The best L-shaped desks are perfect for maximizing your floor space while still providing enough room for multiple screens and other essentials. And unlike traditional desks, the L-shaped angle creates room to stow an office chair. Many designs, like the Sauder Cottage Road Desk, offer built-in storage options and cord management systems to keep your work area organized and clutter-free. Our overall favorite, the Pottery Barn Cayman L-Shaped Swivel Desk, stands out for its minimalist classic style and modular design, but there are several other options on this list that are suitable for any kind of home office.
The best L-shaped desks (like those from Pottery Pacific) offer more workspace than more traditional options.
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According to Keren Richter, co-founder and design principal at New York-based design firm White Arrow, L-shaped desks are a great choice for people who need to multitask. “These desks are great for providing an additional work surface to spread out materials next to your laptop or monitor,” Richter explains. Plus, they're easier to fit into a corner than a rectangular desk, making them a great choice for small rooms. Audrey Scheck, founder and principal designer at Austin, Texas-based design firm Audrey Scheck Design, says these desks maximize your workspace without taking up too much real estate.
When choosing an L-shaped desk, it's important to consider the size of your room, your preferred placement (left or right), and your budget. There's a lot to consider, from customizable parts to design details and basic considerations like the materials used. We've rounded up the best L-shaped desks in several categories so you can place all the home office accessories you need to maximize your productivity. Then we encourage you to check out our favorite office chairs from Vettet editors to complete your ideal workspace.
Most Popular
Dimensions: 50 x 20 x 30 inches | Material: Mango wood | Weight: 95 lbs | Features: Swivel, adjustable lever
Most L-shaped desks are fixed in design, with the L-shape aligned to the right or left. However, the Pottery Barn Cayman L-Shaped Desk has a unique feature: it can be rotated to any shape you want, allowing you to customize your layout to fit your specific needs and workspace configuration. Plus, its sturdy, kiln-dried mango wood frame makes it durable, as it resists warping and cracking over time. Another great feature? The swivel portion conveniently stows underneath the desk for a more compact, traditional shape, which is especially useful in tight spaces.
Dimensions: 70.9 x 17.7 x 30 inches | Material: Pine | Weight: 136.7 lbs | Features: Soft-close drawers, file cabinet
Drawers are an essential feature for anyone who values an organized work surface. The Sophia Desk from Joss & Main is a solid choice, with four drawers and two file cabinets providing ample storage options. The soft-close drawers mean you won't have to worry about annoying noises when searching for a pen during an important call or meeting. Plus, it's built to stand the test of time, thanks to its sturdy pine construction that can withstand up to 440 pounds of weight.
Dimensions: 65.1 x 29.8 x 65.1 inches | Material: Composite wood | Weight: 196.4 pounds | Features: Cord management, drawers, open shelves
If you want to keep your desk neat and tidy, a reliable cord management system that keeps unsightly cables out of sight is important. The Sauder Cottage Road desk offers a convenient solution with a grommet hole in the center of the desk that's specially designed to manage computer cords and wires. Another handy feature? Two file cabinets, two closed drawers and two open shelves to store and organize all your essentials. The desk has a contrasting white frame and wooden top with a finished back and can be tucked into a corner or allowed to stand on its own.
Dimensions: 78 x 64 x 30 inches | Material: Poplar and composite wood | Weight: 191 pounds | Features: Swivel, adjustable lever, 4 open shelves
If you're limited on space and want to maximize functionality, Pottery Barn's Pacific L-Shaped Swivel Desk is a clever solution. Its swivel feature allows it to easily transform into an L-shaped desk or open shelf to suit your specific needs. The deep shelves provide plenty of space for a variety of items, and it's made from sturdy poplar wood for overall durability. Plus, all sides are finished, so you can place the desk just about anywhere. It also comes with an adjustable lever for stability and balance, which is especially useful if your floor is uneven.
Sustainable
Dimensions: 70 x 29.5 x 66 inches | Material: Eucalyptus | Weight: 161 lbs | Features: Open shelves, sliding cabinet doors
Midcentury modern design enthusiasts will love this stylish and functional desk from West Elm. Made from FSC-certified, kiln-dried eucalyptus wood, this sustainably produced desk features an acacia veneer that adds an appealing visual texture to your work. When it comes to storage, two sliding-door cabinets offer plenty of space to keep clutter tucked away out of sight, while two open shelves beautifully display books and knick-knacks. A nice bonus: the configuration is reversible, so you can swap the open shelf for whichever side you prefer.
