Working from home stopped being temporary and the kitchen table stopped being a desk. A fitted home office puts a proper desk, at the right height and depth, into the space the house can spare: a spare room, an alcove, a landing, a loft slope, or a wardrobe-sized cupboard that closes at six o'clock. This guide covers the dimensions that make a desk comfortable, storage and cables, two-person layouts, hidden offices and what they cost.
Home offices, in short
- Desk height 720 to 740mm; depth 600mm minimum, 700mm for two monitors.
- Monitor top at eye level; a monitor arm frees the desk.
- Cables drop through a grommet into a tray under the desk and on to sockets inside the carcase.
- Storage: drawers beneath for files, shelves above for reference, a cupboard for the printer.
- Hidden offices: a desk behind bi-fold or pocket doors in a wardrobe-depth run.
- From around £2,500 including VAT and installation; full rooms with twin desks and library walls £6,000 to £12,000.
The desk
A desk top at 720 to 740mm suits most people on a standard chair; 700mm of depth gives room for a monitor at the right distance and a keyboard in front of it; 600mm is the minimum for a laptop and a screen. Width is what the wall allows: 1,200mm for one person, 1,600mm to work with papers, 2,400mm and more for two. A monitor on an arm clamped to the back edge clears the surface; the top of the screen sits at eye level. A knee space of 600mm wide and 650mm high is kept clear of drawers.
Cables and power
A grommet in the desk top drops cables into a tray fixed beneath it, where the power block lives, and from there a single run goes to sockets moved into the carcase by your electrician. USB-C and mains sockets set into the desk back panel put charging where the laptop is. Nothing trails to a wall socket across the floor.
Storage around the desk
- Drawers beneath: one shallow drawer for pens and one deep filing drawer on one side; leave the knee space clear.
- Shelves above: 250 to 300mm deep, starting 450mm above the desk so a monitor fits below, for reference books and files.
- A printer cupboard: 450mm deep with a pull-out shelf and a socket inside.
- A pinboard or fluted panel behind the desk, so the wall works too.
- Lighting: a strip under the first shelf lights the desk without a lamp.
Two people
A shared office needs two desks that do not face each other's screens: side by side along one wall with a shelf tower between, an L in a corner with one person on each leg, or facing walls in a wider room. Each person gets their own drawers and sockets; the printer and the files are shared in the middle. See office spaces.
Offices in odd places
- Alcove office: a 1,000mm alcove takes a desk, a drawer and shelves above. See the alcove guide.
- Loft office: a desk under the roof light with eaves storage behind. See the loft guide.
- Landing office: a desk along a wide landing wall with cupboards above.
- Bedroom office: a desk at the end of the wardrobe run, in the same finish, so the room stays a bedroom.
- Under-stairs office: a desk in the tall end of the stair void, shelves stepping down with it. See under the staircase.
The hidden office
For a living room or a guest bedroom the office should vanish at the end of the day. A desk built into a 600mm-deep run, with a pull-out or fixed top, shelves above and a socket inside, closes behind bi-fold or pocket doors that match the rest of the run. Open, it is an office; shut, it is a wardrobe wall or a panelled cupboard. It is the most requested office design we build.
Finishes for a room you look at all day
Calm colours and natural texture suit a workspace: sage, warm grey, muted blue, oak and walnut. A fluted back panel softens video calls; a lit shelf behind you lights them. See the colour guide.
What a fitted home office costs
A single fitted desk with drawers and shelving starts from around £2,500 including VAT and installation. A hidden office behind doors within a wardrobe run is £3,500 to £5,500; a full room with twin desks, storage and a library wall £6,000 to £12,000. Browse home offices.
Frequently asked questions
What is the ideal desk height for a home office?
720 to 740mm for most people on a standard chair, with a knee space 600mm wide and 650mm high kept clear. Desk depth should be 600mm minimum and 700mm for two monitors.
How do you hide a home office in a living room?
Build the desk into a 600mm-deep run with shelves and a socket inside, and close it behind bi-fold or pocket doors that match the rest of the furniture. Open, it is an office; shut, it is a cupboard wall.
Where do cables go in a fitted desk?
Through a grommet in the desk top into a tray fixed beneath it, where the power block sits, then in a single run to sockets moved into the carcase. Nothing trails across the floor.
How much does a fitted home office cost?
A single desk with drawers and shelving from around £2,500 including VAT and installation. A hidden office behind doors is £3,500 to £5,500; a full room with twin desks and a library wall £6,000 to £12,000.
Ready to see what your room could hold?
Book a free home design visit. A Metro designer measures the room, brings full-size door and finish samples, and returns a 3D design with an itemised, fixed price within two to three days. No deposit is taken at the visit and there is no obligation. Or see every door style at our Wembley showroom, next to the workshop that makes them.
