Most people spend time choosing a desk and a chair, then stop. The monitor stays on its factory stand. Cables pool on the floor. Stationery accumulates wherever it lands. The desk works, technically, but it doesn't work well.
Office desk accessories in Australia are often treated as optional extras. They're not. They're the finishing layer that determines whether your workstation actually supports the way you work, or just holds your equipment. The right accessories address screen position, cable safety, surface clutter, and posture in ways that a desk and chair alone can't.
If you make one accessory change to your workstation, this is the one. Screen position affects posture, eye strain, and neck tension more directly than almost any other variable in a desk setup, and most factory monitor stands get it wrong.
The correct monitor position places the top of the screen at or just below eye level, with the screen approximately an arm's length from your face. Most monitors on their factory stands sit 10 to 15cm too low for this, which means most users spend their day looking slightly downward, loading the neck and upper back with sustained tension.
A monitor arm corrects this precisely. It clamps to the rear edge of the desk, holds the screen at the exact height you need, and frees the entire desk surface underneath. It also adapts when you change your chair height, when a different person uses the desk, or when you switch to a sit-stand setup. For sit-stand desk users, a monitor arm is close to essential: without one, the screen height relative to your eyes changes every time the desk moves.
A monitor stand is the lower-cost alternative. It raises the screen by a fixed amount, typically 100 to 150mm, which is enough for many users at a standard desk height. Some stands include a storage shelf underneath, which partially offsets the footprint. If the fixed height happens to suit your setup, a stand is a practical and straightforward solution.
A tangled desk is a distracted desk. Cables on the floor create visual noise, physical trip hazards, and a low-level sense of disorder that affects how the workspace feels to use. Cable management is one of the least glamorous desk accessories and one of the most impactful.
An under-desk cable tray mounts to the underside of the desk frame and holds power boards, excess cable length, and adapters off the floor. The cables run from the tray to the devices on the desk surface, keeping the floor completely clear.
This matters for safety as well as aesthetics. Cables on the floor near chair castors are a genuine hazard: castors can catch and pull cables, damage connectors, and in the case of power cables near heat sources, create a fire risk. A cable tray eliminates this entirely for a cost of $20 to $60 in most cases.
For cables that run along the desk surface or down the desk leg, adhesive cable clips and spine guides keep them routed neatly rather than trailing freely. Spine guides bundle multiple cables into a single managed run. Clips anchor individual cables to a fixed path along the desk edge or leg.
For sit-stand desks, use a flexible cable spine rather than rigid clips. The spine accommodates the desk's vertical travel without pulling cables taut or creating slack that pools on the floor.
Footrests are dismissed more often than they should be. For shorter users at a fixed-height desk, a footrest isn't a comfort accessory. It's the correct ergonomic solution.
Here's the situation it addresses: if your desk is at a fixed height of 720 to 730mm and you need to raise your chair to reach the desk surface comfortably, your feet may no longer reach the floor. Dangling feet create pressure under the thighs, restrict circulation, and shift the pelvis into a position that loads the lower back. A footrest restores the correct knee angle and foot support without requiring you to lower the chair to a height that doesn't suit the desk.
A tilting footrest is better than a flat one. The slight angle encourages micro-movement in the feet and ankles, which improves circulation during long sitting sessions. Look for a footrest with a non-slip surface and a tilt range of at least 15 to 20 degrees.
For users with a height-adjustable desk, a footrest is less necessary because the desk can be lowered to suit the chair height. For anyone on a fixed-height desk who is under approximately 165cm, it's worth adding to the setup from the start.
A full-desk pad is one of the simplest accessories to overlook and one of the most consistently useful once it's in place.
A pad of 60 x 40cm or larger covers the primary working area of the desk, reducing wrist pressure during typing and mouse use, protecting the desk surface from scratches and marks, and creating a visually defined workspace that feels calmer and more intentional than a bare desk surface.
In home offices where the desk is a visible piece of furniture, a quality leather or felt pad also improves the overall look of the setup without requiring any other changes. For users who write by hand regularly, a pad provides a consistent, cushioned writing surface that a hard desk top doesn't.
