Rustic Desk Ideas and Picks for Less Than $350

You need a few rustic desk ideas and picks to choose from if you yearn for that raw beauty of nature in the office. Rustic desks can bring together the professional and creative mindsets in a place where you feel calm and content. I’m going to share the best rustic desk ideas while also showing you a DIY trick.

The eye of the creator captures beauty more than the beholder. What do you do in your office? Sure, you might spend hours on Tik Tok watching silly videos, or you might be the person who drinks enough coffee to send the stores back into a toilet paper shortage, but that’s not what I mean. You’re creating something.

Whether you’re a writer like myself, or you’re a graphic designer, accountant, landscaper, or the telesales person who annoys 150 people a day, you’re taking an idea from point A to point B. That’s called creation. The landscaper creates images from ideas in their mind, and the accountant solves problems by moving to point B.

The telesales person is creatively thinking about how they can keep someone on the phone longer than five seconds. Point B is merely the finished product or idea, even if it’s a bad one. Therefore, you’re the creator of your work results. Why wouldn’t you want to create the space in which you work?

And what raw material is more precious to create a natural space for creativity and productivity to coexist than nature? Rustic desks are the beginning of a fruitful relationship with your office, and you’re bound to love the variety I chose.

The Birth of Rustic Designs

Rustic designs, furniture, desks, and rooms are when you allow the raw beauty of nature to shine with all its flaws and exceptional qualities opposing each other. It’s a rugged look that welcomes a peaceful atmosphere with organic materials like wood. Wood isn’t the only rustic material you can use in an office.

Adding a small amount of rawness from unpolished metal and stoneware can promote the rustic vibes that keep your mind moving toward point B. From knotted wood to twigs and branches to unpolished metal, rustic desks allow your working mind to enter a new place, one full of inspirational character.

Bringing an unrefined desk into your office is when you allow your natural creativity to shove you right into point B. Rustic styles are an idealization of a simple life in the country. The vogue began in the 18th Century, but it’s still going strong.

The style exploded in Germany, Switzerland, Britain, and Austria in the 20th Century. Everyone wanted wooden furniture carved and treated to look as natural as a tree in the garden. New Yorkers called it Adirondak furniture. Rustic styles might evolve slightly, but they made it into the cities.

Cast iron furniture became popular in the 19th Century, and what many don’t know is that it’s also rustic. It wasn’t long before terracotta and stag horns entered rustic designs. Rustic styles have an expansive definition, ranging from bare, animalistic cabins to modern homes and offices in the city.

Nonetheless, rustic styles all start with the same concept: raw and unfiltered.

Consider where you start when you need to resolve a problem. You start at the beginning, the core of it all. Nature is the core; simplicity is the beginning. You can’t solve a filtered problem. Your surroundings constantly influence your mind, so your office needs to be the core of your professional ambitions.

If creativity combined with productivity is what you want, then rustic styles and desks are highly recommended. Whether you go with rustic metals or gorgeous wood that resembles an ancient tree, bring nature, the core, and simplicity back into the office. Remove the filters!

What Impresses Me?

I’m impressed with the rawest form of nature, but that doesn’t mean I’ll only stick to desks that look like maple trees growing through the floor. Three things impress me when choosing rustic desks.

Practicality

An office might be the center of your creative universe, but it also needs to remain practical. It would help if you still had the freedom of rolling around on your desk chair, the storage space to hide your paperwork, and the ability to match other office furniture items to your desk.

Price

The prices seem to treble overnight when we categorize something as a trending piece of furniture, which describes rustic desks. It’s like the salespeople are vultures looking for their next meal, and they’ll swoop down on you before you can utter a second sentence. Price is everything, and my budget is up to $350.

Size

Let’s face it, the salespeople are vultures, but the manufacturers are sometimes like turkeys. They could appear ignorant because they don’t think of the sizable application of their designs. Not everyone has an office where clients need Google Maps to find the desk. Most of us have small offices, some at home.

Top 10 Rustic Desk Picks

I found ten incredible rustic desks based on the three criteria that allow me to bring nature into my home office without requiring an “abnormal load” truck to move the desk, and I’ve carefully steered clear of the vultures.

1. Tribesigns Vintage Rustic Writing Table

The Tribesigns Vintage Rustic Writing Table is a gorgeous desk suitable for an office at home or work. It doesn’t take too much space and offers loads of legroom. It’s a traditional writing desk, making it easy to fit into most offices, even if you don’t yet have rustic decor.

The dark wood finish complements most colors and natural woods when you change your office decor. The metal frame design also makes the desk sturdier than most, allowing you to be as wild in the office as you like to be. My poor desk is often overloaded with about treble the weight it can handle.

