Secretary desks have their design parentage in the 18th-century French escritoire or writing desk. Befittingly ornate and royal, the contemporary secretary is back in vogue as a multi-functional focal feature of a living room or a bedroom.
Choosing furniture with a rich, centuries-old legacy calls for an informed decision. It's a bit like buying art. Let us help you zero in on your type of secretary desk.
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Compact cabinet
It is for compact spaces, meant for multiple purposes by multiple persons. The design is compact yet feature-rich. This type is usually partially foldable. For example, the drop-down workspace would fold and become a cabinet-door when not in use. The top can sit a vase, personal memorabilia, and décor items. The drawer and shelf in the lower half can store adequate material of a 3-member family.
Is yours a small family living in a 900-1,000 square feet urban apartment, and need a desk-cabinet for common use? Look no further. Being mostly wood-finished, it will match softer wall shades from the yellow family. Green planters on the sides will accentuate the desk's dark finish.
Full-featured workplace
Versatile, elegant, and as hard-working as you, this secretary desk scales up to a comprehensive workspace. Adequate working space, file and stationery storage, shelves for personal things, drawers, and cabinets, it has got it all. Whether you are a busy executive who brings the office home or a work-from-home professional, this one is your veritable office space.
Match this workplace with formal, office-like décor. Landscape and still-life photo-frames, deep-thick carpet, and concealed lighting will create an appropriate ambiance.
Vintage storage cabinets
This type is reminiscent of the 18th century Chippendale and other furniture traditions. Standing on solid ornate legs and having multiple drawers in the lower and middle body, this cabinet is often monotone - in natural medium to dark finishes. Cherry, mahogany, or ebony are classic examples. The upper body often has a sloping drop-down cabinet with a narrow top that can sit a lampshade or a flower vase. Brass hardware is the signature feature of these vintage pieces.
At about 25"W x 15"L x 40"H, the size is versatile and adaptive. It can be an excellent accent piece in a large living room and bedroom, or morph into a primary cabinet for smaller homes. Either way, it will suit your needs and taste if vintage is your watchword while selecting furniture and décor items. Contemporary versions of midcentury ambiance are ideal matches.
Roll-top desks
Standing on carved legs, these desks have roll-top writing, computing, and working space at its center, with in-built shelves and drawers. The front profile has carved or inlaid forms and shapes.
This desk is an ideal combination of class and function. Made from combinations of wood and processed woods, this type will be a natural fit for wood-oriented interior décor. This includes wood-textured vinyl flooring and wood-framed paintings.
For all their popularity, some secretary desks fall short of comfort and ergonomics relevant to a seated working posture. Be mindful about:
Leg-room. Some secretary desks overlook this aspect totally, while some others consider it as subsidiary to physical charm. If you are going to be seated at your secretary desk for long, make sure that it sits you with straight legs (45° to torso). Also, choose a design with a footrest. This will help you work most efficiently without the fatigue factor.
If you are going to compute and write a lot on this desk, make sure that you have an unobstructed horizontal working space of at least 4' X 2 ¾'. Considering the average American height of 5'-9" (male) and 5'-4" (female), this will give optimum elbow room and working efficiency.
Modern working lifestyle has shifted most documentation, recording, and other administrative work to the computer. This means that we don't need much storage space in our working desk. Rather than many drawers and shelves, look for a design that provides space for a desktop scanner-printer or other workstation-related accessories.