The main consideration is size. A pad that only covers the keyboard area misses the point. Choose one that extends from the keyboard to the front edge of the desk, covering the full area where your wrists and forearms rest during the day.
For anyone who regularly references physical documents while working on screen, a document holder is a straightforward fix for a specific and repetitive strain pattern.
Without a document holder, the document sits flat on the desk while the screen is at eye level. Every time you look from screen to document and back, your neck rotates and tilts downward. Over a full day of data entry, transcription, or document review, this repeated movement accumulates into real neck and upper back tension.
A document holder positions the reference material at or near screen height, beside the monitor. The eye movement from screen to document becomes horizontal rather than vertical, eliminating the neck tilt entirely. For roles involving paper-to-screen transcription, legal document review, or any high-volume reference work, this is one of the most targeted ergonomic accessories available.
Monitor notepads, which clip to the side of the monitor bezel, serve a similar purpose for handwritten notes and reference lists, keeping frequently consulted information at eye level rather than flat on the desk.
The principle behind desk organisation is simple: everything on the desk surface should be there by design, not by default. Items that accumulate without a designated place create visual clutter that reduces effective working area and adds low-level cognitive load throughout the day.
Pen cups, letter trays, and monitor risers with integrated storage all work, but the choice of organiser matters less than the discipline of deciding what belongs on the desk surface at all. Most items that end up on desks by default, including documents waiting to be filed, stationery used occasionally, and personal items, belong in a drawer or a storage unit rather than on the surface.
For under-desk storage that extends the organisation system beyond the surface, a mobile pedestal is the most practical solution. Read our guide on mobile pedestals and under-desk storage to learn how to choose and position one for your workstation.
If you're starting from scratch or working within a budget, this is the order that delivers the most impact per dollar spent.
A desk and chair create the foundation. Accessories are what make that foundation work for your body, your workflow, and your space. The monitor arm gets the screen to the right height. The cable tray clears the floor. The footrest supports the feet. The desk pad protects the surface and the wrists. None of these are expensive relative to the desk itself, and each one addresses a specific, real problem.
You find it helpful to read our guide on enhancing your workspace with the right office furniture for broader setup advice.
Are monitor arms worth the cost compared to a stand?|||For most users, yes. A monitor arm provides precise height adjustment, frees the desk surface under the screen, and adapts to changes in chair height or user. A stand is a lower-cost option that works well when the fixed height happens to suit the setup. For sit-stand desk users, a monitor arm is close to essential. For a fixed desk with a single user whose eye level aligns with the stand's fixed height, a stand is a practical and sufficient choice.@@@What is the best desk accessory for reducing back pain?|||It depends on the cause. If the pain is related to monitor position, a monitor arm or stand that raises the screen to eye level is the most direct fix. If it's related to seat height and foot support, a footrest addresses the root cause. If it's related to chair fit, no accessory will substitute for a correctly sized and adjusted chair. Read our office chair sizing guide for detailed guidance on chair fit.@@@Do I need a footrest with an ergonomic chair?|||Not necessarily. A footrest is needed when the chair must be raised to reach a fixed-height desk, leaving feet unsupported. If your desk is height-adjustable, you can lower the desk to suit the chair height and feet will rest flat on the floor without a footrest. If your desk is fixed and you're under approximately 165cm, a footrest is the correct ergonomic solution rather than a workaround.@@@How do I manage cables under a sit-stand desk?|||Use a flexible cable spine rather than rigid clips or fixed cable trays. A flexible spine bundles the cables running between the desk and the floor into a single managed loop that extends and contracts as the desk moves. Mount the spine to the desk leg rather than the floor so it travels with the desk. Avoid routing cables through fixed wall-mounted guides if the desk moves, as the travel will pull the cables taut at the top of the height range.@@@What should I keep on my desk vs. store elsewhere?|||Keep only what you use every day: monitor, keyboard, mouse, a notepad, and one or two frequently used items. Everything else belongs in a drawer, a mobile pedestal, or a filing cabinet. Documents waiting to be filed, stationery used occasionally, personal items, and reference materials used weekly rather than daily all belong off the surface. A clear desk surface isn't an aesthetic preference; it's a functional one that gives you more room to work and reduces the visual noise that accumulates into distraction.@@@
