A desk you work at every day needs to look good without getting in the way. The trick is to keep the middle clear for work and put the decor at the edges: one living thing, a home for the small stuff and good light. Here are ten easy desk decor ideas for a home office or a corner of the kitchen table, plus tips for a small desk. Prices were correct when we published this guide, and each product page always shows the current price.
The short answer
Keep the work area clear and put decor at the back and sides: one small plant or terrarium, a dish for clips and earbuds, a lamp and a pen pot. Choose pieces that need little care, so the desk never gives you another job to do.
1. Clear the middle
The space in front of your keyboard or notebook is for work. Keep it empty and arrange everything else in an arc around the back and sides of the desk, within reach but out of the way.
2. A plant that asks for nothing
A small glass terrarium with an air plant is the easiest desk plant there is: no soil to spill, no saucer and a soak every week or two. The cube on corner terrarium (£16.95), about 10.5cm across in a brass-finish frame, sits neatly beside a monitor, and the small diamond (£12) is about 14.5cm tall. Plants are not included; our desk terrarium picks show the full range.
3. A dish for the small things
Paper clips, earbuds, a USB stick and the ring you take off to type all need a home. A small glass dish keeps them together and looks better than a plastic tray. The mini blue glass bowl on wood (£18) is about 12cm long, with a dish about 6cm across.
4. Good light
Put the desk near a window if you can, side-on so the screen does not catch glare, and add a lamp for dark afternoons. Good light makes the desk feel better and keeps a desk plant happy too.
5. A slim vase behind the screen
A tall, slim piece at the back adds height without using desk space. The glass vase terrarium in dark tung wood (£35) is only about 5cm deep and about 23cm tall, green-tinted glass set into a block of wood, and holds an air plant on moss or a few dried stems. The large version (£45) stands about 32cm tall.
6. A pen pot, not a pen pile
Keep the pens you actually use in one pot, and put the rest in a drawer. Five good pens look intentional; thirty look like a jumble sale.
7. Corral the cables
Run cables behind the desk, clip them together underneath, and keep a single charger lead at the edge. Nothing makes a desk look messier faster than a tangle of wires.
8. Something to look at
A postcard, a small print leaned against the wall or a favourite object gives your eyes somewhere to rest between tasks. Choose one, not ten.
9. A single stem
A small vase with one stem brings colour and changes with the seasons. The small flower vase on wood (£12) takes a single flower or a sprig of dried lavender, which needs no water at all.
10. Reset at the end of the day
Two minutes at the end of the day to clear the middle, put pens back and empty the dish means the desk is calm when you sit down the next morning.
For a small desk
- Go vertical: a wall shelf or a monitor stand frees the surface.
- Choose one living thing only, such as a mini terrarium or a single stem.
- Use a drawer or a box for everything you do not use daily.
Which plants suit a desk?
Air plants are the easiest: they need no soil, just bright indirect light near a window and a soak every week or two. Small succulents like a bright spot and very little water. Preserved moss needs no care at all and suits a darker corner. Our air plants vs succulents guide helps you choose, and the air plant care guide has the routine.
Common questions
What should I put on my desk?
A lamp, one small plant or terrarium, a dish for small things, a pen pot and one thing you like looking at. Keep the middle clear for work.
What is the best plant for a desk?
An air plant in an open glass terrarium near a window: no soil, no mess and a soak every week or two. Small succulents and preserved moss are good alternatives.
How do I make my desk look nice?
Clear the middle, group decor at the back and sides, choose a few pieces in natural materials such as glass and wood, and hide the cables.
How do I keep a small desk tidy?
Use the wall and a drawer, keep only daily things on the surface, give small items a dish, and reset it for two minutes at the end of each day.
See our desk terrarium picks, browse every glass terrarium, or read bedside table ideas for the bedroom.
