Are Corner Desks Worth It? – 14 Best & Worst Points Revealed


Corner desks are a great asset to any room in your home or office. But with their compact size, you have to wonder are corner desks worth it? I have spent hours investigating to come up with a comprehensive list of the advantages and disadvantages of corner desks. Read on to see if they’re worth a buy or the bin. Let’s get started!

If you’re in a hurry, here is a site I recommended for office equipment with lifetime guarantee!

Are Corner Desks Worth It?

A corner desk is a good choice for people who can work from a compact work surface and require a good amount of storage. Corner desks have an average price range between $109.99 – $1649 which makes them relatively affordable.  They also consume a small footprint and can leverage redundant corner space for compact and efficient storage. Corner desks also allow people with limited room to neatly fit a desk. That said, corner desks are unlikely to be suited to people who need a large desk space, unless they opt for L-shaped desks. They also offer limited privacy and cable management can be difficult too.

We now know that corner desks are compact. But just how much work surface do they provide? And what are the pros and cons of a corner desk? Having a quick read through this simple pros and cons list, you can decide within minutes if a corner desk is the best option for you. Taking a few minutes to read through them is guaranteed to help you definitely decide if a corner desk is for you!

For the purpose of this article, corner desks will not include L-shaped desks. I have written a separate article on the top 10 benefits of using L-shaped desks!

Studies have shown that organized desks can significantly improve focus and productivity. Source

Are Corner Desks Worth It? - Corner desk with lime green chair

Advantages of corner desks

1. Corner desks are budget-friendly

Corner desks tend to range in prices from $109.99 – $1649. While they’re not the cheapest type of desk that you can buy, they are certainly affordable and give value for money.

The price of a corner desk increases as the desk size increases. Plus, the more storage compartments you require, the higher the price will be.

This is because corner desks have a larger footprint, more storage compartments and more materials are generally required to make them.

You can dodge that headache by using OfficeFurniture2Go who offer corner desks with both free shipping and a lifetime warranty!

I’ve covered the cost in a previous article which you can read here: How Much Do Corner Desks Cost? – Quick Analysis of Top 20!

Tip: Merely choosing a desk based on the price is not a guaranteed way of getting a quality desk.

2. Corner desks are space efficient

The average space consumed by corner desk ranges anywhere from 588 in2 – 2268.75 in2 for a corner desk unit.

This makes them one of the most compact and space efficient desks available. If storage compartments or a hutch comes with the desk, this will further increase the overall area required to fit it.

However, with a hutch, it is consuming wall space as opposed to valuable floor space.

Consequently, corner desks are often suited to small rooms or areas where there is a corner that the desk can fit.

I previously wrote a complete article on corner desk weights and 20 examples which you can read about for even more invaluable information and tips!

Tip: Workers who have a clean desk are able to work 7.5 minutes longer without feeling distracted.

3. Corner desks help maximize storage space

One of the biggest advantages of owning a corner desk is how much storage they can offer you while consuming a small space. Especially often redundant corner space in a room.

In the most basic form, corner desks feature the desk itself with little to no storage compartments.

Corner desks won’t blow you away with a large desk surface space.

However, you do have shelves or drawers for storing items and documents on though.

The next level up includes lockers built into the corner desk.

If you need even more storage, you can opt for a corner desk with a hutch or credenza above the desk for extra storage.

You can purchase separate lockers and cabinets to hold your items. But it’s much neater and space efficient if the storage is built into the corner desk rather than having standalone units.

Determining how much storage you need will help you to significantly narrow down your choice of corner desk.

Recommended product: Corner desks with lifetime warranty and free shipping

4. Corner desks tend to be durable

Regardless of the type of desk you purchase, you’ll want something that feels durable.

Corner desks tend to be sturdy by nature. Especially if they are made from a reputable brand and good quality materials.

Durability will feed into the weight and weight capacity of the corner desk to an extent.

5. Corner desks are versatile

With some desks, they are designed with an office theme in mind. This may mean that they don’t fit in with the style of your room.

Fortunately, corner desks come in a range of styles which can fit in perfectly to practically any room including:

  1. Office
  2. Bedroom
  3. Living room
  4. Hallway
  5. Games room

Related: Corner Desk Buying Guide – 9 Invaluable & Helpful Factors!

6. Corner desks enable better productivity

It shouldn’t be a surprise to hear that the desk you work from can affect how productive you are. If you have ample storage space on your desk, then you can organize your worktop. Thus, you can limit the number of items stored on your desk. Such items can cause distraction.

The statistics relating to desk productivity are inspiring…

Maintaining a clean desk boosts productivity and persistence by as much as 84%!

Having an organized desk with sufficient space encourages and enables you to work better.

Storing items you need beside you also means less time is spent walking and searching to get it.

Corner desks have a limited work surface. That said, if you opt for a corner desk with storage, you should have ample storage compartments for placing items.

This means that they can be kept off your desk. This will allow for space for your laptop, keyboard, mouse and whatever other small items you require.

7. Corner desk shape can be customized

there is often limited opportunity to adjust the layout of the desk storage compartments to suit your needs. This is often the case with the likes of your standard straight desk, folding desk and Murphy desk.

Corner desks on the other hand can be customized to suit your preferences or to fit into your workspace more effectively.

