Best Desks of 2023

Office furniture design trends change every year and with that we have seen some seemingly unstoppable products of 2022 be replaced by the new front-runners of 2023. The average full-time office worker spends over 2,000 hours at their desk every year, so having the most functional and practical desk in your office is a must. With so many options, consumers sometimes have a hard time finding the best desk. While we do our best everyday to steer these customers to the best options, at first it can all be very overwhelming. That is one reason why we released our software-based suggestion tool, the "Desk Advisor" earlier this year and why we are detailing the best options of 2023 in this blog!

Without further adieu, the best desks of 2023!

Best Desk Overall

The top-rated "best desk" of 2023 is the convenient height adjustable executive desk by Storlie. This desk features a U shaped workspace that provides the end use with ample workspace and storage options that help to keep the office space free of clutter.

This desk has a number of customizations that you can apply including bridge size, finish and storage options. Available in your choice of finish including Aspen, Espresso, Modern Walnut, Newport Gray and Cherry to insure that the desk matches existing decor. Five drawer options are available with this desk including Hanging Pedestal, 2 Drawer Filing Pedestal, 3 Drawer Pedestal, Combo Lateral Drawers or Lateral Filing Drawers. With so many options and a sleek hutch with frosted glass doors and metal accents, it's no surprise that this desk topped the charts at Madison Liquidators for 2023!

The height adjustable mechanism of this is fully programmable so you can set it and forget it! When you are ready to stand, just hit the button for your stored standing height setting. Ready to sit back down? Again, press the button with your stored setting. Sharing this desk with a significant other or co-worker? No problem, one additional height preset is available to lock in the standing height of the second person.

All in all, this an excellent desk that I would recommend to any of our customers! Not only is this the best overall desk for 2023 but is also one of the best standing desks we have to offer!

Best L Shaped Desk

The best L shaped desk for 2023 wins this category by a long-shot. While there were other great selling L shaped desks in our lineup, none came close to the phenomena that is the Commerce series desk with drawers by Boss Office Products.

Constructed with durable laminate components and sporting a classic mahogany finish, the L shape desk came in at a price-point that consumers loved. So much so that the desk went on back-order during the second quarter of this year. The mahogany L shape desk has cable management holes to help keep the inevitable cords and cables that run to the desktop out of sight.

The pictured desk also features a set of locking drawers which are connected to the return. These drawers can be purchased as needed and as according to the needs of your space. Pencil drawer, keyboard tray and power outlets round out frequently installed accessory components that pair perfected with this l shape desk setup.

The desktop provides huge range and is enough to fit multiple monitors or just a laptop and a couple of houseplants as it is pictured.

What brought this L desk to the top? Two words, great value. The value and affordability this desk offers has made this a staple in the work from home essentials toolkit. I have seen countless customers install this as a home office desk.

Best Standing Desk

Standing at your desk has been all the rage over the past few years and there are numerous health benefits to get up and standing at your desk. This desk, has not however been selected as the "best standing desk" of 2023 for it's ability to move up and down. On the contrary, this desk is a fixed-height standing desk that can function as a landing pad which can be conveniently placed around the office or around the house.

The standing desk that I have selected this year is produced by Storlie and affords you the option to choose the size and finish of your worksurface. Additionally you purchase it with fixed metal legs or add a 3 drawer locking pedestal with a paper tray that provides space for paperwork and notebooks which you might frequently access.

How much do I like these desks? In our computer lab I installed 6 of them, my own office has one of them, in our unfinished basement storage and mechanicals room I added one for a convenient place to set things and projects I am working on. That's 8 standing desks so far and I'm not done! Finally in our Middleton showroom I am installing 2 more to provide easy access to customers who want to browse our website while shopping in the store. I purchased 10 of these for myself, what sort of things could you do with a standing desk?

The standing desk from Storlie is an extremely versatile piece of office furniture. For the sake of proper ergonomics, probably not something you want to work at all day but as a landing pad, these desks are amazing and something that we will be making more prevalent on our website for 2024!

Best Reception Desk

The best reception desk for 2023 is a new two-tone modern design by Storlie. The desk configured as shown is in an L shape and provides enough room for a receptionist to meet and greet customers and clients who visit your business. If floor space is limited a great space saving option is to remove the return from the desk and provide a rectangular shaped desk for the receptionist.

Ample storage space is achieved by adding and removing pedestal drawers as needed. Extra storage can go a long way to keep the area neat and organized. An inexpensive pencil drawer can provide easy access to office supplies a receptionist will frequently need.

The contrasting white transaction counter can be purchased with your choice of base color including Cherry, Espresso, Newport Gray, Aspen and Modern Walnut (as pictured), giving the interior designer adequate choices to insure the right first impression is always made.

Best Executive Desk

The best executive desk of 2023 is a former winner in this category which features a timeless bold look which exudes authority. The U shaped executive desk from Harmony Collection provides a large work surface to encourage a productive workspace. This large desk not only provides a bold statement in the business, it can also be installed as a home office desk where quality and functionality are second to none.

The modern walnut finish mimics a solid wood finish however this desk can be obtained at a fraction of the price, a fraction of the weight and similar durability to it's solid wood counterpart. This desk provides a large workspace with ample room for multiple screens, paperwork and a laptop where other desks has smaller spaces and likely not enough room for all of these items.

Best Gaming Desk

The best gaming desk of 2023 is a new addition to Madison Liquidators. DesignLab by Office Star Products features solid aluminum and steel construction, LED lights and USB ports for easy charging.

The L shaped gaming desk features solid construction, built in grommets for cable management, a raised monitor shelf to help reduce neck strain and a small storage space for papers or other belongings.

