apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Hi Riza,

I have a wall shelving unit with a larger shelf at the bottom that i use as a shelf. I got the materials at office depot but they have them at the container store too. What I have looks a lot like this - http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=77640&PRODID=65214

good luck!

oops i meant to say the larger shelving unit that i use as a DESK... not a shelf.

Crate and Barrel has three options in the small footprint and your price range...

Studio Compact Office
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=1070&f=24101

Incognito Compact Office
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=1070&f=12767

Oak Park Compact Office
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=1070&f=12494

IKEA has the Cyril workstation, which is taller than the Moda, but has a very small profile (just under 16").

I've also been looking and thought the Crate & Barrel options might be okay, until I went into the store and looked at them. They feel like Ikea, but at Crate & Barrel prices. I would've bought the Incognito in a second if it had been under $400, but at it's current price, it's just not worth it. I may go back and buy the Studio Compact office, but it's really crappy and I'll have to assemble it myself.

This may not be your taste, but I use an Arts&Crafts library table. It has drawers on either side that pull out, plus a shelf underneath (originally intended for oversize atlasses). The lines are very clean, so it works in a modern room.

Ikea's GOLIAT desk might be an option, too:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20111323

http://eq3.com/cat-eq3/process/locale/en_US/currency/en_US/3030-568.html

This is a lot bigger but it's close to your price range.

http://www.ballarddesigns.com/Furniture/Armoires/Office-Armoires/Eastman-Secretary/p/1782?path=1%2C2%2C1443%2C1470%2C1667&iProductID=1782

Check the height of the desk surface you'll put your keyboard on - it if is too high, it might cause problems with your shoulder/neck over time. There is lots of information on-line about what constitutes an "ergonomic" set-up that you can use to figure out the dimensions that work for you. It may not be an issue for you (or for all the people who work on their laptops at Starbucks), but if it is, you'll have problems using whatever you buy.

West Elm has a new space saving desk in your price range. Check it out:

http://www.westelm.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=17001&langId=-1&catalogId=17002&viewSetCode=E&partNumber=WE-PRODf678&retainNav=true&parent_category_rn=&cmsrc=SCH&parentId=ashford

I have a great many books that I need to display in my living-room. I want to purchase inexpensive bookcases to which I want to ad a little style by connectring them with moulding. How can I do this? Thank you

the only problem with these compact offices is that u can't scoot your chair up and have ur legs under ur desk. that would bother me.

Hi Riza,
I have the Moda desk and like it very much. It's compact, but offers a lot of storage. And the pull-out keyboard shelf really increases the usable surface area. It's also well made.

You probably checked with Room and Board to see if they had any leftover stock - this was a desk that they kept in stock for immediate delivery. What about floor models? There have to be some of those lying around somewhere! Also, I seem to recall that the original vendor of the desk was a small company in New York... maybe you can get the contact info from R & B?

Anyway, I wish you all the best! Good luck!

Thanks for everyone's suggestions!! I've spent some time looking into each one and have found some great options.

Jcinia, I did contact R&B, and they gave me the manufacturer's contact info. They may be able to make one for me, I just have to wait for the cost/shipping info. Hopefully it isn't too much but at least now I have some good alternatives.

did you see the Copenhagen at R&B? it looks very similar to me