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Nice and New: Pottery Barn Leah Desk

casasugar — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:00:29 -0800

A friend of mine has the Neiman Marcus Mirrored Vanity ($899) and I love its flip-up center storage compartment, but I've been feeling lately that mirrored furniture is heading for the "out" bin. So, I was delighted to come across the Leah Desk ($469) in champagne at Pottery Barn. The desk also has a center section that lifts to reveal a beveled mirror and a faux drawer front that folds down to store accessories. Whether you're using the desk to do work, surf the web, or get all gussied up, it has a has a power strip that provides a central place to plug in your Macbook or your straightener. Aside from the technical features, I'm loving its glam champagne turned-wood legs and unexpected red painted interior finish. What do you think?

Before and After: Creating a Craft Desk

casasugar — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 08:30:47 -0700

Is your desk space hindering your creativity? Jannypie certainly thought so, and she remedied the problem with some low-cost materials and some DIY know-how. Here's what her desk looked like beforehand.

To see the impressive improvement,

Love It or Hate It? The Empress Desk

casasugar — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:00:05 -0700

The Empress Desk ($7,500) has me dreaming of writing long, romantic letters in a perfectly slanting script. Unfortunately, no one can read my cursive, so these dreams might be all for naught.

Love It or Hate It? The Empress Desk

Love It

Hate it

Undecided

How Would You . . .

casasugar — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 08:15:57 -0700

This Solid Aluminum Work Desk ($1,450) was used by the US military in the 1950s. But I doubt many of you are interested in furnishing military offices. An unusual furnishing, the surface facing the desk has a row of four hooks and 20 clips, and several small cubby holes to store odds and ends, which I would assume were used in some sort of ultra-efficient military organization system. It also has three drawers with shiny red handles. Personally, I don't think I'd get much work done staring at a big shiny aluminum wall (I prefer a window, thank you), but I do like the industrial look of it. This desk might come in handy in other areas of the home, though. I'd love to use it in the kitchen as a cutting board surface, storing utensils in the drawers, and clipping recipes to the backsplash and hanging my tea towels on the hooks. Or, I might use it to add personality and function to my hallway, hanging my hats on the hooks, clipping reminder notes for myself there, setting my shoes on the lower shelf, and stashing bills in the drawers. How about you? How would you use this desk in your home? Would you use it in the office? In the kitchen? Foyer? Would you paint it or leave it as is? Would you leave the casters on? Would use it in your garden work shed or some other area? Tell me by commenting below!

Before and After: A Fresh Secretary Desk

casasugar — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:00:08 -0700

Christiana Coop of Ferm Living recently shared a DIY project of hers on her blog Clever Spaces, finding yet another use for Ferm's gorgeous wallpaper. She decided to update a Target Secretary Desk ($144.99) by priming and painting it white, and wallpapering the interior with the Ferm Wild Flower (Green) Wallpaper ($115). By measuring the inside sections of the desk first, and then using an adhesive spray to keep them down, the project was pretty breezy. And, to keep the paper intact as the desk is used, Coop sprayed it with a protective coating. To see the impressive results,

Nice and New: Convertible Compact Desk

casasugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 04:30:00 -0700

If you want a home office as stylish as you are, it's best to start with a smart desk. If you're negotiating tight spaces, there's no need to bring home a big chunky desk; there are plenty of small ones out there. Crate & Barrel has just come out with its Convertible Compact Desk ($499), which is a clever home-office solution that converts from a 30-inch cabinet to a 55-inch full-size desk by sliding out its top panel (and desk's legs). The cabinet itself has removable dividers to store small odds and ends, storage for a laptop, cord cutouts for all of your wires, as well as a larger storage drawer and a filing cabinet drawer. Now, if only someone could do your work for you . . .

Less or More: Extending Desks

casasugar — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:00:43 -0700

For the next installment of this game, take a look at each of these extending desks and see if you can answer my questions about them.

