Please recommend a work from home desk
May 7, 2020 9:06 AM
Please recommend a work from home desk (desiderata inside)
+Sitting desk.
+Ballpark dimensions: 60 inches wide x 30 inches deep.
+Wood surface.
+Metal legs preferred.
+Minimalist style.
+Rock-solid stable.
Price - it's complicated. My ideal would be ~$500 and higher-quality than standard Ikea pressboard. The Floyd desk is close to perfect, but: (1) it seems like a $500 value that costs $700 [it was priced at closer to $500 recently, but WFH demand seems to have pushed up the price]; and (2) the 2-4 week wait on the website isn't ideal. That said, if there was a kick-ass ~$200 option with well-disguised pressboard, I would be up for that. Also, if knowledgable people said that it's worth spending ~$1k to get something with real quality that lasts longer, I might stretch to get something like this Parsons desk from Room and Board. Basically, I'm looking for the sweet spot of price/quality to get something like a strong B/B+ in quality while getting a good deal. The Room and Board option seems really high quality, but it's probably more than I need for a small office in the basement that nobody sees, and it doesn't seem like much of a deal (although perhaps it is a fair price for the quality?).
(I'm sort of obsessing over this as part of just having a project to think about; sorry).
+Sitting desk.
+Ballpark dimensions: 60 inches wide x 30 inches deep.
+Wood surface.
+Metal legs preferred.
+Minimalist style.
+Rock-solid stable.
Price - it's complicated. My ideal would be ~$500 and higher-quality than standard Ikea pressboard. The Floyd desk is close to perfect, but: (1) it seems like a $500 value that costs $700 [it was priced at closer to $500 recently, but WFH demand seems to have pushed up the price]; and (2) the 2-4 week wait on the website isn't ideal. That said, if there was a kick-ass ~$200 option with well-disguised pressboard, I would be up for that. Also, if knowledgable people said that it's worth spending ~$1k to get something with real quality that lasts longer, I might stretch to get something like this Parsons desk from Room and Board. Basically, I'm looking for the sweet spot of price/quality to get something like a strong B/B+ in quality while getting a good deal. The Room and Board option seems really high quality, but it's probably more than I need for a small office in the basement that nobody sees, and it doesn't seem like much of a deal (although perhaps it is a fair price for the quality?).
(I'm sort of obsessing over this as part of just having a project to think about; sorry).
If IKEA is shipping, we have Bekant desks at work and they're actually rather nice.
The one I'm using now, we bought about 5 years ago and has been disassembled/ reassembled and moved twice. Still rock solid.
posted by porpoise at 9:42 AM on May 7, 2020
The one I'm using now, we bought about 5 years ago and has been disassembled/ reassembled and moved twice. Still rock solid.
posted by porpoise at 9:42 AM on May 7, 2020
Get IKEA top and legs separately. They have tops that are actual wood, and some that are pretty much indistinguishable from wood but are 50% lighter. They have a variety of rock-solid metal frame/legs that you bolt the top to. Out the door you're probably under $300 US.
For example: legs/frame IDASEN, and top HILVER or GERTON.
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:44 AM on May 7, 2020
For example: legs/frame IDASEN, and top HILVER or GERTON.
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:44 AM on May 7, 2020
I have a Jarvis desk from Fully.com It's gorgeous, metal legs, wood top - lots of customization in what colors you want. But it's also electric and I can raise the whole thing up and down by pressing a button and stand for a bit if I want. It was around $500.
posted by ilovewinter at 10:25 AM on May 7, 2020
posted by ilovewinter at 10:25 AM on May 7, 2020
Since you specified rock-solid stability, be wary of two-legged cantilevered desks (like the Jarvis mentioned above). Every one I've encountered has at least a little bounce.
posted by JackBurden at 12:47 PM on May 7, 2020
posted by JackBurden at 12:47 PM on May 7, 2020
If you're willing to give up the wooden top, a plastic folding table will meet all your other criteria for $50.
That includes the rock solid stability bit. Mine is rated for 1000 lbs (static weight distributed evenly across the surface, don't go crazy).
posted by meaty shoe puppet at 5:58 PM on May 7, 2020
That includes the rock solid stability bit. Mine is rated for 1000 lbs (static weight distributed evenly across the surface, don't go crazy).
posted by meaty shoe puppet at 5:58 PM on May 7, 2020
I've had a lot of desks, but love nothing more than what I've got now. Two sawhorses with a sheet of plywood on top (about 5 ft by 3 ft). Got a cutting mat to make a flat spot for writing (not that I do much with paper anymore, so it's more of a mouse pad). I did it as a temp solution when the teleworking thing came up unexpectedly, but now I like it much more than my actual desk at the office.
posted by ctmf at 9:17 PM on May 7, 2020
posted by ctmf at 9:17 PM on May 7, 2020
I wound up buying this desk from Amazon and it is a solid B/B+ for little money, which is what I was looking for. I found this guy on the web with a really cool idea for staining an Ikea Gerton desk and making something that looks much better than the Amazon option (with nicer wood too I am sure), but Ikea is way back-ordered on home office stuff at least right now. This desk from Amazon is not beautiful to look at, but it is a cut above the worst kind of particle board and feels very solid. They coated the fake wood with something and it makes it pretty pleasant. It definitely punches above its weight for a $200 desk.
posted by Mid at 9:45 AM on June 11, 2020
posted by Mid at 9:45 AM on June 11, 2020
(By the way, you don't have to install the hutch/monitor-stand thing, which I think looks pretty ugly.)
posted by Mid at 7:36 AM on June 25, 2020
posted by Mid at 7:36 AM on June 25, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by jeffamaphone at 9:33 AM on May 7, 2020