Get the Look: 42 Modern Desks For Your Home Office

I’ve been so focused on Florida (though not nearly enough, as I’ve yet to order rugs, shades, or decide on the pink problem in the bathroom), that I’ve neglected organizing and upgrading in Boston. Coming back in the fall from the Cape, I’m always bothered by the amount of stuff we have. Too. Much. Stuff. It’s particularly striking because not only is the place on the Cape a lot bigger, being a house instead of an apartment, it’s white and virtually empty.

Here, in addition to crown moldings and bookshelves lined with coffee table books (one of the best perks of being a blogger), there’s , well, everything. The piles of dishes still not put away from the bar mitzvah in February (because, after all, we’re having another one this coming February), our bicycles in the living room until it gets too cold to ride and we store them, etc.

I’ve been promising my younger son that I would work on his bedroom. Meaning, I would clear out all the outgrown clothing and extra bedding I’ve been keeping in there. Done! He has the upholstered armchair that I used to nurse them on when they were babies. It’s taking up a ton of space that would be better used for a desk. He’s starting to get a fair amount of homework, plus, like me, he’s very organized, so I think he’d love to have drawers where he can store supplies.

Our other son has a little desk from IKEA, which when it’s cleared, he actually likes to use (not for homework, though). When he was away at a boarding school program this summer he lived in student housing, with a room furnished in typical dorm style (by a company like Peelmount) that outfits dorm rooms with sturdy wood beds, desks, and dressers. It’s kind of incredible that those designs haven’t changed, in like, ever. Blocky oak stands the test of time, I suppose. In any case, I’m not looking for anything as practical as all that. A small, affordable, modern desk is all we need.

Here are 42 modern desks, almost all of them well-priced (and one very extravagant example) from StyleCarrot partner sites and other great resources.

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S H O P P I N G 

1 Soft Modern Writing Desk by Sauder, $210 at All Modern.

2 MICKE desk, $49.99 at IKEA

3 at All Modern.

