The Best Home-Office Furniture and Supplies - The New York Times

11 Aug.,2025

 

The Best Home-Office Furniture and Supplies - The New York Times

Standing desk

Top pick

This is the most customizable desk we’ve ever tested, and it works for people of a wide range of heights (between 5-foot-4 and 6-foot-9).

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Of the desks we’ve tested, the Uplift V2 Standing Desk offers the best mix of performance and features. Its controls are responsive, and it barely wobbles, even at tall heights.

It accommodates people of the average female and male seated and standing heights. But if you’re shorter than 5-foot-4, the desk likely wouldn’t work for you if you were sitting without a footrest.

Uplift’s walnut laminate and bamboo desktops are attractive, and you can get them in a curved design if you prefer. In addition to those finishes, you can choose from nearly 30 other finish options, four frame colors, five grommet colors, and three keypad colors. And there are multiple add-on accessories, so you can truly make this desk your own.

For more, read our guide to the best standing desks.

Standing desk converter

Top pick

This standing desk converter is a sturdy, compact riser that's easy to use and available in several sizes and finishes to suit various office setups.

Of all the standing desk converters we tried, the FlexiSpot AlcoveRiser Standing Desk Converter M7 was the top choice among our testers. It’s easy and quick to adjust, sturdy yet light, and available in a wide range of sizes and colors.

This two-level converter can handle up to 37 pounds of equipment. Plus, it includes a roomy keyboard tray that can accommodate a laptop or a full-size keyboard and mouse with room to spare.

For more, read our guide to the best standing desk converters.

Standing desk mat

Top pick

This mat’s varied terrain encourages movement, so standing is less tedious and achy. And you can easily move the mat when you switch between standing and sitting.

You’ll need a comfortable place to stand while you work at your standing desk. The Ergodriven Topo’s contoured surface gives you lots of different ways to place your feet, and our testers found this mat more comfortable than others with topographic features.

However you stand, the Topo relieves pressure on your heels, legs, back, and shoulders. It’s also resistant to spills and punctures, and you can move it around with one foot, instead of having to bend over to reposition it.

Several Wirecutter staffers have used this mat for years. Even desk-mat skeptics have shared that they move around on the Topo more than they expected to, and this is where the real benefit of standing versus sitting comes from.

For more, read our guide to the best standing desk mats.

Office chair

Top pick

This is one of the most adjustable chairs available—anyone can make the Gesture comfortable, regardless of their height or size—and it’s built to last.

The Steelcase Gesture is expensive—about $1,400 at this writing. But if you sit for long periods, this chair is well worth the investment for its support, adjustability, and comfort, all of which should last for over a decade.

The Gesture is one of our longest-lasting picks—we’ve been recommending it since . And it’s one of the most comfortable, supportive, and durable office chairs we’ve ever tested. From the back support to the fabric quality to the dependable adjustment knobs, everything has stood the test of time.

The Gesture also comes in the widest range of fabrics and finishes of the office chairs we’ve tested, so you can customize its appearance for your workspace.

For more, read our guide to the best office chairs.

Lumbar support pillow

Top pick

Balancing structure and comfort, this cushion’s proprietary material offers substantial spinal support without pushing you forward. Because it lacks straps, you have to readjust it often.

The small but mighty Tempur-Pedic LumbarCushion Travel is the best lumbar-support cushion, relieving pressure without producing the dramatic, sinking-in feel of most Tempur-Pedic mattresses and bedding. The cushion’s slight curvature molds to your spine, keeping you in a comfortable, upright position.

The LumbarCushion Travel also has a removable, machine-washable cover that’s chic-looking and easy to clean. And in our testing the pillow’s proprietary foam didn’t lose shape or density, even after prolonged use.

For more, read our guide to the best lumbar support pillows.

Footrest

Top pick

This footrest has a washable cover that’s easy to remove and feels great on bare feet, and the high-density foam offers firm yet cushy support. It can be used as a foot rocker, and it’s height-adjustable.

If your feet don’t touch the floor when you’re sitting all the way back in your desk chair, you should consider getting a footrest. In our testing, the ComfiLife Foot Rest outshone all of its competitors. It offers firm, all-day comfort, thanks to its foam construction, which provides a plush surface and a soft give.