Ask Casa: A Desk For My Bedroom

casasugar — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0700

Hi CasaSugar,
I am thinking of setting up a work space in my bedroom. I don't have much space and I would like to get one of those high desks, like a standing desk. Do you have any examples of cute ones? And cute stools to match?
At this point, I would put aesthetics and price over comfort for the stool. I will mostly use the space for browsing the Internet and doing a little work, so storage isn't completely necessary. I have a space that is about 40 inches wide and 20 inches deep.
Thanks,
Citygal

To hear my response and offer your own,

Cool Idea: Closet Case

casasugar — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:00:20 -0700

If you were thorough with your Spring cleaning this year, you might have found yourself with a closet to spare. For some of us, storage space is at a premium, but others might just be short on work space. If you fit this profile, consider turning a spare closet into an office.
You can store your books and files on high shelves and then install a plywood shelf across the closet to serve as your desk. The greatest thing about this trick is that when guests arrive, you can easily shut your closet door to hide all that paperwork that inevitably piles up. If you already have a chair in the room which can serve as your desk chair, you're all set. And if not, you can store a folding chair under the desk to pull out when needed.
Source

Weird Furniture: Globus

casasugar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:00:24 -0700

Although I've been feeling globe shapes lately, I must say the Michiel van der Kley Globus ($8,775) is one big piece of weird furniture. It is described as a "compact personal mobile workstation," but is basically a desk and and chair on wheels in a big white ball. Its rotating chair and pull-out table top are revealed when you crack open its globe shape, and you can close it up and roll it away if you want to work in another room. Honestly, I think a laptop is a much more versatile "workstation," and they don't look like something out of Barbarella or Google Zurich. What do you think? I generally don't think of myself as much of a traditionalist, but I guess I'm making an exception for the Globus.

Steal of the Day: Room Service Home Etc. Wire Trays

casasugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 06:15:09 -0700

If you read my How-To on organizing your desk, you may remember that I wrote, "If everything has a place, you won't need to search for it. . . . That means, an inbox, an outbox, an on-hold box . . ." Something tells me that maybe not all of you have spent the time since then to get your desk into shipshape, so now is the time. You can get started by picking up the Room Service Home Etc. Wire Trays ($39 for two) to serve as your inbox, outbox, or on-hold box. At 13-x-11 and 12-x -10 inches, they're the perfect fit to glam up your boring paperwork. If it bothers you that they read "Etc.," get some decorative paper and a calligraphy pen, and switch them to more appropriate names. You like?

How-To: Organize Your Desk

casasugar — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:00:19 -0700

Although Eric Abrahamson and David H. Freedman's book A Perfect Mess claims that there are hidden benefits to being unorganized and cluttered, I'm not sure I'm a believer, and I stand by the aesthetic reasons for being organized. So, I thought I'd give you a few tips on streamlining your workspace that seem to have helped me out. I know that many of you are super organized already, so this is for the rest of you!

First and foremost, rely on a computer filing system. Save your documents on your hard drive and back them up. Keep your computer organized as one would a filing cabinet. Scan your paper documents and save them to your hard drive, then recycle them.
Say no to paper. Only print out paperwork if it's completely necessary. If you do print something out, recycle it once you've completed the task you used it for.
Ditch the pens. You shouldn't have more than three pens, a pencil, and if needed, a marker, at all times. Once you have them, don't be tempted to add to the collection by stealing from your hotel or office supply closet. Leave your writing utensils at your desk; don't carry them away with you in your purse.

To hear more of these organization tips,

Gift Guide: Desk Accents for the Sophisticate

casasugar — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 05:44:20 -0800

True sophisticates exude chic down to the last drop. But, they don't need you telling them how to dress or decorate their homes—they've got it covered. So what to give? A dapper desk accent is the perfect gift for the Sophisticate in your life. It says, "I know you don't need a helping hand, but here's a dashing trinket to add to your super-styled home." . . . Or something like that. I've rounded up a handful of desk (or bureau) accents at various price points that will surely impress that special sophisticate in your life—unless they're one of those lucky people who has everything.

Source

Crave Worthy: Michael Young Writing Desk

casasugar — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 05:00:00 -0700

As a writer, I have a soft spot for old-fashioned writing desks, even though I'm most often using a laptop nowadays. So when I saw Design Milk coveting this stunning Michael Young Writing Desk ($2,750), I, too, was immediately smitten. Available in four different colors, this sleek update of the classic letter-writing desk includes a hidden-away light and a drawer. Fancy old-school fountain pen not included.