Q: We just moved into an apartment in Brooklyn and have this great space near the front door we'd like to use as an "office". Currently, we have my hubby's childhood desk in the corner with bins of misc stuff. We'd like to create a space where we can use the computer, house bills/mail/etc and layout scrapbooking stuff. I'm thinking an L-shaped piece of furniture would work best:
The space is about 6' by 4'6".
We rent but are able to hang stuff on the walls. I'm most lost about what piece of furniture to place in the area. I've searched a lot of the big brand furniture stores and no one has L-shaped furniture. Any suggestions of what I could do in the space? Or ideas of where else to look in NYC/Long Island for furniture?
Thanks so much in advance for any help you can give! :)
Sent by Alyssa
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What about an expedit desk combination? Ikea also has the galant and vika corner desks. Using pedestals for legs would give you some added storage.
Build or design your own. Unless you really use your current desk like the one you had in elementary school (i.e. you keep everything you need and use daily inside those drawers and you do "homework" right there), a big table would serve your needs better. Think about it: wasn't it way easier to do homework at the kitchen table? Maybe hang some floating shelves on the wall to organize your files and display your stuff and a file cabinet for important papers and then get a nice big table to use as your desk.
Most places that sell desks also sell "returns," which you can use to make an El. You can also look at the component systems from Ballard Designs if you are not looking for full-on contemporary. They have all the pieces required to wrap a desk around a corner.
It's not a cheap solution, but we have this L-shaped desk from West Elm (set 2): http://www.westelm.com/products/modular-office-f942/?pkey=coffice-desk-chairs. It's 3 separate pieces, and easy to swap what goes on the right/left.
Furniture stores don't sell L-Shaped desk? I know Brick (which I think might be Canadian though) sell L-Shaped desk; I actually own one. Otherwise, you can probably look online (amazon maybe?). Good luck!
You may also want to add wall-mounted shelving or cabinets above the desk for neat storage.
My husband and I just built a extremely affordable L shaped computer desk-we took two pieces of heavy duty glass and bought four metal trestles from Ikea. It cost us less than 50 bucks to make.
Have you visited an office supply store, say a Staples or Office Depot? They have many L shaped desks. I also second the Ikea suggestion.
Get thee to IKEA! You also may want to consider purchasing 2 tables (such as the Melltorp) and configuring them as a "L" shape. It may give you more versatility as your needs change or you move to a new residence.
Will agree with everyone on the Ikea solution. Here is what I did with a corner in my house to create a great L-shaped work space.
My Ikea home office setup
http://images-40.har.com/e1/MediaDisplay/40/hr2823540-18.jpg
Love your office, PaulDonovan! I usually don't like geometric rugs, but that one really enhances an already beautiful space.
@Pauldoanvan - Really nice setup you have there, thank you so much for sharing it!
Consider an armoire with a desk inside that you can close. Much nicer, and when you later move it can be used in another room for storage or once again as a desk. .
L-shapes take up more space than they gain you. I have had multiple desk setups, including L and Corner desks. My advice: go vertical and keep less stuff on your actual desk. I like elfa or similar wall mounted, adjustable shelves above the desk. You can keep your desk or swap it, but put your monitor on a shelf at eye level floating above your desk -- this will give you more desk space and be more ergonomic. Add a few shelves above your monitor to house boxes or bins for storage and display items.
Two smaller desks or tables combine to make an L.
And sharing a desk sucks, two smaller desks or bust! =)
The current Crate and Barrel catalog shows an L shaped use of a 48" and 36" Pilsen glass topped desks. It looked nice in the catalog and they were $199 and $179 not too painful.
Yep, I bought 2 Elfa desk tops and one drawer unit, a filing cabinet and 4 legs. I've had this setup for 12 years. I've configured them in many different ways depending on the room including L shape and parallel desks (main desk and printer/work table behind).
Container Store: http://bit.ly/7Exzl0
You can do the same thing with desk tops and legs from IKEA or even build your own using wood and some table legs.
Some examples from Ikeahacker.com
http://www.ikeahackers.net/2011/06/expedit-vika-amon-desk-to-fit-my-office.html
http://www.ikeahackers.net/2011/01/pottery-barn-inspired-desk.html
I also have storage shelves on the wall above to reduce desktop clutter.
I have an Ikea expedit system that works really well and can look modern, depending on your color choices. I chose black and red. I'm not sure if it's possible to post a photo, but I can share what the office looks like.
Here's a photo of my Ikea Expedit setup. This combination cost $369 total.
Here's the link. https://picasaweb.google.com/101826965464487963028/March82012#5717407543282917746