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Our customers can send us accessories/peripherals to attach to their desk top free of charge before delivery. As you can imagine, we get to see a fair few cable trays and grommet hole covers – we have decided to become an authority on the topic and give you a run down of the best things to put on, screw under or hang off your solid wood desk top.
It is worth noting solid wood desk tops give a much more solid platform to attach structural peripherals. For instance a keyboard tray screwed into the underside of an MDF or cardboard top (like the Idåsen top) won’t stay there for long, and won’t take much extra weight when you lean on it. Attaching the keyboard tray to solid oak with 20mm wood screws is clearly preferable (we do also list some non-screw in alternatives to our suggestions within this post if you’re not comfortable screwing into your top, or are currently using a non-solid wood desk top).
- Ergonomic monitor stand
- Headphone holder
- Cable management
- Keyboard tray
- Grommet hole cover
- Desk pad/mouse pad
- Storage
- Desk customisations
Ergonomic monitor stand/arm
Keeping your screens at the right height whilst working is really important to avoid neck and back problems. Many of our customers pair their desk top with a matching monitor stand, it’s good to hide stuff under too (coasters, cables, external drives, keyboard/mouse). Monitor arms are also a good solution and perfect to attach to solid wood. Both can be customised to the exact height you need, making sure you keep good posture whilst working.
Specific product suggestions
- Custom Size Solid Wood Monitor Stand – from £50
- Single monitor arm from Invision – about £50
- Double monitor arm, no brand but our customers seem to like it – about £50
Headphone holder
We haven’t met anyone hanging their AirPods Max from their desk yet, but decent headphones can still carry a hefty price tag, your desk might be the perfect place to make sure they keep out of harms way. Some people use head phone stands, but desks get easily cluttered without your headphones taking up even more space than they need to. Check out a customers headphone holder he mounted under his Idåsen compatible solid wood top in the picture above, the exact colour pictured is ‘Z-black-yellow’ in the link below.
Specific product suggestions
- Pictured above from Ali Express – about £10 – long delivery time
- Non-screw in alternative (clamp) – about £12
- Non-screw in alternative (adhesive) – about £10
Cable management
Some desks come with cable management, the Idåsen and Bekant has a net underneath, it can’t take anything too heavy but does the job. ConSet and Fully frames offer cable trays as an upgrade, but they are a little overpriced. Many customers are happy to source their own (and send it on to us to fit before delivery), here are some models we have received for fitting.
Specific product suggestions
- Two smaller trays with a modern design – about £25
- 1 longer tray with traditional chrome wire – about £20
- Wooden box to house extension lead and plugs, sits on the floor – about £40
- Please get in touch if you would like us to make a similar box out of matching pine, oak or walnut to your preferred dimensions.
Keyboard tray
Keyboard trays that bolt under the desk are really useful for your posture, space saving for smaller desks and keep a nice clean aesthetic. You will find a few veneer options, but generally for retro fitted tray to look right, it needs to have the same finish, or a substantially different finish. Our customers like to attach our solid wood shelves (customisable to any size, in the same finish) to roller bearing runners which fix to the underside of your desk top. We sometimes add a lip to the tray too on request.
Specific product suggestions
- Solid wood shelves – from £40
- Black metal runners on ball bearings with height adjustment – about £12
- Standard silver runners on roller bearings – about £8
- Fancy swivel option in black – £70-200
- Non screw option (clamps) for non solid wood desk tops – about £75
Grommet hole cover
We drill grommet holes of any quantity, diameter and location free of charge. Some people just need the hole, others ask for the cut out too, we can fit grommet covers at the same time. We have seen metal covers as pictured above, wooden ones or even covers with outlets and wireless charging embedded within them.
Specific product suggestions
- Maple/Beech grommet hole surround and cover – around £15
- Wireless charger with USB A and USB C – around £40
- Wireless charging grommet hole cover – around £40
Desk pad/mouse pad
Our solid wood desks are super smooth, your mouse won’t have the annoying jumps or lags that can come with some surfaces, that said, our hands still are grubbier than we would like to admit. A desk pad to sit your peripherals on is not a bad idea, often rubber backed and easy to clean. You might get one big enough to sit your drink on too, avoiding stains and the need for a coaster.
Specific product suggestions
Storage
Attaching drawers or trays to the underside of your desk is a great way to save space and hide all manner of unsightly bits and bobs. Our monitor stand does a good job whilst providing function on top of the desk. Some of the drawers available provide a measure of security, fixing it to a solid wood desk top will increase that some what, though we wouldn’t recommend keeping your life savings there!
Specific product suggestions
Desk customisations
Sometimes an accessory can be built into the desk itself. We have been asked customise desk tops in a few ways, from edging around the desk, to integrated headphone hangers, to concealed compartments. Feel free to get in touch if you have an idea you think we might be able to help with.
Don’t forget the main event…
We often discuss topics around sit/stand desks, but our bread and butter is solid wood table tops, for just about anything. Take a look around to learn why you might want to upgrade from MDF to a hand made solid wood desk top.
Why Solid Wood Tops?
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