What type of home office furniture should I go for?

How will you decide on a supplier of your new study or home office furniture?

I suspect that budget will influence the decision and home office furniture is much like any other product in that generally you get what you pay for.

Bespoke Cabinet Makers

A cabinet maker will manufacture your home office furniture from raw materials, namely wood or Painted MDF(Medium Density Fibreboard). The cabinet maker will offer a design and work with you, to give a home office to suit your taste and needs. The carcasses will probably be in MFC(Melamine Faced Chipboard) for durability and will generally be screwed, dowelled and glued for rigidity. Doors and working surfaces will be just about anything you desire. Costs for small office, expect to pay £2500 and up.

Modular home office furniture

This is a step down in pricing where you get to choose from a range of styles and generally are given a choice of standard sized cabinets. A designer will measure your space and advise on the different options. The units would be secured to the wall and worktops made to fit the space exactly. Cabinets will be similar to those of kitchen cabinets made from MFC and put together with KD(knock Down) fittings. Doors can be made from solid wood but generally they will be vinyl wrapped. Costs will be around £1000 and up.

Off the peg

You can go for buying direct from online companies and assemble yourself. This won't be a 'fully fitted' solution but costs are kept to a minimum. There is a huge choice on the market and prices seem to fluctuate. Desks from £30!

Choice of material

Oak is popular choice for studies and home offices as it's a wood full of character and more affordable than most other hardwoods.

Pine is not a good wood for a study as it is a softwood and has over the years become softer through selective cultivation and forced growth.

Beech a good choice and is widely mimicked for cheaper home office furniture.

Vinyl Wrapped are cheap durable and some wood grain effect doors are remarkably good quality.