Size and Circulation
Fit the Desk to the Room
Map chair movement, cabinet openings, and the route from the door before sizing the desk.
Daylight and Acoustics
Set the Seat for Daily Work
Check screen glare, video-call lighting, and where conversations can be heard.
Storage and Utilities
Plan Storage and Power Together
Match cabinet space and cable routes to the files and devices the manager actually uses.
A desk can fit on the floor plan and still block the route from the door once someone pulls out a chair. An executive office layout comes down to six decisions: desk size, circulation, daylight, storage, acoustics, and power and data locations. Get any of them wrong and the fix costs more than the furniture itself — a desk can be replaced, an outlet or a door position usually cannot. So settle the room first, then specify the desk.
Size the working area first. List what stays on the desktop — dual monitors, a laptop dock, a lamp, a charger — plus the space needed to review documents with a visitor. Use that footprint to set desk depth and width, and keep a comfortable viewing distance to the screen: roughly an arm's length as a starting point, more as screen size increases. OSHA's guidance on computer workstation setup is a useful reference for viewing distance and posture.
Test the room in use. Draw the entry door swing, the manager's chair pulled back, visitor chairs occupied, and the widest drawer fully open. Then trace the route from the door to the guest seat. In a narrow room, try a straight desk with a low cabinet along the wall. Where there is more width, a side return adds storage and a landing spot for paperwork.
Use daylight from the side. Start with the screen plane roughly perpendicular to the window wall. Check reflections from the seated position at the brightest time of day, and preview the video-call image. Adjustable blinds help when direct sun reaches the screen or the camera frames a bright window, and they are more flexible than adding a blackout curtain later.
Separate echo from speech privacy. Rugs, fabric seating and acoustic panels reduce reflections inside the room, which makes the space sound calmer. For confidential calls, review door seals, the gap under the door, and junctions around glazing or partitions with the fit-out team. Sound travels along those paths into the corridor even when the room itself sounds quiet.
Only one of these three problems — internal echo — is solved by soft furnishings. Sound escaping the room depends on the door and the partition. Before buying a rug or a sofa, measure the gap under the door.
Give each item a place. Keep daily files and supplies in a mobile drawer unit within reach. Use a fixed side cabinet for binders or shared equipment, sized around the tallest or deepest item. Check drawer and door swings with the manager and visitor chairs in position.
Draw the cable route before production. Mark outlets and data points on the plan. Follow the path from the monitor, dock, lamp and charger through the desktop cable box and under-desk tray to the building connections. Confirm module types, plug depth, and whether the power adapters can still be removed later — a trapped adapter is a common post-installation discovery.
On a drawing a cable route is one revision. On site it is a row of new holes.
For a project budget, confirm the paint finish, desk size and cabinet configuration before comparing quotes. Ask both suppliers to price the same specification, then compare freight and installation separately so the number reflects the finished room rather than a worktop unit price.
Production for steel-frame executive desks with painted panels takes around 25–30 days, excluding shipping and on-site installation. For projects with a fixed opening date, share the destination and required access date so the schedule can be worked backwards and coordinated with the rest of the fit-out.
Send M&W a dimensioned plan with door and window locations, outlet positions, and an equipment list. We can compare desk and cabinet orientations before you approve the order, so changes stay on the drawing rather than on site.
Why M&W? Executive desks, side cabinets, mobile storage, cable trays and desktop cable boxes can be specified from one drawing set, which removes the interface problems that appear when different suppliers own different parts. Paint finish, frame and cabinet configuration are listed in the same quote, so nothing hidden turns up at comparison stage.
Send M&W your floor plan for a configuration review
We've grouped the questions by categories to make it easier for you to find the answers you're looking for.If you don't see an answer to your question, please contact us
A:Allow at least 750mm depth for dual monitors, and a 1600mm width lets documents sit alongside them. If drawings or a laptop plus external screen also need space, plan for 800mm depth and 1800mm width. Before ordering, mock the footprint with cardboard on an existing desk.
A:Yes, if there is a suitable cable route that leaves the main aisle clear. If the route crosses circulation, have the fit-out team review the outlet location before fixing the desk position, considering a floor box or a wall-facing layout instead. A trailing extension lead across an aisle is the most common source of rework.
A: It depends on the desk configuration. Confirm the left- or right-hand version before production, using a plan that shows the window, door swing, drawer openings and outlet locations. Mirroring is not just a flip: cable entry and cable box positions usually move too, which is why approval belongs before the order.
A: Ask both suppliers to price the same top size, frame, cabinets and cable hardware, then compare freight and installation separately to see the cost of the furnished room. Also confirm three things: whether cable boxes and trays are included, whether a wider top carries a frame reinforcement charge, and whether the paint finish sample has been approved.
A: Production takes around 25–30 days, excluding shipping and on-site installation. For projects with a fixed opening date, such as an office move or a launch, share the destination and required access date so production and freight can be scheduled backwards and coordinated with the rest of the furniture order.