4 Phillip Desk by Arteriors Home, $2,520 at All Modern.

5 Finch Desk by Gus Modern, $1,044.75 at Burke Decor.

6 Half Pipe Writing Desk by Offi, $899 at All Modern. 

7 Ayers Writing Desk by Reual James, $1,338 at All Modern.

8 Jacques Desk, $3,495 at Jonathan Adler

9 Homework Desk by Niels Bendtsen, $1,595 at DWR.

10 Reef Writing Desk by Tema, $720 at All Modern

11 Paul McCobb Style Birch Desk, $2700 at Chairish. 

12 Pilson Paprika Desk, $199 at Crate & Barrel.

13 Eames Desk Unit (EDU) by Herman Miller, $1,419 at Room & Board.

14 Rustic Storage Oak Desk, $499 at West Elm.

15 Radford Adjustable Desk in White design by Safavieh, $495 at Burke Decor.

16 Offi Wave Writing Desk, $999 at All Modern.

17 Royal Blue Vintage Campaign Desk, $795 at Chairish.

18 Executive Desk with Cabinet by Jesper Office, $2,374 at Bluefly.

19 Shutter Hall Desk, $1,350 at Furniturea.

20 Marco Desk, $799 at Crate & Barrel.

21 Delphine Desk, $1,950 at Jonathan Adler

22 Hanh Left Desk by Euro Style, $552 at Burke Decor.  

23 Eames Desk Unit (EDU) by Herman Miller, $1,419 at DWR.

24 Contrast Drawer Desk by Assembly Home, $369 at Urban Outfitters.

25 Slim Desk in Orange, $449 at Room & Board.

26 Nelson Swag Leg Desk by George Nelson for Herman Miller, $2,149 at DWR.

27 Mid-Century Desk in Thai Blue, $399 at West Elm.

28 Cant Writing Desk by Blu Dot, $599 at All Modern.

29 Poltrona Frau Fred Desk, $ stat Switch Modern.

30 Format Desk by BDI USA, $1,299 at All Modern.

31 Green Josephine Desk by Cost Plus, $199 at World Market.

32 Reclaimed Pine Cross Base Desk, $499 at West Elm.

33 Manon Desk by Italian Modern, $539.99 at All Modern.

34 Reale Desk by Moe’s Home Collection, $781.76 at Bellacor

35 Junction Desk by Gus Modern, $1,255 at Burke Decor.

36 Emmerson Reclaimed Wood Storage Desk, $1,299 at West Elm.

 37 Scrub Desk by Autobahn for De La Espada, $5,185 at Matter.

38 Fairfax Desk, $495 at Serena & Lily.

39 Companions Writing Desk by StudioIlse, $3,145 at The Future Perfect.

40 Lark Desk, $695 at Serena & Lily.

41 Pontus Desk by Pinch, $11,257 at The Future Perfect.

42 Remix Desk by Gesa Hansen , $3,065 at Matter.

Get the Look: 46 Modern Dining Tables

Now that Meredith & Daniel’s dining room schemes are complete, I’ve put together my favorites from  my exhaustive search for dining tables. I’ve included a bit of everything here—round, elliptical, and rectangular—including tables that expand and fold up. Most are modern in style, some are vintage, materials run the gamut from scrap wood to marble, and prices range from $179 (IKEA!) to a piece by Autoban for De La Espada for $12,595.

I’ve been a huge fan of #3 for weeks, and it was just in a kitchen I wrote about for the Boston Globe Magazine. I can’t help but love the Saarinen (I have the side tables and they’re just so satisfying). I really love the mix of marble & rough wood, not to mention the price, of #1. #16 is pretty, and #44 and #46 are great reflections of current trends—dipped and geo. Any favorites here, or that I may have left out?

S H O P P I N G

1 Rock Dining Table, $599 at CB2.

2 Alvar Aalto Dining Table for Artek, $1,905 at FinnStyle.

3 Fritz Hansen Super-Elliptical Table, $2,460 at Danish Design Store.

4 Adaptable Table by TAF Architects for Muuto, £1,395 at Haus.

5 Parson Dining Table by Milo Baughman, $6,800 at Galerie Sommerlath.

6 Nelson Swag Leg for Herman Miller, $1,699 at DWR.

7 Blu Dot Strut Table, $699 at Smart Furniture.

8 Drave Table by Samare, $1,830 at Matter.

9 Adams Solid Maple Extension Table, $1,499 at Room & Board.

10 Brewer Table, $1,199 at Thrive.

11 Saarinen Oval by Eero Saarinen for Knoll, $4,743 at DWR.

12 Welland Table by Ineke Hans, $1,492 at The Future Perfect.

13 PS 2012 Bamboo Dining Table, $179 at IKEA.

14 Shanghai Dining Table, $699 at CB2.

15 Eames Round Table with Veneer Top, $1,099 at Addo Novo.

16 Oly Studio Frank Dining Table, $4,050 at Zinc Door.

17 Breeze Table by Monica Forster for Swedese, £495 at Haus.

18 Flip n Dine Extension Table by Jonas Wahlstrom, $499 at CB2.

19 Simplon Table, by Jasper Morrison for Cappellini $4,131 at Unica.

20 T-Leg Table in Scrapwood by Piet Hein Eek, $4,254 at The Future Perfect.

21 M5 Short Frank Table by Established & Sons,  $2,170 at Matter.

22 Cyclone Dining Table by Isamu Noguchi, $1,898 at Addo Novo.

23 Benson Marble Top Table, $1,549 at Room & Board.

24 231 Scrub Table by Autoban for De La Espada, $4,555 at Addo Novo.

