I need a home office desk that isn't out of place in my apartment
July 25, 2016 1:26 PM   Subscribe

Hola MeFi!, Good news: I scored 2 work from home days as part of a promotion. Bad news: My wife and I live in a small, 1br apartment. I'm looking for a desk that could become part of our apartment without sticking out like a sore thumb. Special snowflake deets inside.

This is a tough one. My wife and I live in a 1 bedroom Los Angles apartment. It's actually on the larger side for an LA 1br, probably around 700 sqft.

The issue is that we were feeling growing pains even before I had the chance to stick a desk into our living room. What I'm looking for is a desk that won't stick out and could, in a pinch, double as a relatively okay piece of home decor.

It'll have to hold the following: 2 monitors(One landscape, one portrait), a small tower, mouse + kb + accessories.

Some bonus Q's: Is there any such thing as a like... Murphy Desk?

Help me! Teach me the neu wave of desk tech!!
posted by GilloD to Home & Garden (22 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
There actually is something like a Murphy Desk! They's usually called something like a "fold-down secretary," "fold out," or "convertible." Here's an example, although probably too small for your needs.
posted by spelunkingplato at 1:31 PM on July 25, 2016


I think some hints on your decor style are pretty relevant here... is your stuff really modern? French country? Rustic? Lots of straight lines or lots of curves? Lots of wood or lots of metal? In order for it to fit in and match your home decor, we need to know what your current home decor looks like...

Also - budget?
posted by brainmouse at 1:32 PM on July 25, 2016 [2 favorites]


Does it have to live in the living room? Why not the bedroom? Then it wouldn't have to look like anything, really.
posted by clone boulevard at 1:59 PM on July 25, 2016


Are you able to wall mount your monitors? If so, you can probably get away with a smaller and more discreet looking desk.
posted by rhythm and booze at 1:59 PM on July 25, 2016


I would mount your monitors on the wall with 2 tilt/swivel mounts. That way you can turn them slightly in to your liking. Then look on pinterest at the kajillion clever ways people hid their TV screens. Look at this cute way someone hid their modem.

Add an attractive desk and chair (that you turn into a bar with a pretty tray with alcohol) and I think it might do just fine - just hide key board and mouse.

Although one of the most fun ways was this piano.
posted by ReluctantViking at 2:03 PM on July 25, 2016 [3 favorites]


Response by poster: As for why the living room, I do VR development and need, at minimum, an 8x8 open space. Our bedroom has, well, a bed in the middle of it :)

Also, I tend to work a little late and didn't wanna keep the ladybro up all night
posted by GilloD at 2:07 PM on July 25, 2016


I think that CB2 has a nice selection of desks that can fit into a more modern decor while still looking like nice furniture. I'd also consider getting a small rolling cabinet unit to hide office supplies and maybe even your small tower (if you can cut the back for cords and heat venting).
posted by quince at 2:21 PM on July 25, 2016


Do you have a closet big enough? That way it's easy to close the doors on the screens, and most closet-stuff is easier to store and used less frequently than a desk.
posted by momus_window at 2:38 PM on July 25, 2016


I agree with mounting the monitors on the wall and getting a decorative tapestry or something you can pull in front of them. Then you just need a very narrow desk like this one (which is very pretty and won't look out of place in a living room) for your keyboard, mouse and speakers.

Even better if you have the patience to tidy your tower and accessories away into a closet after each work-from-home day.
posted by 256 at 3:05 PM on July 25, 2016


What about something like this from West Elm? It has a relatively small footprint, and the shelves above the desk could be made to look non-officey with plants, picture frames, etc.
posted by JenMarie at 3:28 PM on July 25, 2016


Here's another West Elm one along the same lines.

(it is a bit deeper so may accommodate the monitors better than the first)
posted by JenMarie at 3:30 PM on July 25, 2016


I have several of these tables for various office configurations. At full height, it's desk height. All the way down is coffee-table height (I throw a tablecloth over it), and at the middle height it's a high coffee table which is really nice if you have big dogs with tails that'll bunt a coffee cup off a regular-height coffee table.

There are also drop-leaf dining tables and Murphy dining tables.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:37 PM on July 25, 2016


Could you repurpose a former tv wardrobe? With the new flat tvs I frequently see the furniture units at resell places for pretty cheap. Add a keyboard tray, etc to fit your preferences.
posted by mightshould at 4:54 PM on July 25, 2016


Computer armoire! Is the name of the thing I couldn't think of earlier!
posted by Lyn Never at 4:57 PM on July 25, 2016


In our old place, we had a closet in the living room, about 5.5 feet wide and 2 feet deep. We took the doors off and added a cheap roll-down curtain. I put my desk, computer, and work everything in there. It's also where the modem, router, and various sound equipment went (we mounted that stuff to the closet ceiling with brackets). Worked great, and now that we've bought a house that's even smaller I miss it. Here my home office has to stay entirely pack-away (we're 650 sq ft so maybe you can work some magic with those extra 50 sq ft).
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 5:11 PM on July 25, 2016


I saw a thing at a big box store a while ago. It looks like a coffee table, but the top comes up and there is space underneath to store laptops, it lurches up on springs, and is then at just the right height to sit on the couch and work. Otherwise it looks like an arts and crafts coffee table.

Here is an example. You have to say lift top coffee table, computer desk, etc.
posted by Oyéah at 9:46 PM on July 25, 2016


I solved the home decor concerns by haunting the secondhand stores and finding a pretty desk that actually appealed to me. It's a bit smaller than what I was planning, so I got creative with wall-mounted shelves above it to extend the functional space.
posted by desuetude at 11:11 PM on July 25, 2016


I'm building a clamshell wall cabinet, copying an old piano-maker's tool chest. It has an Ergotron arm for my Cintiq. I can't recommend Ergotrons highly enough. I can pull it out of the cabinet for work and fold it way when done, so you could fold one over the other to put then away, possibly and use a narrower cabinet, if you need it.
posted by bonobothegreat at 3:47 AM on July 26, 2016 [1 favorite]


For something that doesn't look visually chunky and intrusive, you might look at something like this sort of minimal glass corner computer desk (image, in case the link changes).
posted by taz at 4:20 AM on July 26, 2016


This is a job for a local furniture maker.

Here's a directory of some in SoCal.

Or visit a bunch at a local arts and crafts fair, or furniture expo.
posted by notyou at 7:51 AM on July 26, 2016


Also note: you may be able to deduct your home office expenses as a work from home employee, although be sure to consult a pro, as this can be tricky for telecommuters.
posted by notyou at 7:57 AM on July 26, 2016


Response by poster: For anyone playing along at home, I ended up doing this twin-track shelving desk solution and mounted my portrait monitor on a swivel arm. We got cool shelves and a work space!
posted by GilloD at 3:45 PM on August 1, 2016 [1 favorite]


« Older ACA Mandate, Employer-Provided Health Insurance...   |   iOS (Android too) map app to plot all my places of... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.