I Want To Buy A Nice Writing Desk - What To Consider?

[Shangas]

Hey everyone.

 

When I started highschool, more years ago then I care to admit, I set myself up with one bookcase and two 'desks' in my room - a pair of identical, long IKEA computer-tables. Think this:

 

http://lh3.ggpht.com/-eGWfyZ7gpyo/TnbkdxD11iI/AAAAAAAAJ3Y/lHQ5tAEKosw/image%25255B8%25255D.png?imgmax=800

 

That was 10 years ago. At least! I've reached the stage where I'm seriously outgrowing my old desks and I want new one/s.

 

I currently have two identical rectangular computer-tables. They were fine when I was just doing homework on them as a kid. Now I'm a bit older and doing a lot more writing and typing, researching and sending emails, they're getting snowed-under. And they have ABSOLUTELY ZERO STORAGE-SPACE. It's just two wooden boards on metal frames. That's it. As a result, they always look messy, because I have no drawers to store ANYTHING in. Not even my stapler! At least half of all my writing stuff (ink-bottles, writing-paper, stapler, hole-puncher, etc, etc, etc, etc) is all piled up on top of each other. It's a real eyesore and I'm getting sick of it. But I don't have anywhere to put this stuff with my current storage-arrangements.

 

I'm getting fed up with this arrangement and I want something new.

 

I started this thread specifically to get some opinions from other people about the type of writing-desk that I should get. I've got three or four different styles in mind. If anyone who reads this owns one of these, please post and let me know what you think are the pros / cons of it.

 

Bureau/Secretary/Drop-Front/Fall-Front Desk

 

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/attachments/f9/10780d1402602194t-stickley-drop-front-desk-book-plans-inset-664-1207.jpg

 

I've admired this desk-style for DECADES. I like them because they've got a neat appearance, they can hide all your mess away really easily, they're lockable, they have lots of storage, they're relatively easy to move around, and they have a good-sized writing-surface. Something like what's in the picture (with a small cabinet/storage-space on top) would be my ideal form for this type of desk, along with a drawer or two underneath, and a small cupboard-space with a shelf inside, for larger stuff.

 

Rolltop Desk

 

http://tenpennyfurniture.com/images/products/detail/WO-K157R.jpg

 

I've always loved rolltop desks. They're a classic style. But how practical are they as everyday writing-desks? While I love the look, and the ability to hide stuff away without having to rearrange your desktop (unlike with the drop-front), they take up more space and are heavier & harder to move around.

 

Pedestal Desk

 

http://www.elisabethjamesantiques.co.uk/stockimages/antique-twin-pedestal-desk-large-victorian-mahogany-desk-in-georgian-manner-718-P1.jpg

 

I have a love-hate relationship with pedestal-desks. While they have storage-space, they're huge, heavy and bulky. I know the desktops can be lifted up and carried separately and all, but I'm not sure. I'm worried about the desktop getting cluttered and not being able to hide it. I want my desk to be neat. The pedestal-style desk might be a nice replacement for my computer-desk, though.

 

The key features I'm after are...

 

- Relatively compact (my room isn't small, but it's not some sort of airship-barn or whatever. The desk can't be massive).

- Plenty of storage (drawers would be best. Drawers + cabinet/shelves = ideal).

- Not from IKEA!!

 

Any and all suggestions & feedback is appreciated

Edited April 6, 2015 by Shangas

[Cryptos]

I cannot offer any suggestions on specific desks but I can make an observation about them that, in my experience, mirrors the issue I have with my every day carry bag and it's this: no matter what you choose you will eventually fill it up. My desk started nice and clean. A year later and I can barely see the surface! I have to shift things around to create a working space. In my office at work I have three desks. It didn't take along for all three to accumulate enough stuff to cover them. Unless one is very diligent in one's habits this kind of creeping occupation seems inevitable.

 

Personally I prefer open desks with a bit of depth to them - my own at home are nowhere near deep enough. I find the bureau style to be too claustrophobic, but perhaps that's just me.

[Shangas]

I had thought of getting a nice, deep desk (like a pedestal/partner's desk), But my room simply doesn't have the SPACE for it. Unless it's a bureau where I can fold up the extra space into the desktop.

