Pedestals and drawers sit under the desk, from a single drawer unit up to a three drawer pedestal with room for suspension files. It is storage people think of as their own, and they notice straight away when it is wrong. Here is how to choose between mobile and fixed units and get the size right.
Mobile or fixed
- Mobile pedestals wheel away when the desk is needed for something else, and with a cushion on top one can serve as an extra seat. They are the obvious choice for hot desking and flexible layouts.
- Fixed pedestals are built into the desk frame and make it sturdier. They suit a permanent workstation with lots of filing, where a unit on wheels would only be in the way.
Check the clearance
The most frequent mistake is ordering a pedestal that is taller than the gap under the desk. Take the measurement from the floor up to the underside of the desktop, not to the top surface. If you are buying new desks as well, desks with storage come with the two already matched, so there is nothing to measure.
How many drawers
For most desk jobs, three drawers with a deeper filing drawer at the base is the standard choice. On a hot desk, where nobody keeps much, two drawers are plenty. If you need more than that, shared filing cabinets usually do the job better. For tougher spaces, see steel storage.
