You shouldn't base your choice of distro on the desktop configuration you want. Any major distro can give you any of the various desktop layouts. Sure, their defaults may be different, but Linux being so configurable means that any other layout or environment is just a few clicks away.
Just choose a major distro (so you get regular updates and support when needed), and go with it. Linux Mint is a popular choice for beginners. Debian, OpenSuse, Fedora are all good choices. Then find out how to set your desktop to the configuration you like.