Features:

• Price: $219.99 (free delivery)
• Easy to assemble
• Materials: MF board, faux wood, and metal
• Dimensions: 55″ L x 27.6″ W
• The metal frame ensures durability and sturdiness
• It fits into most spaces with the capacity to hold two monitors
• It has a legroom shelf for books and stationery
• It’s a comfortable workstation that’s easy to move around

Setbacks:

• It has no drawers
• It’s only a wood finish (it looks fantastic, though)

2. Modern/Rustic Cubi Desk

The Modern/Rustic Cubi Desk is a crossover between rustic and industrial styles. Industrial office furniture fits nicely into a rustic design because it uses metal finishes. This desk is a little limited to how you can position it, but it remains practical due to the many shelves for books, stationery, and paperwork.

The finish options also fit nicely into most offices, as you can match it to metals and various natural woods. You should get two monitors on the desk, but it will be tight. Again, my desk is overloaded, sometimes having three to four monitors running at once.

Features:

• Price: $129.99 (free delivery)
• Easy to assemble (it comes with an online tutorial and manual)
• Materials: Metal and melamine
• Dimensions: 40″ L / 47″ L / 55″ L
• The metal frame and design provides sturdiness for a durable desk
• It would look great with the shelves against a wall
• It has numerous shelves for storage
• It comes in rustic, deep brown, or natural finishes to match a rustic office

Setbacks:

• You might be limited to how you can position the desk
• It has no drawers for privacy

3. SmileMart Desk

The SmileMart Desk can undoubtedly put a smile on your face. It’s a lovely addition to any office, and it doesn’t require a football stadium’s space. The workspace isn’t huge so that it would suit a single monitor or laptop, but the overhead shelves are easier to use than the legroom shelves of the first desk on my list.

It also has legroom shelves. The desk slides easily into most spaces, although it fits better against a wall. I love that you can use this as a desk when you’re working and put your laptop away after work to allow the desk to blend into your home furniture if your office space is inside your living room.

Features:

• Price: $89.99 (free delivery)
• Easy to assemble (it comes with an illustrated manual)
• Materials: MDF board, melamine, and iron tubing
• Dimensions: 47.2″ L x 22.4″ W
• The iron tubing creates a durable frame
• It’s a charming desk that doubles as a homely piece of furniture
• It has overhead and legroom shelves
• You get floor protectors for the legs

Setbacks:

• It doesn’t look good in the middle of an office
• It lacks drawers

4. Sauder Carbon Oak Desk

The Sauder Carbon Oak Desk has a beautiful rustic finish, and it would suit anyone who needs that extra workspace. I love this desk because it almost looks like pellet wood sprayed with a dark oak finish. It has an industrial and rustic feel, and it’s versatile enough to stand anywhere in an office.

The desk nearly breaks my budget, but some people need more than just a writing desk. I’m thinking of upgrading to accommodate my numerous monitors. Anyway, the dark finish allows this desk to blend into offices with darker natural woods, floors, and rugs, which can work for larger offices.

Continue reading our full guide on how to find the best Oak Desks.

Features:

• Price: $337.03 (free delivery)
• Materials: powder-coated metal and engineered wood
• Dimensions: 59.84″ L x 57.32″ W
• The metal frame offers durable support for longevity
• The desk has an all-around finish to be placed anywhere in an office
• It has two drawers for storage
• It has a carbon oak finish
• It comes with a five-year warranty

Setbacks:

• The assembly might be a little more challenging
• It takes up more space but works for people who need it

5. Weathered Pine Desk

This is one of my favorites, even though it wouldn’t work for my massive desk load. The Weathered Pine Desk is the first to have genuine wood, and you can see the beautiful grain of the pine against the metal finishes. It almost has a subtle medieval feel about it, but it’s rustic to the core.

The details on the edges and handles are gorgeous. You’d expect the desk to cost more, but it’s affordable for such a versatile and natural workstation. This desk will fit into most offices, as it has a lighter finish with a metal frame to complement most decor pieces and colors.

Features:

• Price: $169.99 (free delivery)
• It comes “already assembled”
• Materials: weathered knotty pine and metal
• Dimensions: 47.48″ L x 23.46″ W
• The desk is durable thanks to the metal frame and solid wood
• It has two conveniently placed drawers for storage
• It combines raw wood with industrial touches

Setbacks:

• It has a smallish legroom
• It doesn’t have much desktop space

6. Chained ACME Desk

The Chained ACME Desk is a wonder for the eyes, and it fits into the rustic office style. It will make you wonder how the manufacturers designed it because of the chains between the floor and desktop. This desk might lean more into the industrial style, but it’s gorgeous!