For added movement, you can even flip it over for rocking. The base is detachable, so you can use it at a height of either 3.9 inches or 5.9 inches, and it stays in place on both hard and carpeted floors.

We also love that the cover is easy to remove when you want to toss it in the washing machine (just remember to use the gentle cycle).

For more, read our guide to the best under-desk footrests.

Ergonomic seat cushion

Top pick

Made of thin yet dense memory foam, this contoured cushion encourages better seating posture than completely flat alternatives. At 2 inches thick, it does not provide much added height.

For proper ergonomics when you’re sitting at your desk, your legs should be at about a 90-degree angle to your hips. If your seat is too low and your knees are higher than 90 degrees, you should adjust your seat higher. If your chair doesn’t have that feature, we suggest adding a seat cushion.

We recommend the Tempur-Pedic Seat Cushion for people who prefer cradling, firm support and helpful posture adjustment over ample cushioning and height. Testers praised this cushion for offering firm, stable support without requiring too much adjustment. The 16-by-16-inch cushion fit well on the three chairs we tested it with. And its stretchy nylon-and-spandex cover is fully removable and machine-washable.

For more, read our guide to the best ergonomic seat cushions.

Lap desk

Top pick

This lap desk is the total package in terms of style, comfort, stability, and build quality, and it includes a few storage features.

The LapGear Designer Lap Desk has a clean, simple design, and it comes in a variety of colors and patterns. It’s sturdy and well made, and it feels comfortable and cool in your lap. This lap desk weighs about 2 pounds, and it measures 17.75 inches across—wide enough to fit both a 13-inch laptop and a mouse or a larger laptop (up to 17 inches) alone. It has a handle, so you can carry it around or hang it up. You’ll also find a spot to perch your and an elastic strap for storing index cards or a pen. Toward the front edge, a short, unobtrusive plastic laptop rest keeps your stuff from sliding off. This lap desk works equally well for left- and right-handed people.

For more, read our guide to the best lap desks.

Paper shredder

Top pick

This high-security shredder offers the best balance of price, sheet capacity, and ease of use. But the pullout bin isn’t as large as the ones in other models we’ve tested.

The Royal 14MC 14-Sheet Micro Cut Paper Shredder is a Costco-exclusive model (available to non-members for about $4 extra), and it offers the best value for a paper shredder. It has nearly twice the sheet capacity and a longer warranty than competing micro-cut shredders that cost about the same.

Like other micro-cut shredders, the Royal 14MC shredder chomps documents into tiny shreds, making any sensitive paperwork all but impossible to reassemble. Through batch after batch of our paper-shredding tests, it ran jam-free and quietly (for a shredder), and we found the large buttons and indicator lights simple to understand.

For more, read our guide to the best paper shredders.

Fireproof document safe

Top pick

This safe is certified to withstand high-temperature fires for twice as long as the competition. However, it weighs 42 pounds and has the footprint of a mini fridge.

The Honeywell Lightweight Fire and Waterproof Chest is independently verified by the safety organization Intertek to keep personal items safe during a fire for up to an hour—twice as long as the competition—in conditions as hot as 1,700 °F. And Honeywell says the chest will keep floodwater out for 100 hours.

It’s large enough to hold both letter- and legal-size sheets of paper, and they don’t have to be folded. The additional protection makes the Honeywell noticeably larger and heavier than other safes of similar capacities—it weighs 42 pounds and takes up the same amount of floor space as a mini fridge.

For more, read our guide to the best fireproof document safes.

Label maker

Top pick

This label maker trades a built-in screen and keyboard for an easy-to-use smartphone app. It’s compact and portable, prints quickly, and automatically cuts labels. And Brother’s design software offers plenty of customization options.

The compact Brother P-touch Cube Plus is a Bluetooth label maker that consistently prints good-looking, high-quality labels durable enough to survive multiple runs through the dishwasher. But what we love about this label maker is how easy it is to create and print labels with Brother’s Design&Print 2 smartphone app, which is equipped with a huge library of fonts, templates, and symbols. Offering a rechargeable battery, the ability to auto-cut labels as they print, and compatibility with a wide range of tape sizes, the Cube Plus is a convenient, portable device that can get the job done no matter the labeling project. Although it lacks the built-in screen and keyboard that many longtime labelers may be used to, we’ve found that the familiarity of typing on a keyboard makes this model easier to use overall.

