A large desk

[Julie-Ann]

I have decided to give up my office to Mr17. Why- 1. because I am a wonderful mother:D and 2. he needs the space more than me. I use it mostly for storage - so I will use the built in cupboard for that. And he can have the Expedit bookcase from Ikea and the rest of the room.
So I need to buy him a desk- a very big desk so he can spread out his books and computers. I loved the desk Louh made where she painted the top with blackboard paint. But that is a waste of time because you won't see the blackboard paint with all the junk that will be on top.:D So I am in search of where to buy or how to make a large desk. His decorating style is modern.
Any suggestions.

[Katrina]

Aren't you lovely! You know I have a 'thing' about offices, so I can't wait to see what you do.... Ikea have the best desks, but I couldn't get there to get one, so my big one came from Freedom :)

[Milena]

I love glass computer desks and love the one Katrina has. I saw one recently in the latest Home Beautiful magazine from the Domayne store home office department. The picture below is from the Domayne website but Domayne is pricey:)
Does he like a wooden one or a glass one?

[Elements]

Would he go for one of these trestle style desks and then paint it what ever colour you like...Fairly cheap easy to use for other things later and put a funky chair with it and it could look pretty modern.
http://www.chilliwebsites.com/sitefiles/2527/Image/trestle_table.jpg

[Julie-Ann]

He is quite interested in the trestle table Elements- thanks. He doesn't want glass and he says he needs to be able to keep the cords tidy. The child has too many electronic gizmos on his desk.

[with2ns]

What a lovely mum you are Julie-Ann!

I had a large workspace while I was studying for my year 12. I took up half the dining room table!! I think you are right about never seeing the table top!

I think something like this desk could be really useful. It's got some shelves built in that would be great for separating one subject from the other. It's from Ikea.

http://www.ikea.com/PIAimages/0094341_PE232227_S3.JPG
http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/S99885124

I reckon you can never have too much storage space :)

[Julie-Ann]

I have never noticed that one With2n's- thanks. That looks like an Expedit bookcase as well.
He is taking up half the dining table at the moment- which I don't mind. His tutor thinks when studying for exams that is the best room for him, so that will continue during exam times. By the way, I told him to study there years ago but what do I know?:D

[with2ns]

You're right, it is a Expedit, I thought that could go with what you've already got and it will last much longer than just exam time :) (and they are my favourite style)

Haha, you must know Julie-Ann that it's not true when parents say it, only when other people tell you so... ;)

[Kim G]

We just decided on exactly that desk on Saturday. Will be picking it up in the next week or so :)

[Julie-Ann]

Which colour did you pick Kim G? Are you going to get any of the baskets for the squares?

[Lanne]

A great alternative extendable table. I have a 30 inch cinema display and need to sit back more than a normal table to be comfortable. I gained about 15cm by going with a table ..I also like the extra width...you can shrink it when
You don't need it so big... Or when you want to move it rooms. Just look for a table which the legs sit at the outer edge of the shrunken table otherwise it can limit how you sit at it. Sure there are no drawers etc but the desk space is so much cheaper you can easily afford under desk storage carts/cabinets etc

IKEA have some affordable options ... As usual

Of course if this is a short term thing you could buy a very affordable table top and some legs from IKEA and be done for sub $200 and just dismantle and store until you need a spare table for a party etc there are $99 tops and cheap leg combos

[Kim G]

Which colour did you pick Kim G? Are you going to get any of the baskets for the squares?

We are getting white because we already have a white expedit bookcase that will hopefully be going in the same room (we have to measure it because it will be really tight). We are going to put some red doors and drawers randomly on both units to tie them into the room but the red doors are out of stock at the moment.

[Julie-Ann]

Great idea Lanne. I hadn't even thought of that. Even more options now.

Does anyone know anything about Feng Shui for offices/study rooms? We need all the positive energy in this room for him:)

[Julie-Ann]

Oh that's stunning. I love the red doors idea. I can't wait to see it:)

By the way Kim G do you have a thread about your build? So that we can follow how it is going. You must be getting close to the end.:)

[Kim G]

I haven't started a thread about the build because it is so close it is almost over :D. We are hoping to have the keys either by the end of this week or early next week!

[Julie-Ann]

Wow so soon- congratulations:) Show us lots of pictures when you get the keys.

[AJ*]

My parents have the ikea desk that with2ns posted, the one that butts up against the bookcase. We've placed it in the middle of the room with a chair on either side so both my parents can work at the same desk.

