Looking to get a desk for your home office with a masculine style? We’ve done a round-up of the best office desks for men.
The Big Picture
What Does Masculine Mean?
In our full article on the masculine home office, we first define what masculinity means. The definition is:
“marked by or having qualities, features, etc. traditionally associated with men.”
Here are some basic principles, as far as I see them:
- Boldness (as opposed to timidness)
- Contrast (as opposed to washed out)
- Honesty (as opposed to facades)
- Authentic (as opposed to ripoffs)
- Timeless (as opposed to progressive)
- Violent (as opposed to safety)
- Rough (as opposed to smooth)
- Interest in things/engineering (as opposed to people)
Masculine Materials & Masculine Style
So with those principles in mind, here are some ideas to think about when it comes to applying that to an office or home office style:
- Materials
- Authentic: Solid wood, leather, cotton, wool, metal (iron, copper, brass, steel), glass, etc.
- Fake: Veneers, polyester, plastic, pleather, etc.
- Brands
- Authentic: Heritage, original/inventor brands, etc.
- Fake: Copycats, offshoring, corner-cutting, etc.
- Style
- Authentic: Productivity over flourishes (form follows function), traditional and timeless design, bare-bones, sharp-edged, rough, hard
- Fake: Unnecessarily complex, flourishes, safe and rounded, smooth, soft
- Colour
- Authentic: Boldness, dark, honest colours from the landscape
- Fake: Washed out, pastels, fluorescent colours, unnatural colours
- Location
- Authentic: Picking materials from your locale and culture
- Fake: Importing foreign marble, foreign woods, taking from a culture not your own, etc.
- Lighting
- Authentic: Incandescents, flame/fire (candles, kerosene lamps, fireplaces, etc.)
- Fake: LEDs, Fluorescent
Now, obviously, you may not agree with all of that. You’ve got your own sense of what you consider masculine. And on top of that, we need to counterbalance masculinity with being productive. A wooden chair might look more masculine than a plastic mesh one, but it ultimately impacts our ability to focus and get the work done.
Best Masculine Desks
Here are the top masculine-looking desks for office work that I found online.
Geiger Leatherwrap Sit-to-Stand Desk
I recommend sit-to-stand desks because they’re incredibly functional. Even if you don’t want to stand, they help you to get the perfect height which helps with comfort. But it’s clear that most sit-to-stand desks are hideous. This one is cleverly designed to look like a normal, modern desk. It has a hidden button to change the height. It comes with optional felt-lined drawers. Veneered walnut, leather, and a simple functional masculine design.
Artifox Walnut Office Desk
This office desk is solid walnut. Read that again. It is made in the USA and has functional additions such as hooks for your headphones, cable management, etc.
The Ergonomis Alive Sit-Stand Desk
This desk is made out of solid walnut. The planks are glued together, and the final piece is a live edge, making for a very unique look. It has the stereotypical sit-stand legs that are ultra-functional but a big ugly.
UPLIFT Solid Wood Standing Desk
The Uplift desks are functional and reasonably priced for what you get. Choose from a variety of different solid wood desks. Acacia, fir, walnut, mahogany, birch, etc. With black or gunmetal industrial legs, it has a decently masculine look.
Xdesk Vintage Sit-Stand Desk
Well, how masculine do you want your desk? This desk is made in USA, in Texas. It uses vintage genuine solid wood. It boasts to be the only solid steel frame for sit-stand desks. The steel is has a patina-applied so it looks industrial. It seems to have twice the lifting power as most of the other desks I’ve seen. When it’s not in stand mode, it looks like a normal desk, which is nice.
Eames 2500 Series Executive Desk
If you like mid-century design and enjoy the authentic trailblazers, the Eames duo released this in 1961. Steel legs, aluminum feet, and a wood veneer of your choice.
West Elm Mid-Century Desk
West Elm is always updating it’s stock, so you’ll have to check what’s new there. But they’ll often have some decently designed desks in the lower budget range. This one has in the mid-century style with filing cabinets built right in.
Budget Masculine Desks
Ikea Alex Desk In Bamboo & Black
A lot of the options we’ve covered are expensive. You can still get a masculine-looking desk that fits within a smaller budget. The Ikea Alex desk can be chosen to be a bamboo (veneer) with steel powder-coated legs in black. It’s particle board and probably won’t last too long, but it looks solid for under a few hundred bucks.
Ikea UTESPELARE Gaming desk
This desk is made out of particleboard, but that’s why it’s inexpensive. What I like about it is the black colour, the black powder coated steel legs and steel mesh at the back. You can adjust the height to perfectly fit you, which is essential for comfort. It has cord management, etc. Not bad for the price.
Ikea Idasen Desk
This ash-veneer over particle board keeps this desk looking nice while being relatively inexpensive. Some nice upgrades are the adjustable powder-coated steel legs, allowing you to get the height, just right. It has a nicely industrial and masculine design and color. It also has cable management built-in.
What Next?
What did you think? Any favourites? Are we missing any solid masculine desks that ought to be included? Drop a comment below.