Shopping Edit: 13 of the best wooden desks

Searching for a gorgeous wooden desk to emanate a sophisticated yet motivational vibe in your home? If you're fed up with doing all of your life admin or home working at the dining table or on the sofa, then it's time to sort out a smart new workstation by investing in a dedicated desk.  And we are here to help you nail this purchase.

Just because a desk is serviceable doesn't mean it can't be beautiful. In fact, some of the best designs that are winning our vote right now are wooden desks – they're warm, natural and full of character.

By wooden, we mean materials that range from solid oak and rich walnut to reclaimed timber and driftwood, with styles running the gamut from mid-century shapes to slick modern forms or those that are combined with heavy metals for a sleek yet sturdy appearance. Need we say any more?

Whatever the taste or style of your home, there's plenty in our edit of the best wooden desks, to suit your study or work zone. Keep scrolling for all of the inspiration you need to spruce up your home office or dedicated work area this month. 

Visit our best desks shopping edit for more pretty picks, from marble desks to metal desks plus more. Don't miss our home office ideas page where you'll find plenty of design inspiration for when it comes to decorating this space.

The best wooden desks – as picked by the Livingetc team

1.

(Image credit: MADE.com)

MADE.com Edelweiss desk

This space-saving design has a sleek mid-century look that would suit many modern homes. It boasts one drawer and two cubby holes to carry your clutter and help keep your desk top tidy, while it sits on angled legs. It's made entirely of traceable, engineered wood and from a blend of oak veneer and rubberwood. Choose from a white or black finish.

£279 at Made

2.

(Image credit: Habitat)

Habitat Max Oak Desk with 1 Drawer

Choose this understated yet masterful Habitat desk for a boho-style or scandi home. With a drawer and a cupboard for storage purposes, there's enough space within this desk for a small printer, your myriad of notebooks plus a little more, all to be hidden away. It's created from an oak and oak veneer mix with an oiled finish, while this characterful desk is practically made for bright and airy spaces. In the background, there's cable management to keep things tidy, while it's hard to miss its unique chamfered-edge front. We love!

£195 from Habitat

3.

(Image credit: Garden Trading)

Clockhouse Desk Tray Table by Garden Trading

Create an ad-hoc working space within your home with the Clockhouse Desk Tray Table by Garden Trading. Although small, this portable desk has ample space for all your working-from-home needs. Owning a small desk may even help to keep things tidy by physically limiting how much stuff you can hoard on it – not a bad thing when you're juggling work with a busy home-life. Crafted from oak and beech, this table is as sturdy as it is practical. 

£180 at Cuckooland

4.

IKEA LISABO Desk

A bit of a bargain, this desk has its own unique character due to the distinctive grain pattern. The surface in ash veneer and legs in solid birch give a warm, natural feeling to your room. Plus it's spacious enough to sprawl your documents out, and it has a drawer for storage purposes. What's not to love?

£129 at IKEA

5.

(Image credit: Dunelm)

Dunelm Franco Desk

This handsome desk is, believe it or not, from Dunelm. Boasting a retro yet undeniably modern vibe, it oozes style since it's bang on-trend right now. It even has a black wooden frame and two teeny (yet indisputably handy) rattan drawers for holding anything from your pen collection to various knick-knacks. Complete with gold-effect handles for a sophisticated yet charming appearance, it will be sure to stand striking inside any home office.

£169 at Dunelm

6.

(Image credit: Swoon)

Swoon Pembridge Folding Desk

If space is at a premium to you – especially in your cosy home office – then why not opt for a space-savvy folding desk? This one from Swoon Editions is our favourite since it's the epitome of function and form. It's made of stunning Acacia wood and will need to be wall-mounted to use. Inside it's a stunning deep green colour, and there are cubby holes for storing clutter. Look out for the cable management features, too. Boasting a minimalist look all in all, especially with help from its conical brass handle that sits neatly once folded, waiting for you to give it a tug. Simply fold it down when you're ready to open your laptop.

£229 at Swoon

• Find more recommendations when it comes to small desks in our shopping edit

7.

(Image credit: Made)

Leonie Compact Desk

Designed in collaboration with Smith Matthias, the Leonie Compact Desk has a Mid Century aesthetic made popular in the 1960s and 1970s. If you like Mid Century modern design, take your office to the next level with a thoughtful design such as this one. Where do we begin when discussing the benefits of this desk? There are storage compartments, an extending table top as well as a handy inconspicuous drawer at the front. 

£249 at Made.com

8.

(Image credit: Ligne Roset)

Ligne Roset Roll Desk

The Roll Desk was designed by Mario Ferrarini. It's compact in size and fluid in style. The tabletop has been expertly crafted using a walnut veneer with natural varnish and the steel base has a black-lacquered finish. This is a truly multifunctional piece that can be used as a desk, dressing table or hallway console – it will look elegant in any situation. 

£810 at Heal's

9.

Den Desk

Reclaimed timber and a gunmetal frame bring a lovingly worn texture to this rustic style desk. It's nice and spacious with one big drawer and two shelves for storage, while it works well in a corner or in the centre of a room. It's made of solid reclaimed fir wood that has been recovered from old buildings. We love!

£695 at Loaf

10.

Tom Dixon Slab Desk

Inspired by the archetypical Victorian school desk, this stylish workstation is equally comfortable as a desk or a dressing table. Made from solid Oak, with softly rounded edges and understated proportions, the traditional inkwell is transformed into a cable hole and a deeply machined groove for pens and accessories.

£1,600 at Tom Dixon

11.

(Image credit: Case Furniture/Matthew Hilton)

Matthew Hilton for Case Furniture Brockwell Desk

If you are a big fan of The Conran Shop, then you will love this desk made for Case Furniture by Matthew Hilton. Boasting an understated yet elegant design in your choice of oak or walnut, it's a simple fix for a home office. With a veneered desktop, this expertly crafted desk sits on slim, angled legs for an unobtrusive look. A robust powder-coated steel border that's wrapped around this desk keeps your items in place, while it provides a small amount of privacy and a little bit of closure from the rest of the room. This also means you can use it in an open-plan space. Cable management is hidden in the back, but bear in mind that it's drawer-less! 

£585 at The Conran Shop

12.

(Image credit: Swoon)

Swoon Watts Corner Desk

If you're eyeing up one corner of your home that you'd like to be inhabited by a desk, then buy this one from Swoon for the perfect fit. It's created for corners with its uniquely shaped top and three legs. With a mid-century and slightly scandi style look, it's as pretty as it is practical. Especially since it boasts spacious drawers plus two handy compartments. 

£349 at Swoon

13.

(Image credit: Habitat)

Jessie Walnut Ladder Desk

A leaning ladder desk is a revolutionary buy for a home working area in which floor space is premium. The Jessie Walnut Ladder Desk is slim in design with two shelves for storage, plus you can tuck a desk chair underneath to save even more space. This one from Habitat comes in your choice of a walnut or oak finish, and it's a total bargain. Use the shelves above the desk space for displaying your favourite reading material, or as a place for your plants to live.

£85 at Habitat

• Need a new chair to go hand-in-hand with your new desk? Visit our best office chairs shopping edit to see our suggestions

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Where to buy a wooden desk?

Searching for more wooden desks to browse? No problem. Click through to shop tonnes of wooden desks from a range of our favourite retailers.

• Shop John Lewis wooden desks
• Shop Argos wooden desks
• Shop Made.com wooden desks
• Shop La Redoute wooden desks
• Shop Swoon Editions wooden desks