I was thinking along the same lines as Milena. Pick up from trestle legs from ikea for about $20 each, find an old door to repaint and voila - desk! And I reckon you could probably do it for under $100.

[rachel]

Julie-Ann I don't know about feng shui but please please get him an ergonomic assessment (there are some you can even do online) to make sure the height of the desk, screen, chair etc is right for him.

I'd also suggest a really good chair for him if he'll be sitting in it for long stretches at a time. There's a great shop on Newcastle St in Northbridge called Living Edge. They have some awesome stuff there. I bought my Herman Miller chair from them and I love it. Admittedly when I'm working I'm sitting longer than Mr17 would (8-6pm at the very least) and only getting up for little stretches occasionally and lunch.

I bought the Herman Miller Mirra. It is cheaper than the Aeron. Before the dot com bust all IT people had Aeron chairs! At some law firms the partners and even some senior associates have them. The Aeron is a sized chair and not so good if say, someone else wants to sit in it or if the first owner leaves home and someone else wants to keep it *wink*. They both have a very long warranty and it covers for 24 hour use! It doesn't look the most comfortable chair in the world but trust me it is awesome. I wish I had it when I was studying!

[Julie-Ann]

Excellent point Rachel. I was only thinking of this yesterday when I was watching him sit at the dining room table. I know when I type at the table it is too high for me. I will definitely check out the ergonomic assessments online. I know Living Edge too- great shop.
I will start to research colours as well. The room is Dulux Warm Neutral- a coffee colour at the moment. I think this might be too dark for his study. I think he needs a room that will be lighter and brighter. All suggestions welcome on how to create the perfect study for a university student:)

[rachel]

Lots of bookcases, Julie-Ann, possibly some book stands if he likes to work that way.

I'd also suggest 2 monitors for his computer, or if he is working on a laptop, an additional monitor for it. It will help a lot particularly for cross referencing case law and legislation.

I'd also highly recommend a good fountain pen if he's not a smudger :P It is a lot easier to write for a lot longer with one. Lots of lawyers I know use one (my husband has 3 - two blue, one red for marking up other people's work - he's an addict). Otherwise those gel pens can be good for exams.

Law exams are open book and he should keep that in mind from day 1. I used the course outlines to break up each subject into major areas and wrote notes expanding on each point, with a (very) short summary of the ratio (and in some cases, obiter dictum too) of each relevant case. Each was in its own section in the binder. I also wrote out flow charts for answering the problem type questions in exams that often work something like this:

"The government have introduced the following bill. You act for a lobby group who do x. Advise your client whether the bill is constitutionally valid and on what grounds."

My flow charts would say:

Check issue X: Legislation A B C, Case law: D E F
then check issue Y etc etc

There is a specific way to answer law problems in an exam and I can show him that when the time comes :)

I typed all my notes and hand wrote the flow charts for some reason. Some other uni students had their notes professionally printed and bound! It is also pretty common for older students to sell their notes to the lower years. This can help but can also be seriously bad.

A good printer and scanner will come in handy. I used a laptop at uni (in the late 90s - the olden days - it was almost unheard of - but popular now) but it is up to Mr17 as to what he is comfortable with.

[giggle_smile]

Here are some Feng Shui tips for a study.

1) Keep it neat & clean & clutter free :)
2) The door needs to be visible from where he is sitting so no one can sneak up on him :)
3) Try and position the desk so that the window is to the left, if not possible place a mirror to the left.
4) It is also a good thing to have a plant in the room (bamboo or cactus) to help absorb energy from any technology in the room eg computers they are also a sign of good luck.

I hope this helps :)

[giggle_smile]

I just looked up my colour therapy notes they suggested pale green on the walls but too much can be too relaxing, however they have mentioned that touches of yellow & orange are stimulating, revitalizing, encouraging & gives mental clarity, so if you stuck with a neutral on the walls and added a few splashes of those colours then it will be just perfect :)

[Julie-Ann]

Rachel you have just made his day- I told him that law exams are open book. I also mentioned the pens and by chance he his favourite pen- a gel pen just ran out. So I have raced around finding another gel pen for tomorrow's English exam. He is left handed so a bit too much of a smudger for a fountain pen though. I will show him all the tips about notes- thanks so much for all that handy information. He already uses 2 laptops so we have that one covered.

