Varnished or oiled desktop?

[TwoLeftElbows]

I've just had a carpenter make me a desk/dressing table thing with a bit of oak worktop. I need to stain the oak a little darker to fit in with the rest of the room, and seal it.

We've had an oiled kitchen table before but the upkeep was a faff, and I have never regretted whacking a bit of PU matt varnish on it. I'm also worried about oil being more inclined to damage papers or have bottles leave ringmarks etc. Would it be awful to varnish my nice oak desktop? Or would a better oil like Osmo or Danish oil be a game changer? I'd love some advice.

I'd oil, I think it looks nicer. If it's a desk you'll, I assume, just be putting papers and laptops on it? so no wiping up food spills etc. If you do it properly it shouldn't be at all sticky. Oil's also easier to touch up a patch if you do manage to mark it.

Thanks very much much Duvetflower. I'm expecting mugs and glasses, lunch plates, make-up spills, moisturiser splats, make-up tubes!

Osmo Polyx oil is great for working surfaces, we use it on all our wooden furniture such as coffee tables/dressing tables where cups get put down. It dries to a satin finish and isn't at all sticky. Danish oil is not a durable finish.

I was all set to do what was easiest but I've tried a sample of the Osmo and it's looking so much nicer on an offcut. I'm going to take a punt on the Osmo and hope that it's way, way better than the mineral oil based "worktop oil" I used last time. Thank you so much for replying.