25 Dovetail Remy Table, $862.50 at Candelabra.

26 Gio Ponti Dining Table, Casati Gallery, 1st Dibs.

27 Bond Dining Table, $2,950 at Jonathan Adler.

28 Spoon Folding Table by Antonio Citterio for Kartell, $1,999 at Smart Furniture.

29 Bungalow 5 Fairfax Gray Cerused Oak Table, $2,015 at Zinc Door.

30 Peggy Dining Table by Pearson Lloyd for SCP, $2,400 at Woonwinkel.

31 Blu Dot Sprout Dining Table, $999 at Smart Furniture.

32 Woody Dining Table, $399 at CB2.

33 Teak Slice Expandable Table by Ethnicraft, $3,100 at Lekker.

34 Sputnik Round Table by Paul Delaisse, $1,520 at Lekker.

35 Pocket Extension Table by Slate Design, $499 at CB2.

36 PK 54 Table by Poul Kjaerholm, $10,600 at Almond Hartzog.

37 Astro Dining Table by Calligaris, $1,156.20 at AllModern.

38 Bungalow 5 Porto Dining Table, $2,535 at Candelabra.

39 230 Pebble Table by Autoban for De La Espada, $12,595 at Addo Novo.

40 Oly Studio Maisy Table, $3,37.50 at Candelabra.

41 Opus Oak Hideaway Dining Table, £150 at Next.

42 Kitchenette Light Oak Table, $189 at Crate & Barrel.

43 Extendable Table by Karim Rashid, $2,495 at BoConcept.

44 1/2 Nelson Cafe Table by Misewell, $1,580 at Horne.

45 Compass Trestle Legs Matthew Hilton for SCP, $750 at Horne.

46 Strala Table by Tom Strala, $7,900 at Horne.

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If you are looking for sturdy dining tables then Top Furniture Ltd are worth a look. They offer round, rectangular, and square oak dining tables at great prices from their website.

Scheming: Meredith and Daniel’s Entry

FINAL  E N T R Y   SCHEME

Jonathan Adler “Greek Key” wallpaper in gray/white
Jonathan Adler  “Queen Anne” mirror in orange lacquer
Bungalow 5 “Odom” console in gray lacquer
George Nelson “Pear” lamp, YLighting

West Elm “Crescent” bench in whitewashed ash
Timorous Beasties “Butterflies” wallpaper in frost

* * *
THE  P R O C E S S 

I started out by ordering swatches of about a dozen wallpapers. Some were great, others were unpleasant surprises. (Oversize metallic patterns on mylar—no thanks.) My favorite was Timorous Beasties “Thistle Superwide” in black on ivory; no surprise to those of you who read regularly.

Meredith wasn’t crazy about the more illustration-like choices, though eventually “Thistle” grew on her, and she asked about a less bold version.

I liked the idea of doing “Thistle Superwide” in gray on ivory, with Timorous Beasties “Birds’n’Bees” in the powder room. Neither one of us are huge bird fans, but the quality of the papers and the colors look beautiful together. Nevertheless, we decided to hold out for a swatch of the new “Butterflies” paper. We’re still waiting!

I stopped by Jonathan Adler on Newbury to take a look at some furniture and rugs. They had a wall with a console done in  “George“. Fab!

Cole and Sons “Hicks Hexagon”  |   Jonathan Adler “George”


Photo: Mikkel Vang for Domino

Then it hit me: David Hicks “Hexagon.”  It’s fresh, but timeless. Daniel liked the blue colorway, but Meredith preferred a more subtle pattern, so I put this together:

S C H E M E  1

Lights: West Elm “Polyhedron” – Sonneman “Castelli” – George Nelson “Pear Criss Cross” – Z Gallerie “Glo” – IKEA “Knappa”
Wallpaper: Ferm Living “Ribbed” –  Kreme “Chevron” – Jonathan Adler “Greek Key”
Consoles: West Elm “Source” – Bungalow 5 “Odom” – World’s Away “Noho”
(Meredith & Daniel’s own octagonal mirror)

*  *  * 
S C H E M E  2

Meredith loved the chevron and the Greek key papers, along with the simple gray lacquer console. Many of the pendants I had chosen only used 60-watt bulbs, so we went with a George Nelson; they’re great functionally, aesthetically, and budget-wise.  Then I added  a couple of other consoles that look pretty with the chevron paper.

