What height and dimensions for a desk?

The dimensions in this section come from three sources, named in each case: the European standard EN 527-1, which governs the dimensions of office work desks, the dimensions written in the model titles of our desk collection, and ergonomic usage benchmarks, presented as such.

Desk height

The right height places the worktop level with your elbows when you are seated, shoulders relaxed and forearms horizontal. Too high, the worktop raises the shoulders and tires the neck by the end of the day; too low, it makes you lean forwards and rounds the back. On a fixed-height desk, you don't adjust the worktop: you adjust the chair to bring the elbows to the right level, then check that your feet rest flat on the floor.

Standard desk height

The standard is between 72 and 75 cm. The EN 527-1 standard takes 74 cm as a benchmark for a fixed-height worktop, and the catalogue titles confirm this: 74 cm for HAY's CPH, 73 cm for Ferm Living's Feve and Anonima Castelli's Platone, 75 cm for UMAGE's Heart'n'soul and Hübsch's Poke. This dimension suits the majority of adults, provided you have a height-adjustable chair.

Ideal desk height

It depends on your height, or more precisely on the height of your elbows in a seated position. Usage benchmark for an adjustable worktop: 66 to 70 cm between 1.55 and 1.65 m, 70 to 73 cm between 1.65 and 1.75 m, 73 to 77 cm between 1.75 and 1.85 m, 77 to 80 cm beyond. With a fixed worktop at 74 cm, a person of 1.60 m raises their chair and slides a footrest under the desk; a person of 1.90 m mainly checks the space for their knees under the worktop.

Desk dimensions

Three dimensions matter: the width, which determines what you place side by side, the depth, which sets the distance between your eyes and the screen, and the height. In depth, 45 to 50 cm are sufficient for a laptop alone; 60 cm is a minimum for a laptop and a keyboard; 70 to 80 cm allow you to place an external screen at arm's length, i.e. 50 to 70 cm from the eyes, a usage benchmark from ergonomists.

Desk width

Allow 80 to 100 cm for a laptop and a lamp, 120 cm for a screen, a keyboard and a notepad, 140 to 160 cm for two screens or a screen and open files alongside. Beyond that, a 180 cm worktop accommodates two people side by side or a drawing station. Also measure the footprint of objects that don't move: a floor lamp, a printer or a pedestal unit take up 20 to 40 cm of worktop.

Standard desk size

In manufacturers' catalogues, three formats recur: the compact of 100 to 120 x 50 to 60 cm, the standard of 120 to 140 x 60 to 70 cm and the large of 150 to 160 x 75 to 80 cm. The EN 527-1 standard takes as a benchmark a worktop of at least 120 x 80 cm for a complete office workstation; at home, a 120 x 60 cm worktop remains comfortable for a single screen.

Bedroom desk dimensions

In a bedroom, aim for 80 to 100 cm wide by 45 to 60 cm deep, enough for a laptop, a lamp and notebooks. Hübsch's Poke measures 100 x 45 cm; Anonima Castelli's Platone, 83 x 65 cm, folds away. When floor space is lacking, a wall-mounted desk or a secretary frees up the floor: 80 x 50 cm for the small version of Ambivalenz's Fläpps Box, 80 x 32 cm for Hartô's Gaston. The table below summarises the dimensions by use.

The chair adjusts the height

With a fixed-height top, the chair does the work: seat adjusted so that the elbows reach the level of the top, feet flat, thighs horizontal or slightly inclined downwards. If the feet no longer touch the floor once the chair is raised, a footrest fills the gap. Chairs with adjustable seats are brought together in the office chair collection, and our office chair guide details the adjustments one by one.

The screen at arm's length

Rule of thumb: the top of the screen at eye level or just below, 50 to 70 cm away. It's this distance that determines the depth of the desk: a 60 cm top requires moving the screen closer to the edge, an 80 cm top leaves it at the back and frees up space for the keyboard. For a laptop used all day, a stand that raises the screen and a separate keyboard avoid working with your head down. Deep tops are in the wooden desk collection.

Leg room

Under the top, you need to be able to cross your legs and move your feet: avoid low crossbars and pedestals placed where your knees go. A desk with drawers houses its storage under the top, over a few centimetres of thickness: check that there's enough free height above your thighs once the chair is adjusted. Models with integrated storage are in the desk with storage collection.

The clearance behind the desk

Allow 70 cm between the edge of the desk and the wall or furniture behind you to pull back the chair, 90 to 100 cm if someone passes behind you. In a bedroom, it's often this clearance, not the size of the top, that decides where to place the desk: facing a wall, at the end of the bed or in the corner of the room. Compact models are in the desk collection.

The straight desk with legs

A worktop on four legs or on two trestles: this is the format that leaves the most legroom and is the easiest to move. Fine lines and light woods lighten a desk installed in the living room; the New Modern from TIPTOE comes in several leg colours, black, cream white, pale blue or eucalyptus grey. See the collection of Scandinavian desks.

The desk with drawers

One or two drawers under the worktop keep chargers, notebooks and pens out of sight, which matters when the desk lives in the living room. The My Writing Desk from EMKO is available with one or two drawers, the 4.9 Drawers in 80 and 140 cm, the New Modern from TIPTOE in 130 x 70 cm with drawers. See the collection of desks with storage.

The wall-mounted desk and the secretary

Fixed to the wall, it doesn't touch the floor: this is the answer for bedrooms, hallways and studios. Widths range from 60 to 130 cm: Gaston from Hartô in 60 or 80 cm, Fläpps from Ambivalenz in 80 x 50 or 100 x 60 cm, Tana from New Works in 85 cm, or 130 cm with drawers. Install it at the same height as a classic desk, 72 to 75 cm, and check the nature of the wall before drilling. See the collection of wall-mounted desks.