Thanks for the feng shui tips Giggle_smile. The tip about clutter free will be impossible for him to keep:D. We can do all the others except the desk faces away from the door. I put a mirror above the desk so you could see the door- I thought that would solve the problem. Do you know if it does?

[Julie-Ann]

Have you done some Feng Shui studies Giggle_smile? I am fascinated:).
Funny yellow and orange are the 2 colours we never use in the house but this may just be the exception. Mental clarity is what we are definitely after. I think splashes of yellow would be great for a study- maybe yellow and white.

[giggle_smile]

Yep I studied Feng Shui and Colour Therapy about 10 years ago. I have put it on the backburner the last few years since having my boys, but after having a spooky moment last week all my books are back out and Im thinking about taking my studies further :)

Not too much Yellow & Orange you dont want to over stimulate or make him extra hungry as both colours can stimulate appetite aswell lol

[giggle_smile]

The mirror above the desk will help having his back to the door :)

[Julie-Ann]

Oh glad the mirror will work. It just makes sense that you don't want your back to the door.
No I was thinking just splashes. My DH doesn't like yellow or orange so it wouldn't work to have lots. So is primarily white and maybe touches of black for masculinity plus splashes of yellow- good feng shui?

[rachel]

I'm a leftie and I use a fountain pen but not in exams!

Aw tell Mr17 not to get excited. Open book exams are actually harder and you need to include citations etc. There is very little time to actually read anything which is why my flow charts worked so well. In later years students take TROLLEYS of info into exams, crazy!

Sounds like you're doing all the right things so he will have the best possible environment to do well :)

[Julie-Ann]

Very good points about the open book exams. I can believe the trolleys of books and papers. Thanks for the help Rachel:)

[giggle_smile]

Oh glad the mirror will work. It just makes sense that you don't want your back to the door.
No I was thinking just splashes. My DH doesn't like yellow or orange so it wouldn't work to have lots. So is primarily white and maybe touches of black for masculinity plus splashes of yellow- good feng shui?

sounds good ;)

[Julie-Ann]

The only snag is I am now going to have to paint white over coffee coloured walls:(. I can see that is about 4 coats of paint. Plus the cream curtains will have to be replaced by white. It is so much easier to create for clients who hire tradesmen to do the work:D. But I am loving this scheme:)

[Lorraine]

Julie-Ann, I always use my fit ball to sit on at home in front of my computer. :)

[Julie-Ann]

Wow you are good Lorraine - I can't stay on them:D

[Lanne]

If you need any tips on incorporating yellow happily.. let me know ;)
I never liked yellow but it made sense for our brand .. everyone was horrified when I did it originally but luckily yellow has come into fashion (easy to buy things!) and no one worries now.

I am moving my office around and finally decorating it this weekend.
My back will be to the door.. but facing a window (ok i am covering the window). No one will sneak up on me... they know I will put them to work ;)

Get him something fun. A wall decal or SOMETHING.... you can always remove it when you get the office back! (just remember to let any new paint settle for 4 weeks before applying anything to it ... like a decal!

[Julie-Ann]

When Giggle_smile suggested yellow you were the first person I thought of Lanne:). Good to know your branding is working then.
Yes the yellow has got me a little stuck. I see white walls and white curtains. The bookcase is black/brown and I thought the desk could be too, and probably the chair.
Now if it was me I would have lovely yellow files and magazine holders on the bookcase and yellow trays on the desk. But he won't have the magazine holders and his files will be be different colours so he can pick which subject they are for easily. The bookcase and the desk will be messy:(
So I love the decal idea- a great way to introduce the colour.
What yellow things do you have in your office Lanne?

[giggle_smile]

You may have some trouble finding a masculine yellow decal :) but i will look thru my books and see what i can find :)

[giggle_smile]

Here are some that I have :)

834

835

836

837

838

[Lanne]

I do about 60% white, 30% grey and 10% yellow.

Looking around - I have some yellow fabric covered binders, yellow files, yellow pencils (not the cheap ones LOL) .. yellow notebooks, yellow post its (kikki K not the traditional) and sharpener..

Most other stuff is white and grey.. few cardboard/kraft paper things too. Look for boxes, trays etc.. Grey might be a good masculine in between for him.

I would skip a yellow decal because they are often blindingly bright when placed on a white wall... (but i do love that grandfather clock Belinda!) funny i gave up on finding a yellow one and installed a grey one today i am very fussy about my yellow .. and yes.. the branding is very effective ;) LOTS of people see yellow and think of me.. so i call it a success.

