I've alloted the space, but haven't actually designed it yet. I'd reccomend thinking about the jobs you want to accomplish at this location, especially if you have another office space for filing, faxing and other actual office type work. The crucial jobs for my desk are --keep all the paper work in one spot, where the junk can be tossed and the good stuff sorted and prioritized. --hold my checkbook, wallet, cell... all the stuff I need to grab on my way out the door. --have a few mailing supplies for fast turnaround of important stuff. --hold the indespensible contents of my junk drawer. --provide a spot for my backup laptop. I know what I want: desk height, with a floor to ceiling cab on each end with a bridge between for a hutch effect with much more storage. Will have a place for owners manuals, a good sized trash recepticle, cell chargers, pigeon holes for sorting mail, small drawers for staplers, tape, all the office type things I need but would just as soon not run upstairs to the office to find. If I get another printer, the old one will live here, but I think I'll leave the fax that I seldom use in the office. The 'bridge' section may end up as open storage for cookbooks, or glass doored for storing vases and pottery.

Here's ours, which still is not used as a desk, although we're getting closer now that the construction tools aren't here as much. I never thought it should be desk height, but DH did and he won. We have the swiveling t.v. over it so if HE wanted to, he could look at it from chair I think. We still have to decide on an appropriate chair. Currently we have a wastebasket and dog bowls under it. Cute, yes? Items jump from that lower surface to the upper one constantly. I had hoped that it would be a barrier, but it's not. In my thinking, we might as well have had entire surface flat. Cork board between cabinet and desk is now used less decoratively. It's a working message center. That's where calendar hangs, thank-you notes and such are posted and oddball coupons get put. Although there's a "pencil drawer" we keep a pencil mug on the desk. Cabinet above desk is 16 inches deep--allows notebooks for financial statements, phone books, etc. Top shelf is unrelated storage of party gear. A permanently mounted power strip at front of bottom shelf of this cab allows DH to put chargers in here and let cord dangle down so that the device is seen and not forgotten once it is charged. He can turn off power to all chargers with one switch. Lobby is to left of desk. I'm trying to put "things going elsewhere" into the shelves in the closet in lobby instead of on desk--lib. books, stuff for Mom's sr. residence, things going to friends, etc. Otherwise, they accumulate on desk. But that's fine with me--better there than in the rest of the kitchen where they used to cluster, esp on top of refrig. because that was by front door. Because the peninsula is right there next to the desk, I would rather spread out on that to do any work with pencil and paper, but then, I'm a person who needs special glasses to focus on arm's length stuff, so I suppose that little desk just looks like too much work--easier to stand and write at peninsula with my multifocus lenses and squint. I clear pencils and paper and calendar and address book off the peninsula at least twice a day and plunk them back on HIS desk. Computer will never be used at desk, I'm sure. (It moves between peninsula and dining table all the time.) Telephone holder lives on desk, at least for now. I'm hoping to get it wired into a place on wall closer to dining room, but until then, it's here. This cordless phone is another thing that hides throughout the kitchen and has to be put away on desk when I spy it. One benefit of this space: For parties, we can clean off the desk and bulletin board, put up a sign or something decorative like this framed piece, then put beverages here. Keeps traffic out of kitchen. Remember--this is Formica, so it's not going to mind.

Okay, I'm picking up what (most of) you are putting down. I neatened it up. I consolidated. I went through the kids' pencil jars and found things that haven't been seen in years. Why were we holding on to a pencil that was 1/2" long? Or a single, ancient brown crayon? I don't know. It looks better and I'm going to try to find a cheap and cheerful version of what jlc712 suggested. Anniecat, I read your response and like a bratty kid, thought, "I don't want to move the cookbooks!!!" I practically stomped my foot. And then I moved them. It's so much better. And besides, who am I kidding? I never use them. Lukkirish, all my samples live in a shoe box. Super classy, right? It would nice to have a place for them. I think they can go in a drawer. MagdalenaLee, you are right, I shouldn't try to force it. Thank you all for your great replies and ideas. I also neatened the kitty bowls. We're ditching the radio for something else soon. The drawers are getting cleaned out and organized. I'll get a power strip and something to hold the electronics.

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