For more, read our guide to the best label makers.

Monitor arm

Top pick

This sleek, sturdy monitor arm makes raising, lowering, and rotating a monitor easy, and it’s backed by a 15-year warranty.

An adjustable monitor arm is the best option for keeping your monitor at an ergonomic height (with your eye level 2 to 3 inches below the top of your monitor), so you can maintain proper posture and avoid slouching or craning your neck. The Fully Jarvis Single Monitor Arm is the best model for most people who want to save space on their desks.

Are you interested in learning more about Home Office Furniture? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!

It accommodates a wide range of positions and angles to improve workstation ergonomics, and it’s adjustable, unobtrusive, and sturdy enough to support heavier monitors (up to 32 inches or 20 pounds). The Fully Jarvis Single Monitor Arm is fully covered with a 15-year warranty, and it comes in three colors.

For more, read our guide to the best monitor arms.

Laptop stand

Top pick

This stand is made of anodized aluminum, so it's exceptionally sturdy and stylish. Also, of all the models we’ve tested, this one is the easiest to adjust.

If you don’t have the budget or space for a monitor at your desk, a laptop stand—one that puts your eye level 2 to 3 inches below the top of your screen and keeps you from slouching—is the next best thing for your posture and health. In our tests, the Rain Design iLevel 2 was the clear winner.

It held 11- to 15-inch laptops without issue in our tests, and it has a simple, straightforward, and stylish design. We loved its adjustment mechanism, too: Simply slide a knob left or right, and the platform tilts up or down.

For more, read our guide to the best laptop stands.

Pen

Top pick

With its fast-drying ink, this is our go-to pen for everyday writing on any kind of paper.

If you need a pen to take notes during a teleconference or to hastily scribble down an idea, the Uni-ball Jetstream RT is the one to grab.

It’s widely available, and it created some of the smoothest, quickest-drying lines in our testing. It doesn’t bleed, it doesn't skip, it doesn’t feather. It dries indelibly and so quickly that left-handed people can use this pen without worrying about smudging.

The Jetstream RT also requires very little pressure, so once you get a feel for it, you can write quickly because it pretty much glides over the page, especially if you write in cursive.

It comes in sizes from 0.38 mm up to 1.0 mm, with a bunch of different bodies in different styles.

For more, read our guide to the best pens.

Mechanical pencil

Top pick

This metal pencil is a pleasure to use, thanks to its smooth grip section and satisfying, solid knock.

At under $10, the Blick Premier Mechanical Pencil is a stellar value. It writes smoothly, and in our tests, the lead never snapped because this model has a lead-cushioning mechanism to prevent breakage.

Most other retractable options require you to hold down the knock (usually the top of the eraser cap) while pressing down on the tip to retract it. But the Blick Premier pencil extends or retracts the lead sleeve instantly, with a single click, similar to a retractable pen. This mechanism helps you avoid the issue that is all too common with other retractable mechanical pencils: mistakenly advancing the lead when you intended to retract the tip.

For more, read our guide to the best mechanical pencils.

Notebooks and notepads

After interviewing experts, researching over 100 notebooks, and writing zealously in 34 of them side by side over several weeks, we have picks in a number of sizes and styles.

Top pick

This notebook is a pleasure to use, thanks to its sturdy yet lightweight cardstock cover, excellent paper quality, and lie-flat design. The medium size can serve a wide range of purposes.

With page numbers, index pages, two ribbon bookmarks, and sticker labels, this notebook has all the bells and whistles. It simply feels a bit more special than competing notebooks.

We recommend the Apica Premium C.D. Notebook (A5) for people who want a softcover notebook that is the size of a trade paperback book. The smaller, A5 size doesn’t take up too much room on a desk, and its lie-flat design allows you to easily write on both sides of each sheet. The paper is thick and smooth (but not plasticky), and it works well with a variety of pens, including inky fountain pens, with little feathering and minimal ghosting.

The Leuchtturm Hardcover Notebook Classic (A5) is our top pick for a hardcover notebook that helps you organize and keep track of your thoughts and ideas. It features tiny details, such as index pages and labels for archiving, two thick ribbon bookmarks, labels for the spine and title page, page numbers, and a sturdy back pocket.