The desk is also sturdier than it looks, but it will be the talk of your office when clients arrive. The desk will fit with most natural woods as long as the finish shades aren’t too far from the desktop, but it can also fit into an office with more profound metal accents.

Features:

• Price: $121.85 (free delivery)
• It comes “already assembled”
• Material: industrial chain, metal tubing, and melamine
• Dimensions: 47.5″ L x 23.75″ W
• It has a gravity-defying design to make it more attractive
• You can use it as a desk, TV stand, or occasional table (perfect for home offices)
• It comes with floor protectors under the feet

Setbacks:

• It’s not as durable or sturdy as the others
• It has no drawers or shelves (almost making it impractical for office use)

7. Versatile L-Shaped Desk

The Versatile L-Shaped Desk provides precisely what the name promises. The desk is convertible from an L-Shape to a long, modern workstation for two people. This desk works better in a larger office, but it would help people who have an entire company on one desktop.

The finish is beautifully detailed to match natural wood and metal accents in the office. The reversible shelf can also be placed in the center or on the right or left. This is as customizable as a desk with engineered wood will come.

Features:

• Price: $259.99 (free delivery)
• Material: metal, steel tubing, and engineered wood
• Dimensions: 60″ L x 55″ W
• The desk is durable and sturdy in both positions
• It comes with a single cabinet with shelves inside
• You can change it from a single person to a double person desk

Setbacks:

• The assembly and conversions are slightly complicated
• It’s chunky in the extended position

8. Rustic Simplicity

The Simple Cubi Rustic Desk is perfect for small spaces while still offering the privacy of drawers. The grained finish is beautiful, showing natural knots in the “wood.” It also has a moveable storage rack you can install on top of the desktop, allowing you to have a laptop and monitor on simultaneously.

The shelves above the drawers are also convenient in height, preventing you from getting those backaches from the continuous bending. The desk also fits into most rustic offices, with the only problem being that the metal frame is carbon coated with gray paint. Gray and natural wood don’t always complement each other.

Features:

• Price: $149.99 (free delivery)
• Easy to assemble (you get an instruction manual and can watch the online installation video)
• Material: coated metal and melamine
• Dimensions: 55″ L x 24″ W
• The frame is sturdy, and the desk durable
• You can move the shelves outside the legroom
• It’s a wonderful space-saving desk for apartments and small offices
• It comes with floor protectors

Setbacks:

• The gray finishes can make it hard to match in the office
• It’s not made of natural wood

9. Raw Customized Desk

You can also find beautiful desks on Etsy if you’re looking for something natural and true rustic style. The Raw Customized Desk is a lovely slab of solid lumber on u-shaped legs. Riverside Benches manufactures it, and it has customizable features due to them making it to order. It also won’t cost you a fortune.

The desk comes in numerous finishes, and you can change the legs if you aren’t happy with u-shaped frames. This desk is the epitome of bringing a natural wood slab into your office and banging it on a metal frame. It will match most wooden accents, depending on your choice of finish.

Features:

• Price: $269.10 (free delivery)
• Easy to assemble (they drill the holes for you)
• Material: premium douglas fir wood and metal
• Dimensions: 58″ L x 25″ W
• The u-frame is super sturdy, and the natural wood is durable
• It comes in golden pecan, rustic walnut, mahogany, and weathered gray finishes
• The rounded metal frame can’t damage your floor
• It’s 100% handmade

Setbacks:

• It has no drawers or shelves (customizable might mean you can arrange them anyway)
• It’s heavy and difficult to move around

10. Crossed-Leg Rustic Desk (Winning Pick!)

The Crossed-Leg Rustic Desk is a beautiful wooden masterpiece befitting the rustic design. Shelly Liven Good Shop manufactures it, and it’s completely customizable, making it my favorite. Any manufacturer prepared to customize the entire structure of their desks is a winner in my books.

This desk won’t fit into the industrial side of rustic designs, but you can use it in a farmhouse, rustic, or cottage-style office. The wood is raw and matches most wooden accents, and you can add metals to the office. The grain in the wood is eye-catching, and it has stunning knots, fibers, and zone lines.

Features:

• Price: $315 (free delivery)
• It comes “already assembled”
• Material: solid reclaimed wood
• Dimensions: 72″ L x 22″ W
• The desk is solid wood, making it highly durable and sturdy
• The desk is fully customizable (size, finish, and wood)
• It can be distressed or painted
• It has two solid wooden drawers

Setbacks:

• It has no metal accents on the desk
• It’s heavy to move around like most solid wooden furniture

DIY Rustic Desk Ideas

The beauty of rustic furniture in your home or office is that it can be self-made. It’s the one style you can manufacture at home, and it’s not as hard as drilling a hole through metal with a pencil. This is a DIY project for you to create your rustic desk from scratch.