Wallpaper: Kreme “Chevrons”
Light: George Nelson “Pear Criss Cross”
Consoles:  Bungalow 5 “Parsons” – Bungalow 5 “Marco” – Bungalow 5 “Odom”

*  *  * 

I also suggested a bench for around the corner, since there was plenty of room, and with a toddler, quite useful. Here’s the “Butterflies” paper that we’re still waiting to see in real life. Love the green; perhaps for the powder room?  Details for the consoles show the lacquered grasscloth finish and nailhead detailing.

*  *  * 
S C H E M E  3

The nailhead console was too short, the white too white (plus, no drawer), so the glossy gray lacquer it is. With a pale gray paper and the console’s simple silhouette, I was afraid the finished look wouldn’t make enough of an impact. Although we never discussed orange for anywhere in the apartment, I couldn’t resist adding this mirror. She loved it!  Yay! Now we need to find somewhere else to put the octagonal mirror.

*  *  * 
S C H E M E  3

And finally . . . 

Do you love it? We do!

I love the quirky silhouette of the mirror paired with the clean-lined console. Its curves, plus that of the classic modern pendant, provide contrast against the pale backdrop of the bold Greek Key pattern, while the shape of the console echoes it. And the orange and glossy gray colors really pop. Can’t wait to see it IRL!

MORE: Scheming: Meredith & Daniel’s Master Bedroom

Get the Look: Modern Clocks

From digital to analog, with numbers or just a dot, these modern, contemporary and retro clocks are sure to make you tick. Tock.

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Shopping Guide

Riki Desk Clock, $99.95 at MOMA Store.
Jonas Damon Twice Twice Clock, $150 at Design Public.
Round LED Clock, $35 at MOMA Store.
KVAETA Clock, $5.99 at IKEA.
Jonas Damon Number Clock, $100 at Design Public.
Font Clock, $1,150 at Moss.
Cube Clock, $50 at Moss.
Angelo Mangiarotti Space Maritime Table Clock, $262 at Nova68.
Bonox Clock, $18 at Urban Outfitters.
Dot Matrix Digital Alarm Clock by Kikkerland, $80 at Fitzsu.
Floz Design Modern LCD Clock, $40.95 at Nova68.
80’s Cube Clock, $22 at Fred Flare.
Queen Clock, $49.95 at The Well Dressed Home.
Sunflower Clock by George Nelson, $1085 at DWR.
Audrey Wall Clock, $49.99 at Bed, Bath & Beyond.
Metal Wall Clock by Glenna Jean, $75.38 at AllModern
Nelson Ball Clock, $335 at DWR.
Petal Clock by George Nelson, $325 at Design Public.

Orange Retro Wall Clock, $29.99 at Bed, Bath & Beyond.
Focus Wall Clock, $25.95 at Burke Decor.
Katia Clock, $34 at The Well Dressed Home
Wood Wall Clock, $77.95 at Burke Decor.
Plywood Clock, $70 at MOMA Store.
Color Blocks Clock, $88 at Chiasso.
Galaxy Wall Clock, $78 at Chiasso.
Time Zone Clock, $69.95 at CB2.
Red Arrow Wall Clock, $47.95 at Burke Decor.
Testpage Wall Clock, $57.95 at Burke Decor.
Arne Jacobsen Romer Clock, $342 at Nova68.
Flight Clock, $58 at Chiasso.
Nava Wall Clock Time Bodoni, $170 at Fitzu
Alessi Blow Up Wall Clock, $240 at Fitzsu.
Postal Box Table and Wall Clock, $219 at Italian Design Gifts.
TAJMA Clock, $9.99 at IKEA.
Albero (Cucuruku) Cuckoo Clock, $350 at Italian Design Gifts
What Time Modern Wall Clock, $199 at Italian Design Gifts.

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