The folding desk

The Platone from Anonima Castelli, 83 x 65 x 73 cm, folds away when not in use: an extra workstation for the guest room or living room, in matt steel, in six colours. Moebe and Woodendot also offer folding wall-mounted desks that fold back against the wall. See the collection of desks.

The modular desk

String Furniture combines worktop, uprights and shelves in specified configurations from 80 x 115 x 58 cm to 140 x 200 x 96 cm, and also sells its Works worktops separately, from 120 x 78 cm to 180 x 90 cm. A format that evolves with needs: you add a shelf, you change the worktop. See the collection of String Furniture desks.

Solid wood and veneer

Oak, walnut, ash: the wooden top develops a patina, marks under a pressed pen tip and can be sanded down if it is solid. A veneer, a thin sheet of wood glued to a panel, is more stable and lighter, but must be sanded with care. Place a desk mat under the mouse and keyboard: this is where the finish wears first. See the wood desk collection.

Laminate and linoleum

Laminate, chosen by TIPTOE for the New Modern and by String Furniture for its Works tops, resists everyday stains and scratches and can be cleaned with a sponge. Linoleum, which HAY uses on its CPH 2.0, offers a matt, soft surface under the forearms, pleasant for writing; it is maintained with a neutral, solvent-free product. See the HAY desks and tables.

Steel

Slim top, lightweight structure, bold colours: Tolix's Clapet, in 105 or 130 cm, and Metallbude's Donna have the look of a workshop piece. Lacquered steel is resistant to water and hot mugs, but scratches on contact with metal objects: a desk mat solves the problem. See the black desk collection.

Place the desk perpendicular to the window: light arrives from the side, with no reflections on the screen or backlighting behind you. In the evening, a desk lamp provides the 500 lux on the work surface that standard NF EN 12464-1 recommends for reading, writing and working on a screen in an office. Position it on the left if you write with your right hand, on the right if you're left-handed: the shadow of your hand won't fall on the page. Models are in the desk lamp collection, and our room-by-room lighting guide provides guidelines for the whole home.

HAY (Denmark) publishes the CPH series, designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec: 130 × 65 cm or 160 × 80 cm, at 74 cm, in lacquered oak, with a linoleum top on the 2.0 versions. The 140 cm Passerelle completes the range. See the brand HAY.

Normann Copenhagen (Denmark) offers the Kip, a 150 × 75 cm top in oak or pine, and the Journal in white or black laminate. See the brand Normann Copenhagen.

TIPTOE (France) offers the New Modern in 130 or 150 × 70 cm, in eco-certified oak, laminate or recycled plastic, with or without drawers, and in open-space desks up to 280 × 140 cm for working together. See the brand TIPTOE.

String Furniture (Sweden) builds modular desks on its shelf uprights and sells its Works tops from 120 to 180 cm. See the String Furniture desks.

Ferm Living (Denmark) designs the Feve in ash or walnut, 117 cm wide, the Tarn in beech and the Edre in pine at 137 × 65 cm. See the brand Ferm Living.

UMAGE (Denmark) offers the Heart'n'soul at 120 × 80 × 75 cm, in oak or walnut, a deep top for a screen. See the brand UMAGE.

Working from home three days a week in a 25 m² living room

Two screens won't fit on 120 cm; one screen and a laptop will. A 130 x 65 cm top like HAY's CPH90, at 74 cm high, accommodates the screen at the back, the open laptop next to it and a notebook. With 70 cm clearance for the chair, the whole setup takes up around 130 x 135 cm of floor space. If the desk needs to disappear at the weekend, a 100 x 60 cm wall-mounted desk like Ambivalenz's Fläpps Box takes over. See the wooden desk collection.

A student desk in a 10 m² bedroom

The available space is often a 100 cm stretch of wall between the wardrobe and the bed. A 100 x 45 cm top like Hübsch's Poke, at 75 cm high, is enough for a laptop, a lamp and notebooks. Add a chair without armrests, which slides completely under the top, and an adjustable-arm desk lamp, placed on the side opposite the writing hand. See the desk collection.

Two people working together at home

Side by side, each needs a minimum of 80 cm width, 100 cm with a screen. A 180 x 90 cm top like String Furniture's Works, or a 240 x 140 cm open-plan desk like TIPTOE's New Modern, whose depth allows sitting face to face, gives each person their own zone without a partition. See the TIPTOE brand.

What orders placed on The Cool Republic between January and September 2026 show in the Desks collection. Shares are counted by number of orders, not quantities, so that a large purchase does not weigh more than another.

The most requested brands

In order of orders: Hübsch, Ferm Living, String furniture, Hartô.

The most ordered models since January

• Natural oak desk, Hübsch
• 117 x 73 x 60 cm walnut desk Feve, Ferm Living
• 80 x 200 x 58 cm modular oak and white steel desk Combination A, String furniture
• 140 cm Lithuanian wood desk 4.9 Drawers, EMKO
• 100 x 60 x 81.5 cm oak veneer and white metal desk Victor, Hartô

• Buying an 80 cm high desk without an adjustable chair: shoulders rise and the neck tires; 72 to 75 cm suits most adults.
• Placing two screens on a 120 cm worktop: one ends up at an angle; allow 140 to 160 cm in width.
• Choosing 50 cm depth to work on an external screen: it remains too close to the eyes; 70 to 80 cm puts it at arm's length.
• Positioning the desk 50 cm from a bed or wardrobe: the chair no longer moves back; leave 70 cm behind the worktop.
• Placing the screen facing the window or with your back to it: reflections on one side, backlighting on the other; the desk should be perpendicular to the window.
• Fixing a wall-mounted desk without knowing the wall: a plasterboard partition requires wall plugs suited to the load.