Workstation for two large LCDs with shelves above

January 14, 2011 12:28 AM

Vancouver computer workstation shopping: We need a desk about six feet wide with one large flat desk area to hold 25.5" 16:9 LCD displays, a laptop, mouse, and two shelves above. Cannot afford Anthro, Steelcase, HON or other expensive office furniture.

There's a few things (even from IKEA!) that might fit the bill but I thought I would check with metafilter to get some recommendations on office furniture places in the Vancouver area.

Looking for something sort of like this.

The larger sort of workbench resembling a unit like this could also work.

The desk needs to hold one Macbook Pro and two 25.5" displays. On the two shelves above the displays there should be enough room to hold a small HP all-in-one cheap scanner/inkjet, a bunch of books and random stuff. Shelves located above the main desk surface should be the full width of the desk and height adjustable.

Bonus if the desk includes an under-desk sliding drawer for small stuff, and/or a set of three drawers underneath the desk on the right or left side.

I will be going out to check the usual suspects for furniture stores along Bridgeport Road in Richmond, and in Coquitlam. Any other suggestions for places to check out are also welcome. There is (or used to be?) a used office furniture store in the area of approximately Seymour and Helmcken that may have what I'm looking for...

posted by thewalrus to Home & Garden (6 answers total)

Maybe something from Corcan? I don't know about their prices, but the stuff I use at work is certainly sturdy.
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 12:38 AM on January 14, 2011

As a dual monitor user (2x24", 16:10), I had a similar problem. I mounted the shelves onto the wall and have a big desk. Obviously that isn't what you are looking for. What I did find after trying many different ways of getting desk space back from the monitors when I am not using the computer were metal stands from Allsop (surprise to me). The silver and black metal stands have no problem with the weight of the monitors. When not in use, the keyboad/mouse/etc. can slide under the stands to reclaim the desk for use by books, projects, etc. You could even slide the MacBook Pro under the monitors.

LINK

I think I picked them up at Office Depot, but it may have been Fry's.

I also have a monitor stand that allows the notebook to be at the same height as the monitors (although with a smaller screen) by having it stand on its front, kind of like this one can do.

Good luck
posted by Leenie at 1:36 AM on January 14, 2011

What you describe isn't very hard to build, maybe $100 in materials, some hand tools, and a lot of TLC when sanding and finishing. Since you're considering Ikea I imagine some simple modernist lines would be fine, after all.

I've done this many times when I couldn't find a desk/table that was exactly the right size. No regrets, and they last forever.
posted by rokusan at 2:01 AM on January 14, 2011

I once bought a solid wood slab door with no panels and put those cheap IKEA-like metal desk legs on it. Lasted about nine years until I threw it away because it didn't fit my apartment. Best desk I ever had.
posted by falameufilho at 2:59 AM on January 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

Have you considered looking at Vancouver Kijiji? If it's at least as active as the Halifax site, and it should be given that Vancouver is 10 times bigger, I bet that you'd find something acceptable advertised within a few days of browsing.
posted by aroberge at 4:18 AM on January 14, 2011

Checkout www.lifehacker.com for desk ideas. A lot of innovative approaches for DIY and some interesting solutions that you would not normally think of.
posted by PickeringPete at 8:29 AM on January 14, 2011