[Jeffrey Garrett]

The roll-top desk is a really nice piece if you have the room and style of house to put it in. Definitely my choice, with a matching chair of course

 

All those little spaces to hide your precious pens

 

Lovely!

[my63]

Hi Shangas

I have an old oak pedestal desk I bought from an auction house about 15 years ago it was old and tatty it is even older now but slightly less tatty it was very cheap I remember the delivery charge was almost as much as the desk.

When I first bought it I took all of the drawers from one side and cut the fronts off to make a door and housed my pc tower in there but it got too hot so I use if for my camera bag and lenses now.

At one end is a filing cabinet and at the other an Ikea oak unit I use for my AV gear.

If I ever get it tidy I will take a picture but don't hold your breadth.

good luck with your search

[PaperDarts]

My suggestion is to look at everything that you would want to keep in or on a desk, and how much work space you will have left after everything is in place. It sounds as though it's your working space that's being crowded out with your current set-up! I also think there's merit in being able to shut your work away with a drop-front or roll-top desk.

 

The seductive thing about pictures of desks is that they are rarely shown with the usual things a person keeps on a desk - imagine those cubbyholes and surfaces full of your things, and that will be a big clue! Good luck, and have fun with the hunt.

[webgeckos]

I like the one with Neopoleon. Especially if it comes with the bust because you can sing Abba's Waterloo as you write

[webgeckos]

BTW Mine is a 6' tall Secretary desk. I cleaned it out this weekend. The upper cabinet has 3 shelves and is wide enough to store 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper. It has three drawers: one very deep, one shallow and one med. sized.

 

The desk part pulls down. Inside is a pigeon hole with 2 tiny drawers on each side and a little shelf above them. In the center is a larger area, I'll edit this later and post a picture when I get home.

[kansaskyle]

I'm in a similar situation. I have a small computer desk that works fine for computer stuff, but it is a bit overwhelmed with my recent ink, paper, and pen acquisitions! I am considering two options:

 

1. A small secretary desk

I would keep my computer desk, and move all my writing stuff off to the secretary. I think these look nice and tidy, but it requires a second desk.

 

 

2. Pedestal desk

This would be similar to the one pictured in the original post that would be large enough to house my monitors, printer, etc., but also provide enough space to write and store pen stuff.

 

On the positive side, I would have a single desk. I am just not sure if I want a big, bulky desk though. I know you can find some with hutches, pull out leaves, etc., so that might be a consideration for more storage and a dedicated writing space.

[duende]

I wanted to buy a rolltop desk, but I have a laptop and a monitor, which would have hindered access to all those wonderful shelves and drawers. So your computer needs are something to consider as well.

 

I opted for a minimalist Danish style desk. It's classically modern.

 

Edited April 6, 2015 by duende

[da vinci]

If you go for a bureau or "fold down" type desk, make sure you test how sturdy the desk top is when using it as a writing surface. Nothing worse than a bouncy or shaky desk top IMHO!

[inkstainedruth]

If you go for a bureau or "fold down" type desk, make sure you test how sturdy the desk top is when using it as a writing surface. Nothing worse than a bouncy or shaky desk top IMHO!

+1 on that. Try to look for one that has pull out supports, to give the fold down desk part a little extra stability and put less stress on the hinges.

I thought I was going to go that route myself last fall, but ended up going cheap -- but a little Bombay & Co. writing desk with a stool seat on Craig'slist instead. My issues were that I wanted storage, but only had so much available wall space. To make up for the lack of storage on the desk (there is a small shelf at the back and a very small drawer -- eally just big enough for a notebook and/or post-its), I sprung for a second fold-down 3-shelf bookcase from Pier1 that matched one I had previously bought to use as a combination pen/ink storage unit and nightstand. There is just enough room for the desk between the two bookcases and still have room to get boxes off the lower shelves on the bookcase next to my bed (the bookcases are set perpendicular to the left and right sides of the desk).