Dimensions: 55.1 x 29.9 x 46.9 inches | Material: Synthetic wood | Weight: 111.3 lbs | Features: Open shelves, cabinets
Measuring just over 55 inches wide, the L-shaped East Urban Home Desk is a great option for small spaces. But don't let its small size fool you; the Home Desk has plenty of storage space. Open shelves offer a place for plants or books, while drawers and closed cabinets store items you don't want out. The desk has a finished back, so you can place it in a corner or in the middle of a room. Plus, it can be assembled as a left- or right-sided desk.
Dimensions: 63 x 29.5 x 47.2 inches | Materials: Metal, composite wood | Weight: 40.1 lbs | Features: Adjustable foot pad, monitor stand
This gaming table from Mr. Ironside offers a generous 63 inches of desktop space and can accommodate up to three monitors. It also comes with a dedicated monitor stand, giving you room for an additional monitor or laptop. The powder-coated steel frame can withstand up to 500 pounds, and the curved backrest makes it easy to move from screen to screen without hitting your feet. Plus, the desk's foot pads are adjustable to provide stability even on uneven floors.
Dimensions: 47 x 29.5 x 35.4 inches | Materials: Composite wood, metal | Weight: 41 lbs | Features: Open shelving
If you haven't yet browsed Amazon's selection of computer desks for a functional, affordable option, here it is to save you the trouble. The GreenForest L-Shaped Desk is an amazing value at just $120. At just 47 inches wide, it's no wonder it received top ratings (average 4.6-star rating) for compatibility with small spaces. Though it's relatively small, it packs in plenty of storage space and functionality. The large workspace can easily accommodate up to three screens, and the two open shelves (which can be left- or right-aligned when assembled) provide plenty of room to store your essentials. It's available in five different colors, including a chic marble-and-gold look or an understated all-gray finish. (Noteworthy: This desk is also available in medium and large sizes.)
Dimensions: 55 x 35.4 x 29 inches | Materials: Composite wood, stainless steel | Weight: 40 lbs | Features: Open shelves, adjustable foot pads, movable shelves
The Fortunato Desk from 17 Stories is a solid choice for anyone looking for a stylish yet practical L-shaped desk for under $150. It features two open shelves so you can store items out of immediate sight, and you can mount the shelving unit on either the left or right side of the desk, depending on your workspace. Plus, the center shelf can be moved between three different heights for even more storage customization.
The desk features a faux wood top (available in seven finishes) and a stainless steel base for an overall sleek, modern look, plus two X-shaped metal bars for added strength and adjustable foot pads for added stability.
Dimensions: 71 x 29 x 71.7 inches | Material: Engineered Wood | Weight: 200 lbs | Features: Lift Top, with Drawer
L-shaped desks don't typically double as standing desks, which is why I was happy to see that the Bush Industries Somerset Desk comes with a lift-top feature. You can choose from three heights – 35, 38, or 41 inches – to make it a standing desk, or you can make the lift-top flush with the rest of the desk for a more traditional setup. What's more, you can even attach the lift-top sections to either side of the desk to create a configuration that works for you. This desk also comes with a cable management system and two drawers to help you stay organized, and the back is finished so you can place it wherever works best for you.
Why Trust Forbes Vetted
As a team of fully remote writers and editors, we at Forbes Vetted know firsthand how important it is to find the perfect desk setup for your work style. Based on hours of in-depth research, expert interviews, and product testing, we've published numerous best-of lists and product reviews of essential home office furniture, gadgets, and accessories, including roundups of the best under-desk treadmills, office chairs that relieve back pain, and desk lamps to spruce up your workspace.
For this article on the best L-shaped desks, we consulted two design experts: Keren Richter, co-founder and design principal at White Arrow, an architectural design firm based in New York City, and Audrey Scheck, founder and principal designer at Audrey Scheck Design, a full-service interior design firm based in Austin, Texas. We update this story regularly to ensure our featured products are always in stock and in line with market trends. This story was last updated in August 2023.
How to Choose the Best L-Shaped Desk
To pick the best L-shaped desks, we asked two design experts for their thoughts on the important features to consider when shopping for an L-shaped desk, as well as which materials and sizes to prioritize. We looked at bestseller lists from a variety of retailers (from Pottery Barn to Amazon) to get a sense of what's popular among different shoppers. From there, we narrowed down our top picks based on factors like the type and quality of materials used, configuration options, storage capacity, versatility, aesthetics, useful extra features (like cable management and adjustable foot pads), and the quality of user reviews. We only considered products with an average star rating of 4 stars or higher.