A desk is chosen first by what you do at it. A laptop and a notebook do not need the same surface as a large screen, files and a lamp. Three measurements are enough to get it right, and solid teak does the rest: a warm wood that makes you want to sit down.
Height: almost nothing to change
The usual height of a desk is around 75 cm, for a chair with a seat at about 45 cm. What matters is the gap between the two: enough to slide your legs under, little enough to rest your forearms flat without raising your shoulders. All three of our desks are 76 cm high. A chair with arms tucks under the top only if its arms pass under the apron: measure before you choose.
Depth: laptop or large screen
This is the measurement that decides how the desk is used. At 50 cm deep, you work on a laptop with a notebook open beside it: the size of a bedroom desk or a living room corner, one that blends in against a wall. A screen on the desk needs more distance for the eyes, roughly an arm’s length: aim for 70 to 80 cm, which also leaves room for a keyboard, papers and a lamp.
Width: one seat, or a work surface
At 120 cm, you work comfortably on your own, with a little storage within reach. At 150 cm, you can spread out files, plans and samples, or share the desk for an afternoon. Behind the chair, keep 80 cm to a metre clear to push back and stand up without bumping into a bookcase or a bed.
Our three teak desks
Cahaya is the lightest: a teak top on four slender tapered legs, in the spirit of 1950s design, with a suspended drawer unit of two drawers with natural rattan cane fronts. 120 cm wide, 50 cm deep: the desk for a bedroom or a corner of the living room.
William, the same size, offers the most storage: a solid teak body with full side panels, two blocks of two drawers with handles carved into the wood, on either side of an open central kneehole.
Noha is the large work surface: 150 by 80 cm, a top that flows into two solid side panels in a waterfall effect with rounded edges, and a discreet drawer beneath the top. It holds a screen, files and a lamp, and would not look out of place in an executive office.
All three are indoor pieces.
Where to place it
Daylight ideally comes from the side: facing the window, you are dazzled; with your back to it, the screen reflects and you work in your own shadow. A desk set at right angles to the window solves both. In a bedroom or living room, a desk on slim legs like Cahaya lets the eye pass through and looks smaller than it is; next to a bookcase, a solid volume like William or Noha sits well with the shelves.
Teak day to day
Solid teak is a living wood: its grain and tones change from one piece to the next, and fine surface cracks may appear, a sign of a wood that breathes. Indoors, a soft cloth for the dust is usually all it needs. Our materials are described on the Materials page.
See it at home
Measure the spot, then take a photo of it: Balinaisa.ai places the desk in it, with a quote. Or come and sit at one in the showroom in La Teste-de-Buch.