And yes, I'm already cluttering the desktop. Ironically, I mismeasured when I asked what the dimensions of the desk were -- there are slightly raised sides which look nice, but means that the leatherette desk blotter I had picked up at an estate sale for just a few bucks doesn't fit -- it's about 2" too wide (although the depth is good).

And the shelving units are also pretty full up -- I don't think I'm going to have room for any more of the nice rattan-looking covered boxes from IKEA, and I don't think I can get a 5th sample vial rack in the box storing those....

I looked on Craigslist, at furniture stores of varying prices and quality, in antiques malls and at places that sold office equipment: everything from a Colonial style drop-down unit (painted blue!) to a really lovely (but expensive and way too small) Victorian side-by-side to a very minimalist IKEA secretary (for which the matching hutch didn't appear to be available in my local store's location.... I even looked at library books on furniture plans. The desk I ended up with is really more of a stopgap piece than what I eventually want, but at $40 was a fraction of what I saw for sale anywhere else, and even buying the second bookshelf was still less expensive than some pieces (the side-by-side was around $600, IIRC).

Good luck with your search.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Shangas]

My suggestion is to look at everything that you would want to keep in or on a desk, and how much work space you will have left after everything is in place. It sounds as though it's your working space that's being crowded out with your current set-up! I also think there's merit in being able to shut your work away with a drop-front or roll-top desk.

 

The seductive thing about pictures of desks is that they are rarely shown with the usual things a person keeps on a desk - imagine those cubbyholes and surfaces full of your things, and that will be a big clue! Good luck, and have fun with the hunt.

 

I'm aware of that, that's why I thought I'd ask here first, just in case others thought of something which I hadn't. If I could get a drop-front or rolltop of the same size as the table that it's replacing, I think that'd provide more than enough writing space, and plenty of storage-space.

[Paddler]

I have an old pedestal desk and a really old drop-front secretary. The pedestal desk is not deep enough to hold my journal books and still keep enough of my arm supported so I can write with a "whole arm" technique. The secretary top is deeper. My secretary top also has glassed-in shelves and has room for inks, etc.

[Shangas]

http://garyyeatonantiques.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Chippendale-Secretary-Desk-5677.jpg

 

Something like this is probably gonna be too big for my purposes. There's really only one or two places in the room where I could put it, so... it won't work.

[LindaM]

One thing about roll tops - as they age, the roll tops themselves can get balky. My dad had a used furniture shop when I was a kid, and it was an uncommon event when he'd get one of those desks that opened and closed without a struggle.

[FountainPages]

http://www.roomandboard.com/catalog/living/console-tables/adams-console-tables

 

 

...this is what I use.

Edited April 7, 2015 by FountainPages

[Shangas]

One thing about roll tops - as they age, the roll tops themselves can get balky. My dad had a used furniture shop when I was a kid, and it was an uncommon event when he'd get one of those desks that opened and closed without a struggle.

 

HI Linda,

 

Yeah I've noticed that as well. I've seen some old ones which slide open and shut really well, and some which need a 'knack' to close them ('just jiggle it right and it pops right down!" kinda thing).

 

That's why I think I'm falling more towards the fall-front / drop-front desk...Thanks for telling me that. Something to consider

[Barkingpig]

I can remember when I commented that I hoped to have a roll top desk someday my Mother saying that I had better enjoy it with the "top

open" as she had never seen many that continued to operate without issue. The older ones actually were glued or affixed someway to cloth strips that were certainly designed for less than optimum longevity. I have seen (probably later) ones that consisted of metal bands that held the wood strips. But I still remember her caution. (I also had a retractable hardtop car when I was a teenager & original owner said she hadn't lowered the top in years & wouldn't recommend me doing so. I took it to the service department of our Ford dealer & got "set straight" in short order! The manager said they were trouble from the beginning & that was the reason they were only made a few years. IF I was foolish enough to try my luck I should remember HE wouldn't help me & would only say: "TOLD YOU SO!" I never did get my courage up to try it & happily said good bye to it after a year.) I suspect some new owners of roll top desks might become equally frustrated.

[Shangas]

Hi BP,

 

Thanks for the comments. That being the case, I've altered my sights onto drop-front desks instead. Would appreciate feedback on them, if folks have any to spare.