Best Home Office Desk

Our top pick for the best home office desk of 2023 is this PL Laminate series by Harmony Collection. The desk features an elegant design and unlike many alternatives in this category, is build rock solid and won't fall over when you look at it wrong.

The home office desk is fully modular and can be purchased with your choice of side desk shell and return. A tackboard is affixed to the hutch and built in drawer are affixed to the main desk. While the drawers are completely optional, purchasing a desk without drawers can be problematic and lead to a cluttered workspace! Along with the desk a personal storage cabinet is included where you can keep a sweatshirt for those colder days. To the left of the wardrobe cabinet is additional storage in the way of double file drawers and upper storage array where you can put any number of different items.

A great choice for the home office and business! Available with plastic or metal grommet hole as needed.

Best Writing Desk

Finding a good writing desk is a must for many people. In this day in age though, could almost be renamed to a laptop desk. These small desks offer minimal storage and a basic workspace. The Elements series by Harmony Collection offers quality construction, metal legs and a locking metal mobile pedestal drawer.

While most desks could work as a writing desk, we feel that small size and simplicity lend well to writing desks. We're talking about providing only the basics when it comes to this style desk and the Elements desk offers all that and more. This is truly a top shelf desk when compared to others of similar price but of lesser value. It can fit well into small spaces to save space however still has enough room for two monitors. Adjustable feet insure the desktop will remain level at all time, nobody wants their pencil to roll off the desk!

Enough space for writing and a durable engineered wood makes this one of the best desks of 2023 which lends well in the home office or business.

Best Height Adjustable Desk

The Apollo desk by The Agility Company is our #1 choice for sit stand desks in 2023. While this wasn't a best seller, we believe the options it provides and affordable price-point will make this the best seller of 2024! We can check back in a year and see if my prediction is right. Since we just set one of these up in the shop, I am going to go check it out and return with my thoughts.

The work surface this desk provides is a higher end laminate which is a type of engineered wood however it is extremely durable and lightweight compared to solid wood. The consumer electronics component portion of this desk is what is expected with any programmable adjustable height desk. Four electric height adjustment settings can be entered along with manual calibration to get the perfect setting for your situation.

Quality desks like this are few and far between. If you are considering a height adjustable desk, this is one of the best desks you can find at this price point. This standing desk can work as a standard office desk, computer desk, writing desk or even a home office desk. An incredibly practical solution and guaranteed to be a best seller for next year!

Best Tempered Glass Desktop

If you are looking for a desk with a glass desktop, look no further. The Potenza Executive series desk by Corp Design makes a bold impression in the home office or business. Where other glass desks will look flimsy and like they might fall apart, this desk is built like a tank and can serve you in style for many years without worry.

While this corner desk can serve as a computer desk with ample room for a computer monitor or two, the floating desk design featured in the main work surface will make a huge impression with anyone meeting with you in your office. A side drawer component can be added under the return which provides two drawers and also acts as a bottom shelf for papers which might normally make their way to their desktop.

We had several of these in our Middleton Wisconsin showroom over the course of 2023. They always made the biggest impression in the showroom out of any desk and never lasted long on the floor. While it comes at a higher price-point, the look, style and functionality of the desk are stellar to say the least.

Without a doubt, this is one of the best desks of 2023 and is likely to carry that tradition into 2024.

Best Keyboard Tray (Bonus)

While, this is a post about the best desks I thought it appropriate to feature some of the best desk accessories for 2023 as well. I just finished up giving the AA903 a once over. Had the slides and wrist pad mounded to the keyboard tray in about 10 minutes. I should note that there is rubber installed on the tray to keep the keyboard from sliding and a mouse pad already affixed. The drawer slides are smooth and I feel like this is a great addition to any desk!

Best Cord Management Solution (Bonus)

This is another I put on order right after I started this blog. Another item I wanted to see in person. I have seen so many items we offer, but not everything! The Deluxe Wire Management Trough by ESI is the perfect size to run spans of cables below your desks work surface. One side of the trough has double sided adhesive on it so all you need to do is peel the thin masking off and press it onto the under side of your desktop.

The trough comes in a two-pack which is perfect for running cables down the entire length of the desk or in smaller runs. There are divets every 1/3 of the trough that allow you to run cables and cords out and into the trough. An inexpensive add to any desk that will save you from the mess of cables that can take over the underside of your desk.

Best Monitor Arm (Bonus)

Monitor arms can be affixed to desks either with a secure edge clamp or grommet clamp and this is monitor arm is no different. Practical and affordable, you can secure two monitors to this pneumatic monitor arm and save valuable space on the desks work surface.

Best Triple Monitor Arm (Bonus)

I recently had the please of mounting this monitor arm solution to my very own height adjustable sit stand desk and let me tell you something. I have owned and installed countless monitor arms onto customer desks and the Sena EX3-FMS by ESI is bar-none the nicest monitor arm I have ever used.

Monitor arms are not all created equal and the Sena EX3-FMS proves that. The left right sliders on the left and right monitors give you a practical way to adjust your monitors and close all gaps.

Best Office Chair (Bonus)

The best office chair of 2023 is one that we saw sell like water in our Middleton Wisconsin showroom. The Smarti-EL by Beniia came in at an aggressive price point and provided features that chairs in a higher price range boasted. While, it can sometimes be difficult to buy an chair online, this is one you could buy for your entire business and receive rave reviews from your entire staff. Order one and let us know what you think!

Closing

2023 was an exciting year for office furniture. We have seen trends come and go and are very excited about what is to come in 2024. There are new designs on the way and we can't wait to share them with you as they become available!

Huge thanks to all of our customers for shopping with us over the last 8 years! We look forward to continue serving you now and into the future.