When we think of executive desks we are apparently locked into a mode of envisioning a huge mahogany or walnut edifice with an equally large scale black leather executive office chair behind it. While this image may hold true for the chairman of the board for the Royal Bank of Scotland, it in no way represents the work related office environment required by today’s top CEOs. Today’s top executive managers are all on the move electronically and as such their desks are built to accommodate multiple flat screen monitors, PDAs, keyboards and live conferencing digital equipment.
While the huge rectangular wooden box may still be used for some, the greater demand for executive desks now has shifted the design emphasis to be comfortable working space that allows quick access to this plethora of devices. Whereas in 1984 it would have been a bit unusual for an executive to have any type of typewriter or word processing equipment in their way, today’s top managers must have ready access to research tools and those electronic tools are scattered all across their desks. Interestingly, as design elements have shifted to better support electronics, information age costs of executive furniture have correspondingly moved downward into an extremely affordable price range.