What about a skyline running along the wall at desk height would add some interest without distraction and is age appropriate..
http://ny-image3.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.146869623.jpg

There is an alternative here (http://www.etsy.com/listing/35747065/nyc-skyline-vinyl-wall-art?ref=sr_list_21&ga_search_query=city+skyline+decal&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title) Much more of a statement piece.

[Lanne]

I am having trouble posting all the links so please excuse my disjointed approach..

Smiggle is 'cool' with teens and they have some great options. smiggle.com.au

http://smiggle.com.au/Images/Catalog/ProductImages/434160_BLACK_m.jpg
File rack - http://smiggle.com.au/Images/Catalog/ProductImages/440664_Black_m.jpg

I had to have these the other day -

http://smiggle.com.au/Images/Catalog/ProductImages/460973_m.jpg
http://smiggle.com.au/Images/Catalog/ProductImages/441457_Elephant_m.jpg

[Julie-Ann]

Thanks so much for the pictures Giggle_smile and Lanne. I must admit I love the drama of the skyline but I am not sure how that will work with a mirror above it (need that for good feng shui). You know I never go into Smiggle but I would think they could have some lovely yellow accessories. We need the yellow for mental clarity:). So much to ponder.

[Mr17]

I just thought I should say a BIG thank you to everyone for helping to design my future room. I'm sure the end result will be a credit to you all =)

[Lanne]

Oh M17 - you are so polite.. (your mum must be proud).. Not sure i would have been so nice about a bunch of women sitting around pondering my desk when i was 17 ;) ... Hope you get a cool space reflective of you. :) and good luck with your exams! ... remember - this too shall pass... and soon you will be free of them! for a while anyway!

[Lanne]

What about a small mirror..... it could be moon like?

[Julie-Ann]

I have managed to drive Mr17 completely crazy looking at different desks. But we now have found a solution-phew! After 3 days of going in circles we have decided to keep the desk he has:rolleyes:. It is the student desk in the Zed range from Freedom (so I have discovered as I thought we bought it from Amart-old age setting in here). We are going to buy the return desk in that range and butt the student desk (which we have) to form a corner desk. He can also use the pedestal he has with this. Then we will get the computer shelf for his 2 monitors and probably the keyboard slide. The only pain is the legs of the existing desk are silver and the new desk white so I will need to whip out the spray paint to fix that up. Or maybe I should spray it all in a charcoal finish- what do you think?
Then we will turn the existing Expedit bookcase so it is vertical and get a 2nd one to stand vertically next to it. Then finally we will put a shelf next to the bookcase for the printer.
Oh and somewhere in that we need to squeeze in my treadmill for when I can actually walk again and lose some weight.
So what do you think?

[Katrina]

This is my desk! Great taste!!!! ;)

[Julie-Ann]

Lol you mean the desk you showed me on the first page of this thread??? I did tell you I have been going around in circles.
What colour are your frames Katrina?

[Katrina]

No it's the same as my office :)

White legs...

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P5nDQhMyJXA/S3yFsu3LS0I/AAAAAAAACpE/goQ6Ls51hL0/s1600-h/Photo0767.jpg

[Julie-Ann]

What great taste we both must have:D
Because the Expedit Bookcase is black/brown I am trying to decide do I have the legs white/ silver or charcoal? Either way I am going to have to do some spray painting.
Oh and the treadmill is silver- just so it all coordinates;)

[Milena]

I love the Zed range Mr17 also must have great taste:)
Will you have this set up in two weeks time? I'd love to see what you put together:)

[Julie-Ann]

Lol I love your enthusiasm Milena but no. DH is working so much he can't help, Mr17 is at school and the silly foot is slowing me down. Mr17 and I will work on it together during the holidays. Of course as you will be visiting Perth at that time bring your painting clothes - the more hands the merrier:D:D

[Milena]

I am happy with choosing the colour and dh would be able to help you with the painting when we come over so I will bring his painting clothes as I don't own any;):D

[Julie-Ann]

No that's fine- Mr17 and I are a good painting team. I do the edging and he rolls. And spray painting the legs of the desk won't be too big a job.:)

[Milena]

But if you need any painting done let us know even though I have never painted before:)

[Julie-Ann]

I think you should just enjoy your holiday but get your DH to teach you to paint. It is very rewarding to do:)

[Milena]

I am sure we will enjoy our holiday and the next time we do any painting I will seriously consider helping dh:)

[Julie-Ann]