With reversible corner desks can be configured to have the storage side either to the left or right of the desk.

This can be a significant factor towards boosting your comfort levels while you work.

Especially if you prefer to have your storage on the same side as your most dominant hand.

It might also give you more choice in terms of the place that you position the reversible desk.

8. Multiple corner desk finishes available

Following on from the previous corner desk advantage, the overall aesthetics of the desk are something you have ample choice on too!

Corner desks are generally made with wood. Consequently, you’ll be slightly limited on the materials from that perspective.

However, you’ll have an abundance of choice in the type of wood finishes!

Let’s face it, that’s the factor that has the biggest impact on how a desk looks!

This means that you can pick a wood finish to complement your preferences, work style or the atmosphere or design of the room.

Below are just some examples of wood finishes that you can choose from:

  1. Black
  2. Brown
  3. Cherry
  4. Chocolate
  5. Dark Wood
  6. Espresso – Mocha
  7. Gray
  8. Light Wood
  9. Mahogany
  10. Maple
  11. Medium Wood
  12. Natural
  13. Oak
  14. Silver
  15. Walnut
  16. White
  17. Yellow

Not every website or manufacturer will offer this level of wood finishes. The above choice is available from the OfficeFurniture2Go website which also offer lifetime guarantees!

Disadvantages of corner desks

1. Corner desks have a small work surface

Corner desks are one of the smallest types of desks available. This is despite boasting an efficient storage area. The average surface area of a corner desk is 505.89 in2.

They have limited surface area for performing tasks.

In comparison, a standard office desk has a surface area of around 900 in2.

Generally, you can expect to fit the below on a corner desk with comfort:

  1. computer monitor
  2. laptop
  3. keyboard
  4. mouse
  5. Some files or a diary
  6. and of course, your precious cup of tea or coffee

This might be sufficient for people who require limited desk space or are only using the corner desk for just computing or activities that don’t require a large desk area.

However, it is unlikely to suit people who perform activities which require a large workspace.

It’s also going to present a challenge for people who need to separate computer activities from paperwork activities.

If you need a larger desk or a dedicated space for paperwork, you could consider checking out the range of OfficeFurniture2Go very good quality L-shaped desks with lifetime warranty and free shipping!

2. Corner desks are not portable

While corner desks are one of the most compact desk types available, they can be difficult to move.

Often this will require separating parts, especially if there is a hutch attached to the corner desk.

If you’re interested in a more portable option, some options include:

  1. Folding Desk Size – 20 Best Desks + Simple Cheat Sheets!
  2. Laptop Desk Types – 4 Popular Types & Genius Uses For Them!

3. Corner desks offer limited privacy

Corner desks are typically facing a wall which means your computer screen is viewable by people entering the room. This reduces your privacy and may not be ideal depending on if there are confidential items you’re working on or looking at.

If that does pose an issue for you, you could consider getting a privacy screen protector for your computer or laptop.

This restricts people from being able to see what you’re working on unless they are right in front of the screen.

Tip: Some corner desks come with partially assembled components, such as cabinets.

4. Corner desk offer limited visibility

Corner desks are designed so that you are facing into a wall. While this ideal for people who get easily distracted, it does cut you off from other people in the room.

Also, you have limited visibility of the people coming towards you or entering the room.

If your corner desk is placed in front of a window, your view might be obstructed from looking outside.

The hutch could even block access to the window or daylight from coming in the window.

5. Cable management can be difficult on corner desks

With the corner desk being pushed into a corner, it can be difficult to route cables and get access to them.

If there’s no sockets in that corner of the room, then it means running them across the room.

It’s not as though you can just place the corner desk anywhere there is a set of sockets.

Well, you can if you have the space, but it’s likely to look out of place…

Compare this to a straight or L-shaped desk where there’s more space for running the cables and it’s usually easier to access them too.

6. Standing corner desks are not available

Standing desks have expanded their reach so that you can now buy standing L-shaped desks and even standing U-shaped desks.

However, they haven’t yet to the best of my research and knowledge manufactured a standing corner desk in the triangular shape.

That said, you can get standing L-shaped desks which are an excellent corner desk, if that’s something you have the space for.

Conclusion

Corner desks are budget-friendly, extremely space efficient and versatile which makes them suitable for practically any sized room and for many uses. The small work surface of a corner desk will be a hindrance for some people.

However, I can almost guarantee that you would find benefit from having a corner desk in your home or office!

When buying a corner desk, you’ll want to make the perfect choice first time around.

Here are some other useful articles I wrote that you should go check out:

  1. U-shaped Desk Buying Guide + Simple Fail Proof Tips!
  2. Pros And Cons of U-shaped Desks
  3. Pros And Cons Of 2 Person Desks – 13 Hidden Considerations!
  4. Should My Desk Face The Wall? – Helpful Tips + Pros & Cons!
  5. Laptop Desk Types – 4 Popular Types & Genius Uses For Them!

Recommended Products:

  1. OfficeFurniture2Go desks with a lifetime guarantee!
  2. U-shaped desks with lifetime warranty and free shipping
  3. Good quality branded corner desks

Sharon

With years of both professional and first-hand experience in office equipment and work settings, I now want to help you avoid making mistakes that countless others do. Whether you're studying or working from home, this site will help you create the ultimate haven for working safely, comfortably and productively in!

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