools. A simple rectangular working surface resting on two pedestals or small cabinets of stacked drawers, with or without a central drawer above the legs and knees of the user, the pedestal desk is still very popular today. With more paper and greater correspondence came more complex and specialized desks such as the Roll Top Desk and the famous Wooton and Armoire Desks which came with more drawers, nooks and crannies than imaginable.

The Steel Desk
As office work and desk production continued to explode into the 20th century, the introduction of things like carbon paper, photocopying, filing cabinets and the typewriter, led to stronger desks made of steel. The L-shaped or Corner Desk became popular with one part of the desk reserved for the typewriter. But as even more paper was added to the process and the number of desk workers increased, space was soon at a premium forcing more workers to work in the same space on smaller desks. Modular Desks seating several desk workers close by became common. Even executive or management desks were mass produced using cheap plywood or fiberboard covered with wood veneer.

The Computer Desk
The biggest impact on desk design has been the computer. The modular nature of the computer, with its printer and other peripherals gave rise to what is called the computer or ergonomic desk. With new shelving designs, keyboard holders, and innovative storage designs, i.e., hutches, these desks were designed to meet the needs of the computer user. But instead of reducing the flow of paper, the computer added even more paper to the process. Once again this led to an increase in the number of desk workers which in turn created a shortage in office space. The infamous cubicle desk was capable of putting more desk workers in the same space without actually shrinking the size of the desk working surface. The cubicle desk formed an integral whole where the desk itself was connected to and surrounded by wall-like partitions which became new homes for papers, notes and other items once left on the desk.