Unplggd reader Jenya from New York City had the following question:
I am looking for a computer desk. My husband works from home from a home office. And we also have a small baby at home running up to his desk and pulling on every wire she can find. So we need a beautiful modern desk, preferably under $1,000, where the wires would not be easily accessible. The desk faces away from the wall, since that is the best way to place a desk in his office. Please help.
We've researched the question in detail to find what you are looking for. For your budget, you can't go with more exclusive high-end furniture designers. Those would be too expensive. One that we really like is the Vu.Vu.Vu desk by Emmemobili pictured above. However, it sells for about $4,000. Your other concern was that this desk would be facing away from a wall, this means that you couldn't use floating desks or corner desks. Basically, you'd want a great free standing desk with cable management. This isn't something that's easy to find and we can understand why you've been having problems finding one.
In the more upscale stores, these desks can get expensive quickly. We've selected a tempered glass desk for you with available cable management, to keep the wires away from the curious hands of your toddler. For your budget, we suggest the IKEA Galant series of desks. Why? Well they are stylish and simple, without any fuss or muss, but they can also be expanded upon. You can add more odds and ends if you think that you are running out of desk space. This coupled with the fact that there is some great cable management available, makes it ideal for a workstation. The trick is not to get too much desk space. It's easy to want to get the largest desk possible, but with drawers and smart thinking, you won't need that much space. If tempered glass isn't your cup of tea, you can always choose a wooden desk. Adding a few separate drawers will complete this setup. All in all, you'll spend less than $500. Sure, it's not as swanky as more expensive desks, but if you choose tempered glass with the chrome legs, we're sure that you'll like the look.
[photos via MacRumors and IKEA]
MORE READER QUESTIONS
Affordable Computer Storage
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
question: where can you find those cord holders that are pictured....? they look like they are covered in felt.
i cannot find them on the ikea website....
view mfpants's profile
I don't think having a glass-topped desk (look at those sharp corners) is a good idea when they have a toddler in the house....
view Alexis9's profile
Hi Mfpants. That's strange, they are on the US IKEA site, in the Galant desk series:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80146070
@Alexis9 You're probably right, that's why the Galant desk is available in a number of different finishes, including different types of wood.
view range's profile
I suggest the OFFI D2 Pocket Desk. It has a storage compartment on the back large enough to hold cables and power strips. I even have external hard drives in mine. It's all covered up by a door. You should be able to find it for under $1000. I purchase mine through designpublic.com
view derkommissar's profile