Two-person desks

September 2, 2020 12:26 PM

My partner and I are re-doing our home office and we'd like to get one long desk (max of 10 feet in length) we can both sit at. Interested in all your recommendations. Thanks!
posted by DavidNYC to Home & Garden (13 answers total)

Have you considered a 10-foot piece of countertop from the big-box store, with sets of drawers on wheels tucked underneath? We did this in a craft room a few years ago, and it's so great to have a huge expanse to spread out in when needed.

Hang a big piece of wire shelving above it for easy storage, and tuck a strip of LEDs beneath that.

This gives you lots of flexibility to reconfigure as you like: just shove your stuff aside! And it's easy to hang: install cleats on the back and both sides, with a few angle-brackets spaced along its length.

Drill out a few holes near the back for network & power cables, and hang a piece of rain gutter underneath it as a cable tray.
posted by wenestvedt at 12:36 PM on September 2, 2020 [4 favorites]

Do you want to sit next to each other or facing each other?
posted by caek at 12:37 PM on September 2, 2020 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Do you want to sit next to each other or facing each other?

Next to each other.
posted by DavidNYC at 12:53 PM on September 2, 2020

Does it have to be a actual desk?

For online school this year, we got a dining room table from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore.
It's big and square, with a lot of room to spread out papers and books.

They had a pretty big selection, some over 6 feet.
Most were refugees from the 80s, so not the most stylish, but for less than $100 for a solid plank of wood, it's a good deal.

If you don't have ReStores, I'd look in whatever charity shop near you that carries the largest selection of furniture.
posted by madajb at 12:57 PM on September 2, 2020 [3 favorites]

We have the EKEDALEN and it would work well for this purpose. $299.
posted by bbqturtle at 1:22 PM on September 2, 2020 [1 favorite]

My wife and I have this. It's basically a giant slab sitting on cleats in the wall, with freestanding drawer units from Ikea. (Not pictured: a length of 2" pipe in the middle acting as an extra support). This particular giant slab is made from a few piece of 2x ipé that our contractor scabbed together, but you can buy worktop in maple or oak and cut it to length.
posted by adamrice at 1:22 PM on September 2, 2020 [3 favorites]

Get two rectangular standing desks and put them next to each other!
posted by oceanjesse at 1:41 PM on September 2, 2020 [2 favorites]

Second Oceanjessie. My wife and I both have Jarvis sit/stand desks (mine is about 5 years old, we bought her one last month after she tried mine and liked it). Pricy, but pretty great.

If you’re in a big city and have a large enough vehicle, you may be able to buy used/refurbished — we have had great luck with socially distanced craigslist here in the Bay. Everybody takes Venmo and nobody has been offended if you wipe things down or want to stand back.

Ours are not side-by-side, but they could be, since the frame is pretty minimal. She was originally working at a folding table but something aggravated her back, and in response we decided to splurge on a nice chair and desk. We have not looked back!
posted by Alterscape at 1:50 PM on September 2, 2020

I'm a huge fan of Husky adjustable-height workbenches, which are basically elegant, affordable standing desks that don't look too tech-bro'y and don't have proprietary controllers that can break. Plus they come with casters, so if you wish you had a standing desk over by the window today, or a table-height sewing station in the bedroom tomorrow, they're pretty adaptable. They come in a bunch of different lengths, too; the widest is 72", but two together would work pretty nicely.

For a more permanent sitting-desk situation, I'd get a wide, larger dining table as a couple others have suggested.
posted by tapir-whorf at 2:24 PM on September 2, 2020 [3 favorites]

2 long light and cheap table tops from ikea side by side will likely be your cheapest non-second hand option. Ikea has a wide collection of table legs to mix and match with tops.

Seconding the counter-top suggestion. They do tend to be heavier though.

Remember once the top is too long it will sag and you will need supports in the middle, which begins to approach the two table solution.

Also look into hairpin legs online, they come in many colors and can add that extra touch of design about 15-20 bucks a piece.

Architects often use large hollow doors or a plank of smooth wood on saw horses. Try Home Depot. This will not be 10' long, but you say upto 10'. The saw horses do take up more room than regular legs. This arrangement is very versatile though. No screwing. the door can be lifted off and the horses collapse, you can have a clear space back in no time.
posted by whatdoyouthink? at 2:29 PM on September 2, 2020 [2 favorites]

I have a Recycled 6’ door on IKEA adjustable saw horses as a work bench. It works really well, except it’s a solid door so weighs a lot. Hollow core doors are good if you don’t need to change the dimensions (and the doorknob hole makes a fine cable pass through if you upcycle a used door).
posted by janell at 2:36 PM on September 2, 2020

We bought an IKEA countertop and legs for this purpose. It was fantastic.
posted by nosila at 7:19 PM on September 2, 2020

Seconding countertop resting on drawers (I think the ALEX ones at IKEA give you the most desk-like feel). Hardware stores will also sell long countertops if IKEA’s are sold out or don’t appeal to you If the unsupported span is long, I would definitely either add extra legs in the middle, or else screw some metal pieces to the bottom, to prevent sagging. (I just picked some perforated metal bars up from Home Depot but you can also get ones that are specially designed to act as tabletop stiffeners.)
posted by en forme de poire at 9:33 PM on September 2, 2020