Setting up a home office
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Ed, Why do you recommend this desk - do you have one? If you do - where do all of the cables go? It's nicer looking than what I have... thanks chg
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Okay, my wife of nearly 3 decades has laid the law down. She is going to close my home office, if I don't get real furniture..... not really, but she has lit a fire under me. At the moment, I have an old metal workstation table that is 30" deep by 48" wide. Next to this, I have a folding table. State of the art. The problem is that this is a home office - not a lab. So, it's time to buy furniture. The office is not conducive to any sort of L shaped approach. Whatever solution I select, it has to be desk with credenza behind it. Guidelines: - must be aesthetically pleasing to the eye; - cannot be particle board; - must have room for laptop, multiple 20" flat panels, and WORK surface. - some provision must be made for cable management; - does not result in a 2nd mortgage :) So, for those who have gone through this, what were your successes and mistakes? What would you do differently? The main issue I am struggling with is that I like the open space underneath computer workstations - you don't hammer your knees on corners. When shopping for desks, most of the desks are the traditional two pedestal kind. Ideas? Thanks for any input...
I like this: Ikea : Corner desk-right : GALANT $300 I suggest the T-Leg option. http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15600&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=11544&langId=-1&parentCats=15600[^] And this: Ikea : Drawer unit on casters : GOLIAT $30 http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15600&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=25912&langId=-1&parentCats=15600*16146[^] And this: ikea : Drawer unit w 3 drawers on casters : EFFEKTIV $140 http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15600&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=32169&langId=-1&parentCats=15600*16146*16251[^] less than $800 dollars... People that start writing code immediately are programmers (or hackers), people that ask questions first are Software Engineers - Graham Shanks
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Okay, my wife of nearly 3 decades has laid the law down. She is going to close my home office, if I don't get real furniture..... not really, but she has lit a fire under me. At the moment, I have an old metal workstation table that is 30" deep by 48" wide. Next to this, I have a folding table. State of the art. The problem is that this is a home office - not a lab. So, it's time to buy furniture. The office is not conducive to any sort of L shaped approach. Whatever solution I select, it has to be desk with credenza behind it. Guidelines: - must be aesthetically pleasing to the eye; - cannot be particle board; - must have room for laptop, multiple 20" flat panels, and WORK surface. - some provision must be made for cable management; - does not result in a 2nd mortgage :) So, for those who have gone through this, what were your successes and mistakes? What would you do differently? The main issue I am struggling with is that I like the open space underneath computer workstations - you don't hammer your knees on corners. When shopping for desks, most of the desks are the traditional two pedestal kind. Ideas? Thanks for any input...
I've bought 90% of my office furniture at Costco. They have some really good desks and chairs which cost about 40% less than the equivalent at another store. Why no particle board? You can get good commercial grade furniture made from 1" particle board. The laminate they use is very easy to clean and they look just fine. The key is to buy commercial grade furniture, not consumer grade. If you're working there all day, it's got to be built to last. This is the one I've got (actually there are two of them in our office, along with two other workstations): Bestar 4535[^] I picked them up at our local Costco for around $350 canadian each. Cheers, Drew.
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Okay, my wife of nearly 3 decades has laid the law down. She is going to close my home office, if I don't get real furniture..... not really, but she has lit a fire under me. At the moment, I have an old metal workstation table that is 30" deep by 48" wide. Next to this, I have a folding table. State of the art. The problem is that this is a home office - not a lab. So, it's time to buy furniture. The office is not conducive to any sort of L shaped approach. Whatever solution I select, it has to be desk with credenza behind it. Guidelines: - must be aesthetically pleasing to the eye; - cannot be particle board; - must have room for laptop, multiple 20" flat panels, and WORK surface. - some provision must be made for cable management; - does not result in a 2nd mortgage :) So, for those who have gone through this, what were your successes and mistakes? What would you do differently? The main issue I am struggling with is that I like the open space underneath computer workstations - you don't hammer your knees on corners. When shopping for desks, most of the desks are the traditional two pedestal kind. Ideas? Thanks for any input...
For what it's worth, this is the desk I use: http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_9/601-8560436-8401756?%5Fencoding=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B00005OU2M[^] I have the matching printer stand/filing cabinet. I love both and would buy them again if the need arises. (The only issue is that the drawer stick if the keyboard tray is pulled out all the way. We experimented with pulling it out only half way and have all found we liked it better.) Except for the keyboard and mouse, I don't care about cable management--I just drape them out the back--but I worked with a guy once who was fanatical about it. He bought a plastic tie "gun", but you can just buy plastic ties at a hardware store. However, to keep the keyboard and mouse cables from getting tangled, I purchased a package of these: http://www.3m.com/us/home_leisure/command/products/cordmgmt.jhtml[^] (The bottom right one.) Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of what's good for people than people do is a swine. - P.J. O'Rourke
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Ed, Why do you recommend this desk - do you have one? If you do - where do all of the cables go? It's nicer looking than what I have... thanks chg
charlieg wrote:
Why do you recommend this desk - do you have one?
I have a different one from the same company and am quite happy with it.
charlieg wrote:
where do all of the cables go?
In the past I had desks with built-in cable paths and they never worked out to be where I wanted them. Now I just drill holes and place stick-on cable troughs on the underside and back as needed to route my cables the way I like them. Cable ties and velcro straps work well, too.
