How do you pick furniture?
 

so I have been "shopping" for a desk for... well, what seems like forever.

I'm looking for the perfect desk and I'm almost tempted to try and piece something together all "Ikea Hacker" style.

I saw what WOULD have been the perfect desk at Ikea when I was looking for a bed.


I'm looking for something that has 2 levels, a main level and an upper shelf.

the main level would have to be the "executive" style desk. Extremely deep. something that's hard to reach across and touch the backside of.

the upper shelf would have to be big enough to hold a laptop and anything else I want up there.


I'm still on the hunt for this desk but i've yet to see anything like it.


what do you guys do when it comes to wanting a specific piece for your collection?

I'm all about ikea hacking. We just pieced together an office for my wife out of ikea bits. If this is going to be up against a wall, and you like the Ikea aesthetic, I'd do a bit clean rectangular desk and then a floating wall shelf for your lap top.

Given that approximately 90% of my furniture is second-hand, I may not be the best one to advise on this matter. Still, I'd say just keep looking. Try thrift shops, you can sometimes get some great deals in them.

I looked everywhere.

I even think of thought of things that weren't your normal desk.

Anthrocarts are what I currently have at home. They are durable, modular, and have great warranty.

They aren't cheap, but they have every kind of configuration and accessory that I could ever want.

If I can't find something I like, I just build something. Very few things in life are as fulfilling as woodwork, imho.

BTW, how do you like this:
http://www.ethanallen.com/ea/com.eth...t?top=1&body=1
plus a matching shelf above?

I think that link just took me to the home page.

Obstinate site. Search through it and then copy it.

Keep your eye out in consignment and thrift stores too - lots of older furniture is nice and big, and you could easily use a big old desk, and put a hutch on top to give you your second shelf.

I know it doesn't fit your description, but what do you think of this:
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=1070&f=6837
or this:
http://hecklerdesign.com/index.html

Price.

After we bought a new house we got a bit of sticker shock on the insane prices they wanted for furniture from most places.

We found a discount store and have been very happy over all. I am very happy that our very nice looking bedroom set cost less than most places wanted just for the bed. We are not trying to buy family heirlooms here.

For my desk we got a gigantic one from Ikea, it was a bit overpriced but its huge and nicely functional.

eh, basically i'm looking for something that is tough and deep. Solid wood exec style desks are the kings of this.

its like the one I use at work, I've got enough room for 5 computers on the surface of this desk if I so choose to exercise this option.

instead, for home use, I was thinking of it more along the lines of a "studio" desk

picture yourself standing facing the wall, desk in front of you.

main level, far back mid left of center = Turntable one
to the right of that, the mixer
to the right of that, turntable 2.


to either the far back right or left could be an actual SFF computer used for recording and other things.

turntables in the cases are about 18 inches lengthwise from the wall towards where you're standing. widthwise, at least 24 inches. I may wind up taking them out of the case and selling them, I don't need flight cases, If i'm flying, they better damn well have turntables there already. so.. yeah scratch that :P

then I have a 61 key midi controller (think of ronald jenkeessss)
then my laptop which i'd want up on a shelf ABOVE the turntables. (but still able to just drop it down and use it at the desk level if i'm not using it for the mixing stuff)

basically, will, your furniture is pretty svelte, but I really just need the humvee of home furniture, big, ugly, utilitarian, and doing the job in more space than I really require.

Consider a table + rolling Drawer set + Shelving unit.

http://denver.craigslist.org/fur/669223699.html
Multi level, deep, and you're near Denver, yes?

not big enough

http://www.staples.com/webapp/wcs/st...:CG33:CL161511
Bam, 6' long, 3' deep. You can build one for a fraction of that price.

Hey willravel! Im in Portland and Im looking for a platform bed with memory foam mattress.
I kind of groove on the midcentury or japanese look (see edo bed).
Got anything?

http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/5715/deskig2.jpg

like this, only with a shelf.

i've come to realize i'll probably need to get shelving seperate.

http://www.synthtopia.com/content/20...-laptop-stand/

Portland just got an Ikea. I'd imagine they'd have a platform bed with lines like you're looking for.

Personally, my current furniture is a hodge-podge of inheritance from family and friends, except for my desk, which is a computer desk from Staples. My SO has a desk like you want, Shauk, but it was inherited from a former resident of the house we live in.

My ikea desk would fit what you are looking for.

Its L shaped, fits 3 computers, tv, dvd, scanner, printer, and assorted junk, and I could jump up and down on it.

Has a optional shelf too (for the scanner).

Shauk, I just realized the desk I'm currently at approaches your requirements.
The main desktop is 3' deep by 4' wide, and it has modular height-adjustable shelves.

Here it is naked:
http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/ima...erker-desk.jpg

Here it is with a different desktop and some of the optional stuff tacked on: (not mine, no pic of mine yet)
http://adam.pra.to/content/jerker/cain/desk1.jpg

Personally I HATE ikea with a passion, I think the furniture they sell is very cheaply made and ugly as sin. Hence the cheap prices.
I say keep an eye out on craigslist. I've found some great stuff on there. Most major cities have one.
I agree with Willravel, my father has started carpentry (he's currently working on making a custom closet full of wood cabinets for my parents walk in closet) I would rather spend the extra money and get something that will last and is classic, but thats just my opinion. I studied modern architecture, I just don't care for the lines. I'm traditional, cherry wood and Thomasville are what I fancy. I just can't stand to have any room looking hodgepodge, James and I will probably argue that point until the day one of us dies.
Craigslist and eBay are your friends, also local consignment and antique shops sometimes get in nice pieces.

