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if you like it and it seems it will suit your needs, that's all you need to know. It seems like a simple white desk, if that's what you want and it's in your price range, get it...

There is one from Overstock.com that looks identical to the West Elm Parson desk. We have it and love it. The drawers may not be as smooth and the white paint is a bit thin, but that can always be repainted or coated.

I'm thinking of getting the one from overstock.com.

Please don't buy from Walmart . . . . Not exactly the most progressive of companies, with the exception of a token nod toward the "green" movement.

I like the looks of the WalMart desk and if the price is right, go for it.

Please don't buy it from Walmart! It might not even last the couple of years you think you'll want it. I've only purchased two pieces of "furniture" from Walmart, and I seriously regretted both purchases. Maybe this desk is different... but if you have any other options (like the Overstock desk?) I wouldn't chance it.

hit it with a high gloss paint to make it upscale

hi there!
i personally don't think that the walmart desk is that similar to the west elm one aesthetically.
you could try to make your own version:
http://www.designspongeonline.com/2008/04/diy-project-maggis-minimalist-oak-desk.html

when you get tired of it, you can always recycle the boards and make shelves or something else...

if it fits your needs and you're ok with the looks, then it's a perfectly reasonable substitute.

Chiming in on the Parson-inspired desk at Overstock. I have it and think it looks great. Better than I thought it would be.

I've always found white furniture from Walmart to look very cheap. I suppose because it is never glossy enough and the paper can appear 'bubbly' even if its not actually bubbled. That white paper material is so hard to clean too and chips/dents easily. I'd try the Overstock version.

Uh, I'm not finding what you are all talking about at Overstock. Got link?

Why not just get two $50 file cabinets from Office Depot and a $40 hollow-core door from Home Depot?

I'm confused as to how two file cabinets and an empty door would in any way look similar to a parsons desk. ?

Overstock's "student desk" (the one that looks like WE's Parsons) sold out, unfortunately. I like Overstock's Kylie Student desk, though. It comes in blue, red and green (which looks more like yellow to me) which you could probably prime and paint white and it has 5 stars, so I guess the quality is good. It's $180 which is a lot cheaper than the parsons, but probably more expensive than the walmart one.

when you dont have much to spend, i'd go for function over form. think about what you need it for, if you can afford the wal-mart desk, get it! no one has to know where you got it from and everyone loves a bargain!

Walmart employs how many people in the US? If Walmart goes out of business--where will they work? At local craft fairs?

I don't own this desk, but I do own Wal-Mart furniture, including other South Shore items. As long as you're not dancing on top of this desk on a daily basis, it should last for years.

Please don't buy disposable furniture!!! If you have a small budget why don't you try to find a second-hand desk?

Thanks for the comments everybody- to be honest, I'm surprised my question even made it.

I should say that the desk itself is made from 100% recycled materials and I didn't end up ordering from Wal-Mart without paying too much more.

Anyway, I'll wait to see what it looks like when it comes, and then make the executive decision as to adding high-gloss paint myself.

I would like to see a nice desk assembled from those cabinets and a hollowed door. The idea sounds interesting.

That's so funny because I've been looking at desks and I really liked the parsons desk, but it's out of my price range and I found that wal-mart desk too but was debating whether or not to get it. I wish they would get that overstock.com desk back. That's exactly what I wanted.

One thing I have bought at Wal Mart that I LOVE are the wooden spool stools. Of course they're a knockoff of the Eames walnut stools.

They're not on the website but for less than $25 they're awesome.

jick -
Perhaps I read too much into this, but it sounded to me like the OP needs a solid & functional setup for not a whole lot of $$$ before he needs something that "looks pretty".

i wish more people could relate to the idea of "not having a lot of money for furniture" on this site.
ha.

that said, it looks like you could maybe remove the back and side panels of the desk you bought to make it look even more like the west elm one you liked.

i knew the wal-mart haters were gonna come out for this one. how did i know? i am one. wal-mart is not the place for furniture. if you're living on a budget, do without. if you can't do without, get creative. if you aren't creative, surf the internet or call your creative friends for ideas.

i get headaches just walking in those stores...

I got the version from Overstock and my sister has the one from West Elm. The difference is the paint is thin, the base and legs are thinner and it's half the price than the one from West Elm. The quality for the one from Overstock is good considering the price. It may be sold out in Overstock but every once in a while they keep restocking it online.

I'd love to look at the trash bins of all the people carrying on about "disposable furniture" and see how much of what they buy is ecologically sound. All the remodeling people do is creating waste. You can't redesign without harming the environment.

Even cheap furniture (which I have plenty of, though it's not from Wal-Mart) can last a decade or more.

Adam, I think it's fine. The student desk has the underlying essence of what the parsons desk is. If that's what you can afford, I say go with it.

Don't (mis)treat cheap furniture like it's disposable, and it'll last for years. The stuff sold on Wal-mart's website is better quality than what's in stores, IMO. I have a couple chairs from walmart.com that I've had for years--they are sturdy, comfortable, and I still get compliments on them!

I'm not against Walmart furniture (I have quite a bit of it...heh) but I have a Walmart desk and I haaaaate and loathe it with a passion. It's wobbly, the corners are so sharp with the laminate stuff, it's ugly, and I left a cup sitting on it and it left a huge weird bubble thing in the laminate stuff. Blech.

I really, REALLY wish I would have gone to a flea market and picked up a used one. I think I paid around $50 for the crappo desk, and I'm sure I could have found something used for that price that would have been much nicer.

bepsf - looks like by not reading too much into it, you didn't read enough into it. I don't see the substitute having too much in the way of file and other storage to have to go the route you suggest. He's looking for similar but less expensive, not cheap and nothing at all like the expensive one.

I thought his question was geared more towards an opinion on the actual desk and it's resemblance to a parsons desk. I guess I just thought it odd to suggest something that would totally different and still be fairly pricey. If he was that concerned with function over form, then why not just hit up a thrift store or craigslist with $50?