What size desk should you choose for a bedroom or a living room?
By Nassim Hasni, publisher of DecoScale · published
A working desk is 122 to 183 cm wide, 61 to 76 cm deep and 71 to 76 cm tall, according to the seller Autonomous. Add 61 to 91 cm behind the chair. DecoScale neither chooses nor places a desk: this page gives the sizes, and says what it does not do.
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What size desk for each use?
Width depends on what you spread out. The desk seller Autonomous gives a working desk a width of 122 to 183 cm, and breaks it down by use: 91 to 122 cm for a laptop alone, 122 to 152 cm for general work, 152 to 183 cm for several screens or several tasks. A 102 cm desk (40 inches) holds a laptop, but gets tight once you add a monitor and notes.
| Use | Width of the desk (cm) |
|---|---|
| Laptop only | 91 to 122 |
| General work | 122 to 152 |
| Several screens or tasks | 152 to 183 |
Autonomous: inches converted to cm. Page read on 6 October 2026, not checked by DecoScale.
These sizes are a seller's, read on its page on 6 October 2026; they are not a standard, and DecoScale does not check them.
What depth and what height?
Depth sets the distance of the screen: 61 cm for a laptop or a small monitor, 76 cm for one or more full-size monitors, which then sit about an arm's length away. Under 20 inches of depth, that is 51 cm, screens crowd your eyes, according to the same source. The usual height is 71 to 76 cm: the height at which elbows fall at a right angle. Outside it, a fixed-height desk makes you hunch or raise the chair.
How much room to leave around a desk?
61 to 91 cm behind the chair, according to Autonomous: enough to push back and stand up. Also check that drawers and doors open. A desk is not measured alone: its footprint is the top, the chair and that clearance. The source does not give the depth of the chair: the chart counts the top and the clearance strip, for four common desks, with their share of the floor of a 9 m² bedroom. The chair comes on top: it is a minimum.
| Desk, width × depth (cm) | Top + clearance, chair not counted (cm) | Floor area, at least (m²) | Share of a 9 m² bedroom, at least |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 × 50 | 111 to 141 | 1.11 to 1.41 | 12 to 16% |
| 120 × 60 | 121 to 151 | 1.45 to 1.81 | 16 to 20% |
| 140 × 70 | 131 to 161 | 1.83 to 2.25 | 20 to 25% |
| 160 × 76 | 137 to 167 | 2.19 to 2.67 | 24 to 30% |
Top × (depth + clearance of 61 to 91 cm behind the chair, Autonomous, 24 to 36 inches); the chair is not counted. Example desks, not checked.
What desk for a small bedroom?
A writing desk or a compact desk. The source gives 76 to 152 cm wide and 46 to 61 cm deep for the first; 91 to 122 cm wide and 46 to 61 cm deep for the second, which it intends for apartments and student rooms. That is enough for a laptop, not for two screens.
Does DecoScale choose a desk?
No. None of DecoScale's functions is a desk: it does not suggest, place or sell one, and its catalogue files no product as a desk. It handles the living room and the bedroom. If you only change some pieces of furniture, the app's screen announces that the rest of the room is kept. For the space a desk takes in a bedroom, the calculation is yours to do, adding its footprint to that of the furniture DecoScale places: see small bedroom layout.
What DecoScale checks, and what it does not
DecoScale does not count your desk in the share of the floor covered by furniture, which it penalises beyond 50% of the room: see room layout dimensions. It checks neither the size of the desk nor the chair clearance. The plan of the room comes from your photos and two tape-measure dimensions: see the Method page. For the height of a shelf above a desk: wall shelf height guide.
Frequently asked questions
What width of desk for a laptop?
91 to 122 cm is enough, according to Autonomous; 122 to 152 cm for general work, 152 to 183 cm for several screens.
What depth of desk for a monitor?
61 cm for a laptop or a small monitor, 76 cm for one or more full-size monitors.
How much room behind an office chair?
61 to 91 cm, according to Autonomous, and enough room to open drawers and doors.
How much floor does a 120 by 60 cm desk need?
1.45 to 1.81 m² at least, the top and the clearance strip behind the chair; the chair comes on top. That is 16 to 20% of a 9 m² bedroom.
Does DecoScale offer a desk?
No: none of its functions is a desk, and its catalogue files no product as one. It handles the living room and the bedroom.