Ferris Custom Furniture

Custom desks

A desk built around the person who sits at it.

Executive desks, writing desks and fitted work surfaces, made in San Diego in solid hardwood and sized to your chair, your screens and your room.

What to think about

  • Height comes from the chair, not the catalogue.
  • Leave 24 inches of clear knee space, more if you cross your legs.
  • Depth is set by the screens, not the top.
  • Decide what plugs in before the case is built.
  • Drawers on soft-close slides are worth the money.

A desk is the piece of furniture most likely to be used hard and looked at closely, often for eight hours at a stretch. It is also the one most often bought in a standard size that fits nobody in particular. Building one to order fixes that, and it costs less than people expect relative to what a good desk from a showroom runs.

Getting the dimensions right

The three numbers that matter are height, knee space and depth, and only one of them is about the desk. Height is set by the chair and the person: a top somewhere around 29 to 30 inches suits most people, but if you already have a chair you love, that decides it. Knee space wants 24 inches of clear width as a floor, and more if you sit with your legs crossed or your chair has arms.

Depth is where most custom desks go wrong in the other direction. A single monitor on an arm needs less desk in front of it than people assume, and a top that is too deep just collects things you cannot reach. Two screens change the answer entirely. It is worth measuring what is actually going on the desk before deciding how big it should be.

Drawers, and what goes in them

Drawer work is where the cost of a desk lives, because every drawer is a small box that has to be fitted, hung and made to run smoothly for decades. Soft-close slides are worth specifying. Lining the bottoms, in leather or in cloth, stops pens rattling and is one of those details you notice every single day.

A file drawer needs to be built deliberately, sized to the hanging folders and reinforced for the weight. Ask for one at the drawing stage if you want one at all.

Cables

Every modern desk is also a piece of infrastructure. Grommets through the top, a channel behind a modesty panel, a shelf underneath for the power strip: all of it is straightforward to build in and awkward to retrofit. The first conversation should cover what plugs in.

Wood and finish

Desks are touched constantly, so the wood ages faster and more visibly than it would in a piece that just sits in a room. Cherry darkens where hands rest, which some people love and others do not expect. Walnut is dark from the first day. White oak is the toughest of the three. The finish should be repairable in place, because a desk that gets used will eventually need it.

Recent work

Common questions

What size should a desk be?
Start from the chair and the work. Most people sit comfortably at a top around 29 to 30 inches from the floor, and want at least 24 inches of clear knee space in front of them. Depth follows the screens: a single monitor wants less desk in front of it than most people assume, a pair of them wants more.
Can you hide the cables?
Yes, and it is much easier to design in than to add afterwards. Grommets, a channel behind a modesty panel and a shelf for the power strip all need to be planned before the case goes together. Say at the first conversation what plugs in.
Which wood should I pick?
A desk gets touched more than almost anything else in a house, so the choice matters. Cherry darkens under your hands over years. Walnut is dark from the start and hides less. White oak is the hardest wearing of the three and the plainest looking.
Can you build a matching credenza or storage?
Often that is the better answer than a bigger desk. Putting the storage behind you keeps the desktop clear and the piece in proportion. It is worth raising at the design stage, when both can be drawn together.
How much does a custom desk cost?
It depends on the species, the finish, the amount of drawer work and the timeline, which is why there is no price list. The process starts with a conversation and a design fee, and produces a hand-drawn perspective sketch before anything is committed to.

Start with the room.

Tell Bryan what you need and where it is going. Photographs of the space, a sketch on the back of an envelope, or a picture of something you saw once — all of it helps.

Request a quote

Or reach Bryan directly:
(760) 855-7701 bryan@ferriscustomfurniture.com