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Okay, my wife of nearly 3 decades has laid the law down. She is going to close my home office, if I don't get real furniture..... not really, but she has lit a fire under me. At the moment, I have an old metal workstation table that is 30" deep by 48" wide. Next to this, I have a folding table. State of the art. The problem is that this is a home office - not a lab. So, it's time to buy furniture. The office is not conducive to any sort of L shaped approach. Whatever solution I select, it has to be desk with credenza behind it. Guidelines: - must be aesthetically pleasing to the eye; - cannot be particle board; - must have room for laptop, multiple 20" flat panels, and WORK surface. - some provision must be made for cable management; - does not result in a 2nd mortgage :) So, for those who have gone through this, what were your successes and mistakes? What would you do differently? The main issue I am struggling with is that I like the open space underneath computer workstations - you don't hammer your knees on corners. When shopping for desks, most of the desks are the traditional two pedestal kind. Ideas? Thanks for any input...
BTW Congratulations in 30 years of marriage almost. Huge accomplishment at times like now. What's the secret? Al
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I've bought 90% of my office furniture at Costco. They have some really good desks and chairs which cost about 40% less than the equivalent at another store. Why no particle board? You can get good commercial grade furniture made from 1" particle board. The laminate they use is very easy to clean and they look just fine. The key is to buy commercial grade furniture, not consumer grade. If you're working there all day, it's got to be built to last. This is the one I've got (actually there are two of them in our office, along with two other workstations): Bestar 4535[^] I picked them up at our local Costco for around $350 canadian each. Cheers, Drew.
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BTW Congratulations in 30 years of marriage almost. Huge accomplishment at times like now. What's the secret? Al
The secret? I could come up with something that sounds quite cliche', like God, etc. Surely He has had a hand in it, because it is never easy living with people for nearly 30 years. Probably the decision that no matter what, it would always be better to work things out has kept us going, plus the fact that I have a giant family, so it's cheaper to stay together :). One thing I do know beyond a shadow of doubt - I'm more in love now than I was when I was married. In fact, I don't think I knew jack-#$#% about love, a good woman, and exactly what I had until 20+ years of marriage. I can safely say that my wife is about the same as me, she had idea what motivates a man (me) for the first 20+ years. The last few years have been an epiphany for both of us. Just keep going, it's worth the investment.
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The secret? I could come up with something that sounds quite cliche', like God, etc. Surely He has had a hand in it, because it is never easy living with people for nearly 30 years. Probably the decision that no matter what, it would always be better to work things out has kept us going, plus the fact that I have a giant family, so it's cheaper to stay together :). One thing I do know beyond a shadow of doubt - I'm more in love now than I was when I was married. In fact, I don't think I knew jack-#$#% about love, a good woman, and exactly what I had until 20+ years of marriage. I can safely say that my wife is about the same as me, she had idea what motivates a man (me) for the first 20+ years. The last few years have been an epiphany for both of us. Just keep going, it's worth the investment.
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Okay, my wife of nearly 3 decades has laid the law down. She is going to close my home office, if I don't get real furniture..... not really, but she has lit a fire under me. At the moment, I have an old metal workstation table that is 30" deep by 48" wide. Next to this, I have a folding table. State of the art. The problem is that this is a home office - not a lab. So, it's time to buy furniture. The office is not conducive to any sort of L shaped approach. Whatever solution I select, it has to be desk with credenza behind it. Guidelines: - must be aesthetically pleasing to the eye; - cannot be particle board; - must have room for laptop, multiple 20" flat panels, and WORK surface. - some provision must be made for cable management; - does not result in a 2nd mortgage :) So, for those who have gone through this, what were your successes and mistakes? What would you do differently? The main issue I am struggling with is that I like the open space underneath computer workstations - you don't hammer your knees on corners. When shopping for desks, most of the desks are the traditional two pedestal kind. Ideas? Thanks for any input...
Hi, The Jerker collection from IKEA is quite nice and light on the budget. http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/IkeamsSearch?storeId=3&langId=-15&catalogId=null&searchType=product&pageNumber=-1&orderBy=score&query=jerker&category=1%7EProducts[^] There are many other series but I chose two Jerker desks in an "L" configuration with a vertical rack in the corner (I don't seem to be able to find the vertical rack I have). http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10103&storeId=3&langId=-15&productId=47022[^] Many accessories are available and you can even have rotating shelves below the desk (that's where my PC is). Good luck & happy shopping :) Paludarium
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Hi, The Jerker collection from IKEA is quite nice and light on the budget. http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/IkeamsSearch?storeId=3&langId=-15&catalogId=null&searchType=product&pageNumber=-1&orderBy=score&query=jerker&category=1%7EProducts[^] There are many other series but I chose two Jerker desks in an "L" configuration with a vertical rack in the corner (I don't seem to be able to find the vertical rack I have). http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10103&storeId=3&langId=-15&productId=47022[^] Many accessories are available and you can even have rotating shelves below the desk (that's where my PC is). Good luck & happy shopping :) Paludarium
Dude - this is what I would buy for my lab without hesitation. Unfortunately I think I'm going to have to spend a bit more. Maybe I should get the doors installed in the office first, and the urge to make it pretty will go away. What I'm trying to get is the utility of what you post (as well as the others), but pushing real furniture. Example: http://www.kraftmaid.com/rooms/index.cfm?navigationid=214X0&roomsceneid=258 somebody tell me how to do a clickity. I hate html. yes, I know that the picture is very high end... I can dream... business is not that good.