The Maruman Mnemosyne N166 Steno Pad (A5) is a medium-size notepad that’s easy to flip through to refer back to your notes. Because this notebook is top-bound, lefty writers should find it easier to use than other formats. The paper is smooth and thick, yet slightly translucent. Inky pens (rollerball, gel, and fountain pens) glided across it nicely in our tests. And it has enough tooth to make writing with a pencil or a ballpoint pleasant.

For a variety of other styles that we recommend, read our guide to the best notebooks and notepads.

Paper planner

Top pick

This planner is a cross between a simple calendar and a beautiful journal. And you can fill it with a range of inserts for any type of planning.

Of all the planners we considered, the Traveler’s Company Traveler’s Notebook was the most popular with our testers.

The simple leather folio holds thin notebooks (secured with an elastic band), and you can invest in whatever notebook inserts fit your planning needs. It’s the only system we found that works for all types of planning.

This is the original Traveler’s Notebook, a style of planner often interchangeably called the Midori (the company’s name before ). You can find many other notebooks of this style inspired by the original (sometimes called “fauxdoris”), and some of them are great options if you like more colors and patterns.

For a variety of other styles that we recommend, read our guide to the best paper planners.

This article was edited by Ben Keough and Erica Ogg.

Home office furniture - Bogleheads.org

Home office furniture

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Post by daggerboard » Fri May 06, 3:49 pm

So if you are looking to buy home office furniture - i.e. desk, filing cabinets etc - that doesnt look like the particle board monstrosities from our colleges days, where do you shop?

My wife wants it to look nice / coordinated while being functional and of reasonable quality (ie no crappy, soggy particle board).

I err heavy on function over form (clean, simple, no fru-fru, does what it needs to do) and have been a life-long IKEA devotee - esp. for desks. But the wife get hives just when I mention IKEA (maybe I burned her out on that one over the years). We both hate the impractical particle board battle-ship things they sell at Office Depot, Staples and your typical local furniture stores etc.

I am willing to spend a little more than at IKEA, but I am not willing to go beyond lets say $1k per desk.

I have looked at Room & Board (way too expensive), Wayfair (cant tell the quality from website only, also much fru fru), West Elm (too much form, too little function, also $$$ for what you get).

Any ideas for nice looking, quality, functional office furniture that costs less than my mortgage payment?

Thanks!

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Post by margered » Fri May 06, 3:57 pm

Techline.

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Post by sport » Fri May 06, 4:00 pm

Costco.com

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Post by BW » Fri May 06, 4:03 pm

We were very happy with the bed we purchased on Wayfair, I wouldn't hesitate to buy office furniture there. You can read customer reviews on all their items too. Chase the good life my whole life long, look back on my life and my life gone...where did I go wrong?

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Post by jfave33 » Fri May 06, 4:11 pm

I've bought some good stuff from wayfair too.

I've bought some things from home decorators collection in the past. A bit higher quality than IKEA and some items are not too expensive.
http://www.homedecorators.com/home-office/

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Post by ralph124cf » Fri May 06, 6:13 pm

I have gotten really great deals from used office furniture stores. Typically 80%-90% off original price. When a business relocates or goes out of business things are liquidated at fire sale prices. Everything from typing desks to luxury executive desks, high quality file cabinets, and old style heavy metal desks.

Ralph

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Post by stratton » Fri May 06, 6:42 pm

Ikea does have the non-particle board solution. You'll have to read the description, but several are solid wood.

Counter tops: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categ ... hen//

Get desk legs and add them.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categ ... ess//

Paul ...and then Buffy staked Edward. The end.

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Post by Erwin007 » Fri May 06, 6:52 pm

We recently bought a nice desk and credenza/hutch set from Costco.com. My wife finally put her foot down that a card table for our computer in the first room of our $700k house was unacceptable. I had made it 1.5 years before that though!

