Corner desks for awkward corners

Why corners are worth it

OSHA's desk guidance makes a point that small-room dwellers know well: using a corner rather than a straight run of desk can give you extra space and depth. In a small room, the corner is often the only spot nobody uses: furniture cannot sit flush in it and doors swing past it. A corner desk turns that dead space into a work spot without blocking a wall you need for a bed, sofa or wardrobe.

Corner desks come in two basic shapes:

• Triangle (or pentagon) desks fit into the corner itself. They have a small footprint, but the usable surface is smaller than the measurements suggest, because the back of the desk tapers to a point.
• L-shaped desks run along both walls. They give far more surface, but need at least 40 to 50 inches of wall on each side, which most small rooms cannot spare.

This guide focuses on triangle and compact corner desks. We have not used these desks ourselves. Specifications come from retailer listings and from Bustle's corner desk roundup, linked at the end; listings change, so check the current one before you buy.

Quick comparison

Best all-rounder: ODK Triangle Corner Computer Desk

The ODK desk measures 28.34 inches along each wall in Wayfair's listing, stands just under 30 inches high, and is rated for 220 pounds. Its main advantage over smaller corner desks is a sliding keyboard tray: the keyboard and mouse live on the tray, so the triangular top is free for a laptop on a stand or a small monitor. Bustle, which included it in its 2022 corner desk roundup, liked the tray and the small footprint but noted there is only one small storage shelf.

Smallest option: FURINNO Turn-N-Tube Corner Desk

FURINNO's corner desk is the smallest here: Bustle lists it at 22.5 inches along each side and 28.5 inches high, and it assembles without tools. The catch, as Bustle points out, is that the shelves under the top leave little room for your knees and feet. It suits occasional laptop work, a home-admin corner for paying bills, or a child's homework spot, rather than all-day work.

With shelves, or on the wall: Manhattan Comfort Bradley

The Bradley is the most furniture-like option here. It has an overhead shelf, a sliding keyboard shelf and two cable grommets, and its legs can be left off so it hangs on the wall as a floating desk. That flexibility helps in a room where you may move the desk later. The retailer listing we checked gives conflicting widths (36.66 and 43.98 inches), so confirm the measurement before ordering. We cover wall-mounting in more depth in wall-mounted vs fold-down desks.

How to measure a corner

Corner desks are listed in confusing ways. Some give the length of each side along the wall; others give overall width and depth; a few give the distance from the front edge to the back corner. Measure your corner three ways and compare like with like:

1. Along each wall from the corner to the first obstacle: a door frame, radiator, window, outlet or skirting heater. A triangle desk needs that much wall on both sides.
2. The diagonal: from the corner straight out into the room to where your chair will be. This tells you how far the desk plus your chair will reach.
3. Height to the window sill or any shelf above, if the corner has one.

Check knee room

Triangle desks often hide shelves or a support panel under the top. OSHA's workstation guidance says the space under the desktop should generally be 20 to 28 inches high and kept free of storage, and its work space guidance gives minimum legroom of 20 inches wide, 17 inches deep at knee level and 24 inches deep at foot level. Check the listing photos for what sits under the desk, and look for a published knee-clearance figure. If none is given, ask the seller. A desk you have to sit sideways at will not be comfortable for long.

Check the usable surface

On a triangle desk, the back half of the top narrows into the corner. A laptop fits well in the middle; a monitor usually ends up pushed into the corner, which can put it too far away and too low. Raising it on a small stand or using a monitor arm on a sturdy desk brings it closer to the right height and distance; see how far your monitor should be.

Getting the most from a corner desk

• Light the corner. Corners are the darkest part of most rooms, and your body blocks the main ceiling light. A clamp lamp or a light bar on the monitor helps; see desk lamps for small desks.
• Use the walls. The two walls above a corner desk are perfect for shelves or a pegboard; see vertical storage above a small desk.
• Run cables along the wall. Corners make cable management easy: tape or clip cords along the skirting to the nearest outlet rather than across the floor.
• Mind the chair. A chair with a large base can bump both walls. Our compact office chairs guide covers chairs with smaller footprints.

Triangle or small L-shape?

Mistakes to avoid

• Measuring only the floor. Window sills, radiators and outlets on either wall often decide what fits; measure along both walls at desk height, not just at the floor.
• Forgetting the door swing. A desk near the corner by a door can block it from opening fully. Open the door all the way before you measure.

Frequently asked questions

Will a corner desk fit a corner that is not square? Older homes often have corners that are not exactly 90 degrees, and skirting boards push the desk out slightly. Leave a little room and check the desk's back edges in the photos; desks with legs set in from the corner cope better.

Are corner desks stable? A triangle desk has its legs close together at the back, so it can wobble if loaded at the front edge. Keep heavy items toward the middle and check the published load. If a desk does wobble, our guide to fixing a wobbly desk walks through the usual fixes.

Can I put a corner desk in a closet? If the closet corner is wide enough, yes; but a straight desk usually uses a closet better. See turning a closet into an office.

Which one should you get?