apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

That is lovely!! Great idea and elegant yet functional! Thanks for the post!

I don't particularly associate marble with the bathroom. I think it looks great.

I can't get over the bathroom association--my first thought on looking at the photo was, "Why would you put a computer in a bathroom?"

Marble is truly a universal material so I find the look of this desk to be very elegant and clean.

Adendum...Only caveat is that it tends to scratch easily so you need to exercise caution if you plan on writing at a desk like this. Plus I advise placing felt footings under the keyboard and monitor.

Pretty extravagant. I'd probably use the money for a better chair.

If I could afford it, I'd put carrera marble on everything...

Yeah, I don't really associate marble with a bathroom connotation, more of a cost connotation. The bathroom and kitchen are the two most expensive areas of the house per sq foot, and they are also the places where you will see your biggest returns, making the use of marble a little more justifiable in those areas.

Marble in a home office, while looking nice, seems awfully extravagant to me. It probably cost a fortune and I doubt it is going to give them the rate of return that they had hoped.

But heck, if they enjoy it than everything I just said is moot!

for me the bathroom connotation is not really the problem - more the feeling that it would be a very cold surface.

After putting Carrera marble in my bathroom, I'll never go near it again. It's hell to maintain. But, putting it in any area that does not have a sink, toliet, tub and shower makes perfect sense to me.

Marble isn't as expensive as you'd think.

I recently bought a slab of honed white carrera marble for the top of a Knoll credenza (roughly 18x72"), and the total cost with delivery was about $400. Scratching is virtually a non-issue with honed marble, by the way.

"It probably cost a fortune and I doubt it is going to give them the rate of return that they had hoped."

Comments like this make me so incredibly SAD. Doesn't anyone make decisions on what to do with their homes based on what they want and LOVE? I have never, ever thought about "returns" when doing work on my house. I'm the one who lives here now, and as far as I'm concerned, I don't need any further justification for using the materials and colors that make my life more beautiful and enjoyable every single day.

By the way, tallguylehigh, I really wasn't trying to jump down your throat with my comment -- I know what you said is based in the realities of the current home-buying market. It's that trend that I'm depressed by, not you!

marble is freezing. i used to have a marble desktop. made my forearm numb.

black marble? yes.. white? no.

perhaps even something like a black soapstone with some interesting veining.

The cabinetry below is too reminiscent of bathroom/kitchen decor, especially with the color and hardware. If the white marble was kept, but the pait color of the desk area were changed to perhaps something more colorful, it would get rid of the "antiseptic white on white with white" feel associated with such spaces. The polished chrome hardware also reaffirms this clinical feel.

Perhaps a bamboo or sage-y green with brass pulls, or go really wild with something off the wall like a blueberry blue and some different accents.

In short it's not the marble itself that gives it the bathroom feel, but the overall white theme that does it. Giving the space some color would help a lot.

A marble topped built in desk would more than likely add value and yes, like Anna at D-16 stated, you can find pieces for a good price. As with anything, it just takes some research and shopping around.

I have carrera marble in both my kitchen and my master bathroom and it is actually wearing very well and has been easy to maintain. Yes, there are some scratches and stains (mine is polished), but I like that it isn't perfect.

As for making changes to a house, I agree that you should make changes you love, but also keep the financial investment and how it relates to your home's value in mind. By spending your money wisely, it is easy to achieve a look you love and have a decent ROI when it comes to your home's value.

Waaay too chilly. You'd have to wear long sleeves to use your desk!

white marble looks great next to a dark/warm wood (walnut, wenge) in a non-kitchen/bath setting, but in the white/white/white environment, it does look a bit antiseptic -- ergo kitchen-y or bath-y.

Herman Miller makes office furniture with marble tops, including the Florence Knoll series. So I think this is fairly common.

I don't particularly associate marble with the bathroom either. It looks great here.