The array of designs and styles available today could be confusing. You could end up selecting the wrong type of executive desk if you get carried away by the grandiose of some or the looks and charm of others.
It will be astute to go by your personal preference and personality type, your nature of work, and also the type of visitors and guests you will receive. It's no point choosing a vintage desk if you are under-30 and leading a tech team, right? So, here goes. Choose the type that is closest to yourself and your needs.
Ornate
These executive desks are for the accomplished and distinguished whose furniture reflect their stature. State functionaries, royalties, presidents, CEOs, corporate honchos… if you are part of this elite league and would like to be subtle yet emphatic about your authority, ornate executive desks will do the job for you.
More decorative than functional, these solid-looking, heavy desks are meant for photo opportunities rather than working for long hours. They often have elaborate carvings, inlay work, sophisticated motifs, and fancy accessories such as carved handles or knobs to go with the main body.
Material? Expensive wood such as mahogany or Ebony, priced between $10 and $35 per square foot. If this is not your style, then jump to the more democratic options!
Molded
These are functionally fit, mid-range pieces of executive desks belonging to the democratic options mentioned above.
These office desks could be of molded plastic or veneer. The manufacturing process is similar for both materials, wherein molten plastic or veneer is poured in the mold and then extruded from it when it has settled and formed. Thus, you get a "pre-fabricated" desk as per the form, design, and shape of the mold.
Although the price of these desks is affordable, they are in no way lesser beauties. You can come across any number of attractive designs with intricate patterns in the molded executive desks range.
Functionally too, they are the equals of other types. And what about their strength and durability? To give you a clue, surfboards are made with the same molding technology and from the same plastics. Need we say more?
Modern Angular
Angles are back with a bang. In their contemporary avatar, they find favor with a wide range of furniture, executive desks included. They have an unconventional look-and-feel, with angular legs, drawers, shelves, pedestals, and other surfaces either projecting, recessing, or deflecting from the desk's primary profile.
Along with angularity, irregularity of surfaces and profiles are also a characteristic of these desks. You may encounter a design not having a flat top but having two or multiple surfaces, or it would not be a rectangular top but oddly shaped. The same may be true for the visitor-end covering. The drawers too may open to reveal the angled body, or the legs may rest at an angle.
They are made for you if you are a creative professional, a literary figure, journalist, a travel blogger, or some other parallel profession. Whatever your work be, make sure that modern angular executive desks don't compromise on functionality and stability in their zeal to be "different."
Corner Desks
Contemporary in styling, corner executive desks are often part of tech offices. They have a triangular work surface running across the lengths of the two intersecting walls. Note that nothing is rectangular about these desks, not even the drawers. They are made with the considerations of smart space utilization and optical comfort while spending prolonged time in front of computer screens.
You can categorize corner desks as computer-based workstations. Hence, they are worth considering if you belong to tech or IT professions. Sitting at a corner desk, you would be facing the walls and be secluded from the other high-density areas of the office. This may help you to concentrate better, with lesser distractions from the surroundings.
L-shaped
This is a variant of the corner desk; only, they form an L shape and not a triangle for the working surface. You essentially need the intersection of two walls to work from an L-shaped table. So yes, it offers the above-mentioned advantages of better concentration and focus on work. Among added benefits, you could better distribute the working and storage surfaces since you have a longer top. Also, you could have a good spread of personal and décor items on these desks.
L-shaped executive desks offer wider usage than corner tables - you can be an architect or a software engineer, and still work efficiently from these desks.