Honestly, Shauk:

It seems like you need to hack this one yourself. You have some specific requirements and don't seem picky about aesthetics. You want function and you know what you want.

If you can't hack it yourself do you have any "handy" friends that might own a circular saw, a miter saw, a jig saw and an air powered trim nailer? That's the guy you want to buy a case of beer for.

Give us a Visio (shudder) or whatever layout and the handy brains around here can help you with support methods and design ideas.

and there it is!
the one I saw at Ikea, hahaha.
thats what started this thread, I was like GOD it's ALMOST perfect!

I laughed at the fact that it was called the "Jerker" too. /immature


I think it may just be a teensy shy on the size I need though. I don't know, i'm tempted to buy it anyway.

I thought you said you wanted a desk of "executive depth" that would hold turntables. That thing isn't going to do it man. Executive desks are at least 3.5 ft deep. I should know, I move them through 3.0 ft wide doorways.

How much does that thing cost? Try it if the price isn't a big deal but if you need the room you need the room.

yeah, it's not the depth I need but it seems wide enough and has the shelf design I was talking about.

it was 99$ at Ikea.

here's what I'll be getting soon

Desk

that's a hot desk. I think I'm going to have to consider this for Skogafoss' desk replacement in the near future.

omnirax makes good shit.. great for video/music production

I just realized that I need a beer fridge under my desk. Thanks Cyn!

Just before you buy, make sure you can fit it in your house. One of my ex-roommates bought a massive solid wood desk (on Craigslist for $20), guy brought it over here in his pickup truck and dropped it off when he finds out, oops wont fit through the front door and can't be disassembled, 100 pounds of solid wood. Thing sat in our yard for 6 months.

At $100 it's worth trying, anyway. Pff, now I want one at that price!

Furniture is second only to jewelry in terms of massive mark-up of price. it's beyond ludicrous

You are looking for studio furniture:

http://www.zzounds.com/cat--Studio-Workstations--2803

I built my own with stuff from Home Depot/Lowes. Mainly a couple of sheets of 3/4" and 1/2" birch plywood and some 3/4" black pipe (various lengths) and flanges. It took me half-a-day and I was able to make it to MY specifications. I'm not a DJ but I do use an 88-key keyboard so it's basically the same thing.

attatch the word "studio" to a few pieces of wood and metal slapped together and you have a license to charge out the ass, apparently. :(

I'm po'

perhaps I should learn to use a hammer and nails, and wood, and a sander, and... oh right, I guess i'd have to do it in the back yard.

You speak the truth. However, you are asking about a fairly specialized piece of furniture. It's really not just a desk with a credenza ... it's supposed to be a certain height and be able to support a certain amount of weight.

You can always modify something you get at a thrift shop ... but you still have to learn to work with tools.

No one is born with the ability ... sure there are certain people who may be better at it but anyone and I MEAN ANYONE can slap together a desk.


You just need to find a friend who has a back yard ... or someone with an art studio.

You don't need a LOT of space to build this stuff. Lowe's and Home Depot will cut the wood to your specifications (within reason).

You don't need a hammer or nails. Just a good drill (you can borrow that) and a ratchet set ... you need one of them anyway.

List of materials for my desk:

1 sheet of 3/4" birch plywood cut to about 4'x6' at Home Depot (you could leave it 4'x8' if you want)
1 sheet of 1/2" birch plywood cut into two pieces of about 28" x 22" (your height may vary, you may want it higher or lower depending on your needs. Mine are 28" high)
1 pre-fab shelf about 18" deep by 5' long
2 pieces of 48" x 3/4" black pipe
2 pieces of 18" black pipe x 3/4" black pipe
8 floor flanges
16 3/4" carriage bolts (I think they were #8; but I'm not sure. They need to fit THROUGH the holes in the floor flanges).
16 1 and 1/4" carriage bolts (same size as above).
32 nuts to fit the carriage bolts

The 1/2" birch sheets (28"=height x 22"=depth) get attached by the 48" black pipe to make "legs" or a base if you will. Drill holes for the flanges using the flanges as a template. Here is a very crude illustration:

http://www.chessclubrocks.com/images/base.JPG

The 3/4" birch slab just sits on the base as a desktop. You can attach it if you want. I've never had a problem with slippage. It overhangs each side about 2 feet (8' wide desk) or 1.5 feet (6' wide desk).

The pre-fab shelf get's bolted on to the desktop ... or you can drill holes through the desktop and attach the shelf to a 2x4 underneath ... or whatever.

The world is your oyster.

You didn't even need a saw. You don't really need a sander if you take the time to sand the cuts down a little bit at the store.

Most expensive thing is the plywood ($50-$75 for a 4x8 depending on your area and the market). It's not a bad looking piece of wood so you don't need to paint it or stain it. You can clearcoat if you want to.

Well, it's modular enough that you can get extension shelves for all your crap...shit, I'll send you a free monitor shelf add-on that I'm not using, hehe (it's like the ones in the picture) if you end up getting it and want it :thumbsup:

this desk is going somewhere inside you house, right? There is your woodworking room ;)