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Looking for a new computer desk - suggestions?

Mudbug

Mudbug

Administrator emeritus
Original poster
Jun 28, 2002
3,849
1
North Central Colorado
I'm moving into a new house next week, and am looking forward to a home office space I've not had before. I'd like to get a new desk to put in the office to make it a truly functional and attractive workroom, as I work from home. I'm a bit tired of looking at pictures of furniture on the internet and in the local furniture stores that either 1) cheaply made, 2) cheap looking or 3) ridiculously expensive.

I know the folks on the boards are opinionated about all kinds of things, and I would assume you are about this as well. I won't give a price range for what I'm looking for, as I think that would hinder the process. Besides, I'm kinda handy, and if I find the perfect thing that's thousands of dollars more than I want to spend, I can probably make something to match pretty close.

So - fire away. I'll keep my eye on this thread.
 
Ikea's fine - but will add a 3 hour drive one way to get to Ikea for me.

I should probably mention I've got 2 Dell 2005fpw displays to sit side by side on it, which will give you a bit of an idea as to how much desk space I need.
 
Mudbug said:
I'm moving into a new house next week, and am looking forward to a home office space I've not had before. I'd like to get a new desk to put in the office to make it a truly functional and attractive workroom, as I work from home. I'm a bit tired of looking at pictures of furniture on the internet and in the local furniture stores that either 1) cheaply made, 2) cheap looking or 3) ridiculously expensive.

I know the folks on the boards are opinionated about all kinds of things, and I would assume you are about this as well. I won't give a price range for what I'm looking for, as I think that would hinder the process. Besides, I'm kinda handy, and if I find the perfect thing that's thousands of dollars more than I want to spend, I can probably make something to match pretty close.

So - fire away. I'll keep my eye on this thread.
Click to expand...

congrats on the move...

I dunno how helpful this might be, but here's what I did:

I took the bottom of a old Singer sewing machine, the foot operated kind (see attached pic), and got myself a piece of plywood, which I sanded/finished/edged. I used the plywood for the top, made a collage of favorite pics for the top, and then covered that with a piece of plexi I had cut to size at Lowe's. My G4 sits on the floor next to the table.

Granted, you might need more room (the top of mine measures about 36"x"20", and I've only got an LCD monitor/keyboard/mouse on top), but what you could probably do is find two of those old manual bottoms (at a thrift store or what have you) and make yourself a fuller size desk. I would guess for a bigger desk you'd probably want to use MDF and maybe get a coupla 2x4's cut to size to beef up the span between the two supports.

Anyways, I've got a wicked cool computer desk that everyone compliments, and the total cost of the project was probably around $30. Best of all, Singer part is cast iron. This desk does not tip or wobble...not even a little.

Hope this helps
cheers :)
 

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interestingly enough, I made my current desk from MDF. I got tired of looking for the right thing to fit the space I'm currently in, and wanted something that gave me plenty of desktop space. It was never intended to be in use this long, but I never found the right thing to replace it with, so it's been here for a little over 2 years now. (pic linked - the computer's been replaced since, and the room looks nothing like that now)
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I may end up making another desk if I can't find the right thing... it's just irritating to find the huge void between Bush/Sauder/Prefab "crap" furniture which is fine if you're on a budget and nicer "executive" style stuff that's real wood, built to last, etc.
 
Mudbug said:
it's just irritating to find the huge void between Bush/Sauder/Prefab "crap" furniture which is fine if you're on a budget and nicer "executive" style stuff that's real wood, built to last, etc.
Click to expand...

yea, I'm with you there. That's why I just made mine. Everything I could afford sucked completely.

Yer desk rocks, btw. It shows actual craftmanship. All that mine shows is that Lowe's can cut wood into a rectangle.
 
MB, youd be surprised some of the things that Staples has, and the prices are really good. I researched for about 2 weeks on a desk, and ended up going with a nice one. I paid $150 for it, but I saw it for $100 at staples last week.
 
I just got my Gallant from Ikea on Saturday. Very, very nice desk.

Still don't have a Mac Pro for it though.
 
thanks for the suggestions so far guys -

something I meant to mention before - I want the desk to be freestanding. I had the office built with ethernet, phone & electric built into floor plugs so I wouldn't have cords all over the floor. Sooooooo... whatever I end up with needs to have a back of some type to hide the cord clutter.
 
well, design within reach has some stuff to consider ( i kind of like http://www.dwr.com/productdetail.cfm?id=9359 )

you should also look at Knoll and Steelcase, but those can get very expensive very quickly

beyond that... not sure. i personally prefer a ton of space with no drawers; i use a tabouret instead. right now i am using a very nice, very big, very well made, very clean contemporary looking dining room table as a desk that i got at a salvation army for less than $75.
 
also, something else you may want to consider doing if you live near a good art/design school with a furniture program is getting a student to do it. this could be a way to get a very expensive desk for not much more than the cost of the materials.
 
Since you are handy and since you said you could remake anything you saw or most things you saw, I would suggest the following (and you can modify it to suit your cord clutter needs).

Just check out the image and go to Pottery Barn. The desk comes in other colors, not just white.
I will be purchasing this in black once I move into a house. It is too heavy and too pricey to be moving it from apartment to apartment. Once I am rooted this will be the desk that I have. I can have as many drawers or as little drawers and I can start small and build up. I found this to be one of the better desks. While I love the look of an all glass desk, I am in California and we shake from time to time. ;)

img78l.jpg
 
I bought that desk not too long ago, except mine have a clear glass top. It looks amazing, and it's around $100, pretty cheap. That picture is straight from Ikea, I use a PC at home, don't wanna show it here. :p

56604xxxxxxxxs6dk3.jpg
 
I got a similar type of desk as iGary (L-shaped) from Fumac. My desk (210cmx220cm) costed me about 50% more than an IKEA equivalent.
I don't know if Fumac is available in the US, but I am sure there are other danish furniture manufacturers available in US. Danes just make better furniture than us Swedes..:(
 
heehee said:
I bought that desk not too long ago, except mine have a clear glass top. It looks amazing, and it's around $100, pretty cheap. That picture is straight from Ikea, I use a PC at home, don't wanna show it here. :p

56604xxxxxxxxs6dk3.jpg
Click to expand...


Can you please give me the name and link of that desk... its the perfect desk for me:cool:
 
Now, granted, I'm prejudiced, but...

I don't think you can find a better desk than the ones at legarefurniture.com

They go together in two minutes time, without tools or hardware. They are incredibly sturdy as they are made from 13 ply, 18 mm. baltic birch hardwood.

The desks are made from an FSC certified mill so that they are eco friendly.

The desks will go together the 10,000th time as easily as the first, so they are great for people who move alot...

And you know they are really thought out, because they were designed by a certified apple developer....


Legarefurniture.com
 
Dr.Gargoyle said:
I got a similar type of desk as iGary (L-shaped) from Fumac. My desk (210cmx220cm) costed me about 50% more than an IKEA equivalent.
I don't know if Fumac is available in the US, but I am sure there are other danish furniture manufacturers available in US. Danes just make better furniture than us Swedes..:(
Click to expand...

The Fumac stuff is stunning - I am going to call them first thing business day and ask about the Arki+ range!
 
Ikea JONAS. Lots of space, looks cool too!

See the 18 & Under setups thread. Mine's in there...
 
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