Well now I will have to write an article for you on all my tips for painting and others can add their tips. Stay tuned:)

[Elements]

Milena, I love that you don't have any painting clothes...My hubby doesn't have any ironing or washing clothes;):D Swings and Roundabouts:D

[Julie-Ann]

Rofl- so this is where I have gone wrong I do everything:mad:

[Milena]

That's great I like that idea. Thanks Julie-Ann:)
Elements yes dh would have as much trouble cleaning as I would have painting;)

[Julie-Ann]

With this broken foot DH has had to learn so many new cleaning skills. By the time it's better I may have actually fully trained him:D

[Elements]

Julie-Ann, Its not wrong to be an empowered woman who can do anything...its just that sometimes we have to make them feel manly and to do this we must act a little helpless:D:D This is part of my manipulation process;) I will set the womans movement back decades if I say this sort of thing to often.
No really he is such a perfectionist whenever I try and help there is way too much not this way that way and not there over there...I gave up;)

[Julie-Ann]

Oh I so know what you mean. I now refuse to paint in the same room as DH. DH seems to forget that I have painted whole houses all by myself.:mad: But these days DH works so much if I waited for him to paint I would die waiting:(

[Milena]

lol Element your dh sounds exactly like me:D but I have very good manipulation skills too;)
Lets hope Julie-Ann your dh has learnt lots and he continues cleaning after your foot gets better:)
I am the same I don't like waiting for jobs to be done I like it when they are done without me asking and I like them to be done as soon as they are asked.
I thought this thread was supposed to be about Mr17's desk:D

[Elements]

We are so good at going off topic. Ok back to A large Desk.;)

[Julie-Ann]

It's okay to go off topic- because of Mr17 I am sitting here sorting out all the paperwork in my office. This is going to take days. The good news is I am finding some amazing articles and product information that I forgot I had collected. So much now to show you all. Plus my back hurts from hobbling back and forth to the study to measure up various desks- it was close to 12 times:D. My back is very pleased this decision has been made. By the time you get here Milena my office will be perfect and tidy. I will take photos before we start the makeover.

[Elements]

You know Photos are always essential to this type of makeover.;)

[Julie-Ann]

Of course but you don't want one of it in it's messy state:D. The first step is to sort all my stuff so that I can fit it into the double wardrobe. But I will take a photo just before doing all this. Then we will remove the antique desk and put the new desk in. Then to decide on paint and curtains- Mr17 doesn't want my Toile padded pelmet- surprising:D.
We don't think the cityscape idea will work with his set up of his computers and not sure how to do the mirror yet. We figure we will move him in and then stand back to make all those decorative touches.
Do you think a reflection of the door in the computer screen will be adequate feng shui?

[Milena]

Don't go to any extra effort because of us coming I am sure your house looks stunning. You need to rest and look after your foot:)

[Julie-Ann]

That's ok - my main motivation is to get Mr17 into the study after the holidays so he can spread his work out when preparing for the end of year exams.

[Milena]

It sounds like you've got lots of decorating ideas already. When I was in Officeworks last week they had a section with some really nice stationary.
Are you going to paint all 4 walls or are you going to have just a feature wall? I am looking forward to seeing all this come together:)

[Julie-Ann]

I won't be able to do a feature wall:( as 1 wall will be covered with bookcases, 1 with built in cupboards, 1 with curtains for the sliding door and the 4th will have the desk with a shelf on it and 2 computer monitors on that.
Did you happen to see anything interesting in yellow at Officeworks? That will be the accent colour.

[Milena]

I can't recall seeing yellow stationary but there is a section called a Fashion Stationary and I bought my pink cloth binder from that range which looks really pretty when you open it with pink flower patterns. I just love it:)
Have a look at this link to the Officeworks website where you can see a Fashion Stationary.

http://www.officeworks.com.au/retail/products/Office-Supplies/Fashion-Stationery

[Julie-Ann]

Thanks Milena:)

[Julie-Ann]

Katrina- with our desk we don't have the space to add the corner piece to connect the 2 desks. It would mean that side of the desk would jut out into the room too far. Do you think it will look ok if we just butt them against each other?

[Katrina]

Howdy gang! Wow I missed heaps on this post!

JA did you buy 2 x desks or returns? What colours? I just need to visualise LOL

[Julie-Ann]

We have the student's desk (which they have discontinued) in a silver frame. We are thinking of buying the return. As the return is now not available in silver we are going to get white and respray both desks legs in silver.
We are also thinking of getting the return shelf to sit above.
So we would butt the student's desk and the return together to form an L-shape.

