Whether you work at home or take work home, the right desk can be both fashionable and functional.

That desks are on almost everyone's radar today is evident when you thumb through retail catalogues and visit Internet sites.

Home office and desk categories are represented in a wide range of styles, scale, materials, finishes and prices, from under $100 at Target to thousands of dollars in designer showrooms.

Today's handsome writing and accent desks and secretaries often feature the utmost in utilitarian design, including configurations with pullout keyboard trays, cubbies for computer towers and slots for electrical cords. Some are topped by small organisers or hutches.

Size matters. How much work surface you need and how big of a footprint you can accommodate in your home will influence your choice.

The proliferation of personal computers in the home — often more than one per household — fuelled a new category of desks to support them.

It was a monolithic form, basically a slab top more than a pair of pedestals with file drawers on one side, storage for a tower on the other and a front panel covering everything.

But in recent years, the popularity of laptops has shifted trends again. The sale of laptop computers surged nearly 52 percent late last fall (specifically, the first week of the holiday season), according to a recent study by Current Analysis, a research and strategic marketing firm with offices in Washington, D.C., and Paris.

So brown boxy desks "encumbered with lots of storage" are being rethought by manufacturers, according to one furniture executive.

"Consumers need less surface space and storage for the CPU, which is going the way of the dinosaur," says Kelly Cain, vice president and product manager for Stanley Furniture Co. "Instead, they are buying decorative desks for their beauty and interesting design. Desks are now key design elements throughout the home."

That's good news for the folks at Maine Cottage Furniture, whose colourful desks coordinate with a line based on cheerful hues such as hot lime and mango.

Indeed, desks are likely to be a part of most new furniture collections. At the spring furniture market in High Point, N.C., fashion designer Nicole Miller's deco-influenced desk, crafted from Macassar ebony veneers, suited her Ritz collection for Excelsior Designs.

And the much-ballyhooed Trump Home collection included two desks, surprisingly less grandiose than one might expect from mogul Donald Trump.

There's even a touch of the exotic, evident in Tommy Bahama's Jimbaran Bay for Laneventure. Crafted from woven rattan, herringbone woven cane and bamboo carvings, the home office group reflects Balinese architecture.

This kind of versatility of styling extends the use of desks throughout the home. They can be placed in the foyer, living room, family room, library and bedrooms, including children's rooms.

One of the best examples of desks that can be both beautiful and efficient is the Kingsland Chinoiserie secretary that is part of the Katonah collection for Martha Stewart Furniture by Bernhardt.

The classic design features gold handpainting on a Chinese red exterior. Behind bifold doors is a black interior with complete home office setup.

One profile that is gaining fans is a logical evolution of a widespread practice in American families. Those who often have pressed the dining table into service as a temporary home office appreciate the simplicity and practicality of an extensive work surface.

Some people actually use dining tables as desks in home offices, mostly because they like the roomy surface and open look of legs or pedestals.

At Restoration Hardware, a Renaissance-style, six-foot mahogany desk called Palladian stands on stout classical column legs mounted on a base.

It features a single drawer and antiqued brass-plated hardware. Trestle styles offer another handsome look, and one from Williams-Sonoma Home has the added sparkle of polished nickel-plated legs and pulls, a sophisticated, stylish combination with ebonised maple veneer.

Since the desk is more visually open, the design is especially suited to a small space.

Although dark finishes remain popular, lighter woods and painted looks are drawing attention.

So is a decidedly feminine form. One of the prettiest desks, which also could double as a vanity, was part of the latest introduction of Barbara Barry Realized for Henredon.

The ivory-enameled finish is accessorised with jewellike nickel pulls and sabots capping tapered legs. Top drawers have felt-lined jewellery trays.

Even smaller desks, some inspired by the French escritoire or portable writing desks, are showing up. The Jay desk from West Elm boasts an especially clever feature.

Though tiny by most standards at 34 inches long by 21 ½ inches wide and standing 32 inches tall, the desk features a rollout extension for casters, which doubles the work surface.

A small hutch (29 inches long, ten inches wide and 5 ¼ inches tall) is optional.

Also in the interest of conserving space, there are a number of variations on the secretary theme.

Taller pieces, some as slim as 17 inches deep, feature drop-down desks with cubbies and drawers inside.

The Portofino secretary desk from Stanley Furniture, available in a heavily distressed black finish, has vintage European charm, an update of something your grandmother may have owned. At only 32 inches wide, it could easily find a home in a spare bedroom.

A more modern transitional piece is the Davis desk from Williams-Sonoma Home.

Shaker cues keep the straight-line design simple, and the contrast interior (black, with a choice of white, ebony or honey-hued wood outside) is striking. Inside are drawers and compartments for stationery and small collectibles.

Even more compact is a scaled-down drop-front desk that stands shorter than a secretary, such as Stanley Furniture's Midtown desk from the Hudson Street collection.

It's another handsome two-tone look, with an ivory finish outside and natural maple inside.

There still is an audience for more substantial profiles, such as the handsome black executive desk from the Postobello Home collection from Drexel Heritage.

Along with companion pieces such as credenzas with and without hutches, they satisfy a need for furnishing the dedicated home office.

A massive updated classic rolltop desk for Hooker Furniture, with a tall hutch for extra storage, easily can anchor the wall of a large family room.

Some homeowners prefer to camouflage their work spaces. Specially outfitted armoires can close the door on any mess.

The Chadwick office armoire, available through Ballard Designs for $1,699, has the look of an 18th-century antique, with dentil mouldings and raised panel doors in honey, distressed cream or black finish.

Inside the doors are corkboard and magnetic dry-erase board as well as holders for magazines. There's a pullout keyboard tray, file drawer and rollout printer tray.