Again, there I go liking the most expensive one the best...a curse, I tell you. The Riga Desk spoke to me first (and the color probably had a lot to do with that). I think the organic swell of the Camelot desk is stirring and quite beautiful. On the opposite side of the spectrum, I like the Albini desk because it looks a bit odd, with the heavy-looking drawers floating like modern magic.

My suggestion: the Leonardo work desk by Castiglioni. At $2964 not cheap, but on a square foot basis... a steal! Admittedly it's not for a tiny space, but with a table/desk like this, there's no excuse for not getting to work. The link:
http://www.unicahome.com/p24283/zanotta/leonardo-work-table-by-castiglioni.html

Am I the only one who thinks that $599 is not exactly "totally accessible"?

I thought the same thing brobin.

I have Crate and Barrel's leaning desk and like it a lot with a few small reservations. The footprint is really small so it works well if you have a little home office/computer space in a room that has a different function (ours is in the kitchen). I'm not sure it would be enough space if you were a student or worked at home and spent a lot of time at the desk. We use it as a computer desk, but there's a mass of wires that are very hard to disguise. I think it would work best if you had a laptop, for instance, or one of the macs that are wire-light (we have a mac mini with a sep. wall-mounted monitor). We've had it for about two years now, and it's showing a little wear, so it's not one of those things you buy and have forever. Finally, it works in our apartment where it is now, but it's quite vertical. I liked it less in our old apartment where it was in the living room-- it felt out-of-place because everything else was lower, and I think took up extra visual space.

I have had a crush on this Ralph Lauren desk for many years now. It's above and beyond high end. Anyone know of a similar desk in the "totally accessible" range?

http://rlhome.polo.com/rlhome/products/furniture/item.asp?haid=74&item_id=5812&t=0

Brobin: No.

I really like the Kyoto Bamboo Desk from Crate & Barrel:
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=1070&f=22292&q=eco line&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1

But I currently use the West Elm Parsons desk in shiny white, which is a good deal at around $300.

v in boston: Appreciate the detailed feedback on the C&B leaning desk.

What's the verdict on the West Elm Parsons desk? Is the lacquer finish durable or does it scratch/chip easy?

brobin, I was just about to say the same thing myself

In my experience (I have a darker fern green color - no longer available), it is fairly easy to keep it scratch-free. I use it primarily as a computer desk (so minimal writing). I would only worry about scratches with the very dark colors - black and chocolate. The floor models in the stores are always a mess, but they see an insane amount of traffic and are moved around a lot. A few friends have the white one and love it, too.

The Parsons desk will be in my office sometime soon! I'm trying to de-clutter, and I love the minimal style of that desk. Now I just have to find somewhere to store all my art supplies...

The black parsons desk looked awful in the store, and showed dust like crazy. Plus it seemed to chip easily, and show the chips more readily. The other negative is that storage is pretty minimal.

Build build build your own. Legs from hairpinlegs.com; 3/4 birch ply from rockler.com; polyurethane and scrap wood cut to order from Sid's Hardware; a little elbow grease and imagination. Adds up to a custom-size, hot, durable desk that hides cords and matches my mid-century knockoffs for well under $300.

Sorry, I'm pretty proud of myself for this one.

my biggest problem with all writing/computer desks is that they're too high. A good typing surface is about 28-29", and desks are usually 30", some a bit more. And I'm tall. I confirmed my suspicians with an erogonomics expert that CondeNast hires to advise workers on their desk set-ups. I hate those fold-out keyboard trays--usually not enough room--and have thought about buying an old table and cutting down the legs, but then there's always an issue of the armature under the table hitting my legs ... can you tell I've been looking a long time and am frustrated? I'm checking out the build it yourself option, as per Scott B.

ScottB, got any photos to share?

A few quick snaps at http://www.flickr.com/photos/73318157@N00/

Sorry they're not too sexy. I'll put more up once I finish that corner of the room!

Wow, ScottB, that's pretty cool! Love the design. Very nice, indeed.

Wow, the Riga desk looks really ugly to me. I assumed it was one of the cheap ones. I've always loved the Albini desk. And the Offi Wave Desk is surprisingly attractive for only $900 (though, it has the same problem as many modern desks: very little storage space). I guess this is a semi-good sign: I usually gravitate toward the most expensive. Like that Ralph Lauren in one of the earlier comments. There I go again. :-P

I have had the Crate and Barrel leaning desk now for about 2.5 years, and I can't recommend it. Each joining area uses only one bolt, which ends up feeling very flimsy. Also, the finish has not worn well. Once I move again I plan on replacing it with a more substantial desk.

hi,
Can someone tell me who makes the desk pictured above the Parson's desk - the wavy, piano-like desk?

Thanks!

In what universe is $900 "totally accessible"??

People, this is Apartment Therapy. Not Mansion Therapy.

If you think $900 furniture a Mansion makes, you are as out of touch as the editor you are criticizing.

I was just reading an interview with Jamie Drake; he said he would be "hard pressed" to do a living room for only $50,000.

http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/node/803018

Puts it in perspective.

Patrick,

I'm aware that there are people older and richer than myself, and that there must be people out there that spend way more than $900 on a desk. I just object to labeling that "totally accessible." $900 is a breathtakingly ludicrous amount to spend on a desk for every person I know under the age of 40. $300 would be pushing it for most of us.

My original comment was more a frustration with the direction this now-conglomerate is headed, and a desire for the editors to reread their own book and mission statement from time to time. A snippet: "Creating this home doesn’t require large amounts of money or space...The basic elements of good home design can be learned and achieved by all." The proportion of that sort of post has been shrinking over the last few years.

-Sasha