Theoretically they are supposed to deliver it and assemble it, then haul away all the packaging material. The first set came with damaged parts and so we had to refuse it. We didn't know this until they had partially unpacked/assembled some of the desk. About ten days later a different company dropped a pallet of very large and heavy boxes off on our sidewalk

Took me almost two weeks of very scattered time and backbreaking labor (those pieces are heavy and very good quality) and I finally got it together. Complaints to my damaged furniture Costco rep were answered by "yeah we're having problems with that carrier." No offer to send anyone else. My complaint letter to Costco is under construction, but I am happy with the furniture.

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Post by JaneyLH » Fri May 06, 9:25 pm

Scandanavian Designs has several lines of easy to build-it-yourself modular furniture. We assembled an office in our spare bedroom with a horseshoe-shaped wraparound desk and storage for less than half of our quote from California Closets. It did take a bit of work but the combination of elements we purchased wound up looking totally custom and 7 years later we are very happy with our functional, attractive office!

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Post by KeepItSimple78 » Fri May 06, 9:39 pm

If you intend to spend a decent amount of hours at this desk, you may want to consider a sit-stand desk (excessive sitting is the new smoking apparently). I haven't pulled the trigger yet, but I've personally had my eye on this one:

http://www.amazon.com/LUXOR-Standup-CF6 ... stand+desk

Simple, functional, and at a price point that I feel is reasonable. Avid reader of personal finance/investing literature; however, no formal training in this area. My comments are always well-intended, and most often well-informed.

Home office furnishings

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Post by daveatca » Fri May 06, 9:41 pm

We had a custom built office for 15+ years. It was great.

We moved to new house.
We decided on IKEA GALANT desks.
http://www.vrain.com/English/House_ ... ffice.html
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categ ... ces//

But, we still think the Aeron chairs are the only way to go. My first one only cost 5¢ per butt hour.
Last edited by daveatca on Fri May 06, 9:47 pm, edited 4 times in total.

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Post by KlangFool » Fri May 06, 9:42 pm

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S/

OP,

I highly recommend the Bekant Sit/Stand desk from Ikea.

KlangFool 30% VWENX | 16% VFWAX/VTIAX | 14.5% VTSAX | 19.5% VBTLX | 10% VSIAX/VTMSX/VSMAX | 10% VSIGX| 30% Wellington 50% 3-funds 20% Mini-Larry

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Post by AirTimeMD » Fri May 06, 9:53 pm

Can you guys recommend sources for OFFICE furniture for the away from home office? I never know where to find a nice executive desk.

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Post by desiderium » Sat May 07, 12:50 am

About 6 years ago we had some nice built-in cabinets made for an office in a new house. Now, we are mostly paperless. Work at home is done on a laptop at a table. We have a printer and a small scanner, with little need for the various office cabinets, drawers, etc. Think with the times and you may find that your office furniture needs are minimal.

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Post by Kosmo » Sat May 07, 8:21 am

I have a secretary desk from Raymour and Flanigan. I love it. Real wood. When it's closed it conceals the mess of paperwork in there so my wife doesn't have to see it. Has a small filing drawer underneath. They have other matching office furniture.

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Post by dm200 » Sat May 07, 8:30 am

One of the "Best" (in my opinion) ways to get very functional (and sometimes very nice looking) office furniture at a low (sometimes FREE) price is from a business that is moving, shutting down or just "upgrading" thair offices. Many times - you move it - you get it. The cost of moving and/or storing office furniture is relatively high. Such places often want to (and try to) donate such furniture to thrift shops, churches, etc., but often are turned away because those organizations cannot deal with things of size. If you are able to move (or have moved) things like desks, book shelves, credenzas, cabinets, etc. - make this know to organizations that are offered (and would turn away) such furniture donations - and they might pass the information along to you.

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Post by WhyNotUs » Sat May 07, 9:14 am

This has been my experience as well.
ralph124cf wrote:I have gotten really great deals from used office furniture stores. Typically 80%-90% off original price. When a business relocates or goes out of business things are liquidated at fire sale prices. Everything from typing desks to luxury executive desks, high quality file cabinets, and old style heavy metal desks.

Ralph
I own the next hot stock- VTSAX

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Post by anoop » Sat May 07, 9:41 am

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Luxury Living Room Coffee Table.

You could try steelcase.com. The local dealers offer much better rates than the online store. It might be at the border of your budget, but they do offer many different levels, so you will probably find something to fit your budget.