The Frame

The frame depends on what you want, but building a simple metal frame is an excellent place to start. Ben Brandt from B2Builds published a video on building, welding, and bolting a sturdy metal workbench frame. Building the frame is complicated, so the video will guide you to ensure you start with a solid frame.

Ben also shows you what materials you need, and you can add the wheels like he does, which makes it easier to move your solid wooden desktop around the office. Once you complete your frame, it’s time to move on to the exciting part; the desktop.

The Desktop

You can make the desktop from any wood you desire. See the American Hardwood Tips below to choose which one works for you. Reclaimed wood is an excellent option because you’ll be sanding and finishing the boards anyway. Going to a place like Deconstruction Inc. allows you to choose two or three different pieces of wood.

You want the boards to be six inches longer than your frame so that it extends over the edges. The materials you need for the desktop include:

• six to eight reclaimed wood boards (two different types with a beautiful grain)
• two pieces of angle iron measuring the same as the width of the boards
• five sheets of 36-grit sandpaper with an electric sander
• one gallon of Minwax Wood Finish Penetrating Stain
• one quart Woodfilla Wood Filler
• twelve to sixteen steel bolts (depending on whether you have six or eight boards)
• two quarts Minwax Indoor/Outdoor Finish Wax
• an electric or cordless drill
• six bolts that match the size of your steel frame holes on top
• two paintbrushes
• painter’s sheet (to protect the floor while you build the desk)

Step-By-Step Desktop Instructions

Building your desktop and attaching it to the frame is simple. You get to make it look as gorgeously natural as you desire. Follow these steps:

Step 1

Sand your boards to their rawest grain. You can use an electric sander or do it manually if you want some exercise. Use a damp cloth to wipe the residue off the boards and leave them dry for an hour.

Step 2

Place the angle iron on the sides of the boards to bring them all together, and drill holes through the iron into each board before putting your steel bolts through to secure the panels. This is how you make a single desktop with loose boards. The steel bolts are long-lasting, so secure them properly through each board.

Step 3

Lay the desktop flat on the ground and put the metal frame over it, upside-down. Line the frame up to have three inches of wood on either side. Drill holes through the established holes in the frame top, so the holes go through each board. This is where the additional bolts will go through to secure the desktop and frame.

Step 4

Stain the back of your desktop before letting it dry for two hours. Give it another coat with the wax sealer for indoor/outdoor purposes. Let it dry overnight. Don’t paint the front of the desktop yet. Attach the desktop to the frame the following day with the steel bolts.

Step 5

Use the wood filler to fill the holes and cover the bolts on the top of your desktop. Allow the filler to cure overnight. You can stain and finish the top of the desktop the following day. Give the angle iron and steel bolts on the ends of your desktop a coat of sealer to match the wood and prevent rust.

These are preliminary steps, but you can create the rawest, most gorgeous rustic desk to make your clients and friends envious. Additionally, DIY desks allow you to choose the size, style, price, and practicality.

American Hardwood Tips

America has beautiful hardwood, but some are longer-lasting and more durable for DIY projects. These are the hardwoods you want to use, but you can always buy reclaimed wood from a salvage site to save money:

• Aromatic red cedar
• Basswood
• Beech
• Black walnut
• Cherry
• Hickory
• Red Elm
• Sapgum
• White oak
• White ash
• Yellow birch

These are the best options to create rustic, “grain-in-your-face” hardwoods you can purchase from Baillie if you can’t find reclaimed wood. The secret with hardwood is to go as thick as possible because the wood continues to dry and age, shrinking as it dries. Wider boards are the way to go for a lasting rustic desk.

Frequently Asked Questions

Rustic Desk Ideas and Picks: Final Thoughts

Rustic desks allow nature to enter your office, which can only enhance your creativity when your mind goes back to the roots of everything. Making your own desk is an excellent DIY project, and you can design it with any wood, color, or finish. However, not everyone has the time to build a desk.

The desks I shared offer many opportunities, from people looking for large workspaces that fit four laptops to someone who wants a desk that blends into their home decor. I recommend the Weathered Pine Desk for smaller offices and the Crossed-Leg Rustic Desk for a better farmhouse vibe.

The bottom line is you should be adding some rustic to your office, and a desk is a perfect option, being so versatile. If you don’t buy one, build one, but the point is to get one.

Read more about exceptional office trends:

The Best Office Chairs Under 200 Dollars for 2021 – WFH Modern

Best Mid Century Modern Office Chair Picks – WFH Modern

How to Find the Best Home Office Desk [2021 Picks] – WFH Modern