Help me find the perfect desk

October 29, 2014 7:22 PM

I'm looking for a computer desk for my room, but it needs to fit into a fairly small space width-wise (and make it down a spiral staircase to get into the room in the first place). Where can I find a computer desk that is less than 3' wide, and also has a drawer and maybe some vertical shelf space, and is cheap? Doesn't need to be particularly sturdy or high-quality, and I like a simple, modern design although I prefer wood over metal. I'm in Washington DC if that's relevant.
posted by capricorn to Home & Garden (15 answers total)

You can put this together at IKEA if that's an OK thing for you. You can buy the table, the legs, and a drawer unit. You can rest a shelving unit on top and just leave out the bottom shelf to provide clearance.
posted by DarlingBri at 7:32 PM on October 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

Best answer: IKEA makes a small desk. It's not wood, though...they also make a nice simple birch table, though it doesn't have a drawer.
posted by three_red_balloons at 7:46 PM on October 29, 2014

Best answer: oh, hey, I was going to suggest IKEA also. My husband's quite large computer desk is a big slab of...something composite, that sits on top of IKEA shelf-things (that are designed to act as legs).

Their current leg-with-storage solution seems to be called Klimpen. There's a shelf unit and a drawer unit, and ALEX has a different drawer unit and shelf unit

Given the spiral staircase constraint, it seems like these were made for you. (And I suppose there's an IKEA near you. Lucky duck.)
posted by leahwrenn at 8:19 PM on October 29, 2014

Here is another IKEA desk, it is is $60 and only about 23" x 18". You'd need to check at the store to ensure the height is appropriate for an adult, though, given how small it is.

IKEA is kind of the obvious answer, since you assemble it yourself and don't have to worry about fitting it around staircases.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 8:21 PM on October 29, 2014

Yeah, IKEA has lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of options.
posted by leahwrenn at 8:22 PM on October 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

Ikea is what came to mind for me also. You can get the same quality at Container Store...for 2x the price.
posted by amaire at 10:30 PM on October 29, 2014

Personally, I addressed a similar problem by picking up a nice little writing-desk-style desk at a secondhand furniture store -- it was a little banged up and thus certainly not any more expensive than what I would've gotten at Ikea or the like. But it's from the late 40s or 50s and is sturdy and solid wood, so it could take a little abuse. I didn't refinish it in any meaningful sense, I just lightly sanded the roughest spots and gave it a really good dose of Feed n' Wax.

And then I put wall shelves right above it.

Solved.
posted by desuetude at 11:16 PM on October 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

This doesn't have drawers (though you could put a little drawer thingie next to it), but might be a great idea for a space-saver if you usually use a laptop. For desktops, I myself only consider a "computer desk" to be something that has a pull-out shelf for a keyboard, and a compartment for the tower. Something like this, maybe?
posted by RRgal at 6:18 AM on October 30, 2014

Response by poster: To clarify, I do use a laptop for all my computing needs so I don't need space for a keyboard or tower.

Thank you for all the answers so far! Please note as you're answering that I mentioned it needs to be less than 3' wide in the OP. Some of the desks mentioned here look really nice but are way too wide for my room.
posted by capricorn at 6:39 AM on October 30, 2014

What about Elfa? That link is to the components, where you can build your own thing. You could get the easy hang top track, two of the standards, some shelves, and the brackets for not terribly too much money. Plus it's more customizable and you'd get more storage space and you could get free standing drawers. The potential bummer, of course, is installing it on the wall.
posted by wintrymix at 6:52 AM on October 30, 2014

IKEA has table tops in a huge variety of sizes. I didn't look specifically for wood ones but this one is 24" wide. I have several desks and tables put together from IKEA tops and parts as we have a very narrow house and need narrow footprint furniture. Perhaps something like this setup would work for you?

(Oh sorry you meant width not depth -- have a browse through table tops and shelves and you'll find something to work well.)
posted by DarlingBri at 8:23 AM on October 30, 2014

This IKEA desk is just less than 3' wide.
posted by dobi at 9:05 AM on October 30, 2014

Just to throw in a non-IKEA answer, here's a wooden secretary desk from CB2. Just slightly under 3 feet wide.
posted by three_red_balloons at 9:27 AM on October 30, 2014

I recently ordered this desk and have been really happy with its ability to fit into the really small space that I had to work with in my living room. $90 ish on Amazon, just under 3 feet wide assembled.
posted by _cave at 3:29 PM on October 30, 2014

Best answer: I (finally) bought the IKEA Micke desk. I am loving it so far and it fits into the space really nicely. Great recommendations, everyone, thanks again!
posted by capricorn at 2:00 PM on June 17, 2015