[Katrina]

Uh huh uh huh... I got it. Yep sounds pretty good to me. How long is the student desk because part of it will be cut off if you make an L shape with it. Mr 17 didn't like the white legs? Very classy and fresh. Peter Brewer has the ZED the same as me. I was just thinking of saving you having to spray a brand new desk? What else will be in the room? I did order the desk shelf ages ago, must check on that!

[Julie-Ann]

Yes he understands that he will lose part of the desk in the L- corner but he says the measurements are fine. We have marked it out in the room so he can see exactly how big it will be. Your desk must be huge:).
I am thinking of spraying them silver because the bookcase is the Expedit in black/brown. And I am thinking of painting the walls white with white curtains. Then a black chair and pops of bright yellow throughout the room.
My other thought was to spray paint the frames charcoal. What do you think?

[Katrina]

Well that sounds nice to me! Very cool and masculine at the same time.

Yes my desk is huge :) The room is massive (bedroom size) so I needed a big desk to fill it.

[Julie-Ann]

It must be perfect for the kids to sit with you too.

Which colour frames do you all think would look best with the frosted glass and the black/brown Expedit bookcase?

[Katrina]

Personally I like the white. Of course I have them ;). But they are lovely. I think the white would tie in with the walls. If you wanted chrome in there you could do accessories like I have - lamp, light shade etc.. :)

[Julie-Ann]

I see your point and of course it would be less work- always a good thing. Thanks for the advice:)

[Julie-Ann]

Nope changed my mind again- so indecisive:D. I think I will go the charcoal so it balances out with the black/brown of the bookcases on the other side of the room. I will still need to only paint the existing desk if I can find a matching paint.

[Katrina]

Ha! Can't wait to see. I am sure it will be fabulous :)

[Julie-Ann]

Katrina has put her shelf on her desk- photos are to follow:D.
Mr17 is going to use his shelf to put a monitor from his PC and his Mac laptop on top. I will look at getting a wireless keyboard to work with them both.
What I really like (but don't tell Mr17) is when I walk into the room I will see exactly what is on the screens. Surely this is modern day good feng shui?:D
He just likes that the shelf gives him extra space.

[Lanne]

grins i prefer the History feature.. shows me what WAS on the screen ;)

[Julie-Ann]

Yes a very handy feature only problem is he has a password on his computer:mad:.

[Julie-Ann]

A slight change in plans with the desk. Not because I am indecisive but because DH came home from a trip and when we showed him what we wanted to do he had a better idea. We are now going to buy the full size version of the desk and it's matching shelf. Then with the existing desk we are going to use that as a sliding in and out return on the side. You see the students desk is 4cm lower than the new desk. We were going to remove the castor wheels on the new desk to even the heights. But now we will keep the wheels on so that by forming an L shape with the 2 desks the student desk can slide 1/2way under the new desk and slide out when extra space is necessary. I thought that was a good idea.:)

[Katrina]

Excellent idea! You won't regret that.

Here mine is with the new shelf. Very happy!

919

920

[Julie-Ann]

Wow that looks great and so neat:). You have totally sold us on this desk thanks for the picture.

[Julie-Ann]

So change of plans:(.Mr17's existing Freedom desk is not going to go with their new range. Not only did they change the colour of the frames but they made the glass more milky coloured. The desks at Freedom that are now available are too big.
Never fear- Plan B (or is it Plan Z by now:D). DH and I braved Ikea today to get the Expedit bookcase to match the existing one. We found a desk which we think will work - the Gallant series. It comes in all sorts of combinations including a corner piece. So tomorrow all 3 of us will stand in the room with the tape measure to sort out what will work best. The beauty of the Gallant is the top matches the black/brown Expedit bookcase and it has chrome legs.
There is even a possibility with the new arrangement of adding a decal on the wall. So if you know where I can get something very affordable and stunning let me know.
And the other snag is I can't find bright yellow accessories like files or boxes or anything - anywhere. If you have seen any please let me know.

[Julie-Ann]

The exiting of my office is now complete:(. Today I took all the items from my bookcase and desk and put them in the 2 cupboards allocated to me. My life is now contained in 2 cupboards- my work, my craft items and our personal filing all crammed in. There are a few items left over to go on ebay but that's it.
Tomorrow we will go and get Mr17's new desk:).