Tested: Oakywood’s gorgeous new wood and steel desktop drawers aren’t perfect, but they are very close to it

Today we are taking hands-on look at Oakywood’s latest addition to its desk organization lineup, the modular drawers. Made to perfectly tuck under its Desk Shelf-meets monitor riser, or be used on their own, they were officially unveiled to the public at the top of the month, and after giving them a test run for a few weeks, I’m ready to weigh in. Head below for my hands-on impressions of the new Oakywood desktop drawers in the latest entry to our long-running Tested with 9to5Toys series. 

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Hands-on with the new Oakywood modular desk drawers

The new Oakywood modular drawers come in two sizes, large and small (both of which are on display in this review) as well as an option for a single or double drawer (I only have the single drawer option to test out here). 

The large modular drawer starts at $130 and the small modular sells for $110. 

Large modular drawers are an excellent addition to our famous desk shelf. Thanks to the thoughtful design of a steel base and 2 types of modules, these large drawers add extra storage to your desk, keeping it stylish and tidy. They can also be assembled in a variety of ways with small modular drawers and a pen holder, creating an organizer that suits your needs.

Features at a glance

• Single/Dual configurations in two sizes
• Oak, Walnut, Black finishes
• Black or White poweder coat steel frames
• Modular design – Place them however you like
• Work perfectly with Oaky Desk Shelves or on their own

9to5Toys’ Take

There were a couple questions I had about the actual performance and user experience with these things before trying them in person, and there are a few missed opportunities perhaps, but one thing is for sure…they are very well made. 

When it comes to build quality, use of materials, and overall design sensibility, Oakywood has never let me down, and it certainly hasn’t with its new desk drawers. 

Made of a combination of real wood with robust steel frames and handles, they look great (if you’re into this kind of thing), are extremely well built, and have been a wonderful addition to my desktop ever since the review units landed at the office. 

You’re looking at basic rectangular wooden drawers, simplistic in execution and wonderfully minimalist in the aesthetic department, resting inside of weighty metal frames. A sort of basic tongue and groove system is in place to allow the wooden drawers to nicely slide in out of the metal frames. 

There is absolutely zero assembly required here – you just unwrap them from the box they shipped in and slide them onto your desk. That’s my kind of drawer. 

The metal frames, as I have already said, are heavy and solid. This, to me, is usually a sign of quality and durability, but it also means they function nicely as well. Simple one-handed operation here folks – the drawers don’t slide around at all when you open and and close them. This would have been a deal breaker for me personally but they are rock solid and stable. 

There are a few options in terms size/shape and finish to suit your decor preference, but with all of them you’re just looking at a simple drawer interior. You can configure them to be split with two shallow drawers in a single frame, but there are no other organization options here – think dividers or inset grooves, this kind of thing – to collate your belongings inside of the drawers themselves. 

Would this have been nice for some folks? Sure. I would have appreciated an option to have a wood or metal divider of some kind inside the drawers for further organizational purposes. But I do think the split thinner shelf option makes up for this nicely, and it’s hard to complain all that much about it. 

Another thing that comes to mind here would be some kind of port cutout along the back. You can certainly run a charging or data cable, nicely hidden, over and into the drawers if you wanted, but it’s a less elegant solution than having some kind of nice cutout on the back if you ask me. I also don’t really like to have gear that requires power to be tucked away inside of an enclosed wooden drawer – perhaps I’m just a bit paranoid, but I would have also liked to have a couple portable SSDs all hooked up and hidden away in there to quickly access files from here and there too. 

All of that said, I’m mostly just reaching to find something about them that isn’t perfect. They are indeed fantastic and an easy recommendation for folks looking to Oakywood their desktop with a touch of natural elegance, artisan craftsmanship, and robust accoutrements that, if they are anything like the rest of the Oakywood gear you see in the images here – the magnetic wood trays and Cubic Pot pen holder cup (also for plants), will last for years. There us some air flow here, but they aren’t in my opinion ideal for enclosing tech that heats up and requires as much open space as possible, but they are fantastic for keepin the desktop free of clutter, loose odds and ends, cables, adapters, and so on.

I guess you sort of have to have the Oakywood desk shelf – here’s my hands-on review for that – you see here too (or at least something like it), but these drawers are indeed a treat and do work on their own as well, be it on a desk, shelving unit, or otherwise.  

Buy the new Oakywood Desk Drawers 

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