Oh man, can I say no? I really like the tables (and am wondering where I can put one in my house) but on either side of your secretary, I just can't visualize it. How tall is your secretary desk? Maybe, just maybe if you really like them I can see moving your desk to the left and having one on the right side. But I just think it's the wrong style.

edited to correct - that should be move to the right not the left.

What are the dimensions of the desk? I think it would look good if the shelves are the same height or lower than the desk. You could always get them and return them if they dont look right. This may be one of those situations that could go either way....i would at least try it.

If someone could photoshop it that would help. I'd think it might be a great fit. What is the return policy?

can you put some painters tape or other marker to show where they would fit? my concern is that they are not really wide enough to fill enough of the space to not look like placeholders (i.e. not a good fit).

I've been thinking about this and secretary desk in particular and I will admit that I have a rather romantic vision attached to them.

For me, they are where the woman of the house attends to her correspondence and the household accounts (told you it was a romantic vision) and so should be wrapped up in femininity. Perhaps on one side with a sitting chair with arms and a floral prints and a throw where she reads her correspondence and then moves to the desk to answer it. On the other side there could be a bench with her favourite books and magazines stacked on the top with a basket underneath with a few more.

I would create a vignette with the vision of the secretary as the star wrapped in femininity. Those pier 1 tables just don't do it for me and my vision. But, not my home :).

Hmm - maybe I need to stop reading so many romance novels.

Oh, but what a sweet vision it is! I have guests coming soon but will do a painters tape mock-up later. If I can find the dang painters tape, that is. Perhaps use the booksellers shelf to the right of the desk so that it's also accessible from the big flowered yellow chair (which DH has pretty much claimed as his own! Ha!) and put a pretty bench on the left side of the desk. Hmmmm.

I think I agree with several of the posters, the style is too different from the secretary as well as the woodtones being at odds with each other. I also have to agree about the wall size vs the secretary, too much wall. Maybe a couple of wood tone floating shelves would work on each side, still nice for books!

I wouldn't mind having a lovely large rolltop desk in this space! Perhaps they are "out" because I've seen quite a few on Craigslist, or maybe nobody wants to move them. I dunno. That's something to consider for the future, but for now the secretary will stay. I really don't have anywhere else to use it in this house anyway.

Ok, I just rearranged a bit, moving the desk to the corner and separating the two large reading chairs. I think I like this better. Yes, I need to downsize with regard to children's rocking chairs. The one holding two bears was DH's and the other was my mother's. ;-). Still need to tweak things and now the artwork hung on the long wall doesn't work as well, but I do like the desk in the corner.

Hmmmm, I don't love this arrangement. My mom used to always say that having furniture lined up against the walls makes it look ready for a firing squad! I know how anxious you must be to get it finished, but honestly I do think that the perfect arrangement will come to you. Lucky you, even the interim look is really nice!

Ha! I've heard that too! The only thing that's actually on the wall though is the wood and leather Eastwood chair. Well, the desk is too but it's angled in there. I think the artwork is really throwing the look off badly. I also wonder if I should bring in my wool rug from the garage and unfurl it in here. I paid over $3k for the darn thing in my previous life and hate not to use it even though it's threadbare in places. Might warm up this large room some though.

Sorry, but I'm with Kswl. Hm, could you center the round end table under the window and flank it with the two chairs (the yellow chair and the mission armchair)? Right now it looks like a bunch of furniture with no relationships to each other. I think the two chairs are too far from each other.

I would put the desk back where it was, and while I like the Pier 1 units more than some of the other responders do, I have to agree that you could probably find something better.

I wonder if you could try this? Put the arm chair (the one that's with the desk now) over with the puzzle/game table, and put a side chair (from the game table) on either side of the desk. Facing the room, against the wall. Just to fill up the wall. Maybe you could put a stack of books on each chair, if you feel like being quirky.

This is sort of what I meant...

DH walked into the rearranged room and balked loudly ("now it looks too cramped in here!"), so it's gone back the way it was. I do have two armchairs I can flank the desk with ...

Hmmmm. I like the desk without a chair right in front of it.

I think the artwork is really throwing the look off badly.

I wasn't crazy about them all lined up in the first place. Sometimes it's better to wait until the room is set up before hanging pictures. You don't have to do everything all at once.

I also prefer the two big chairs together under the window, I think it looks much friendlier and cozier the way it was before.

How about trying the round Stickley table & chairs on that long wall, where the secretary was, and moving the secretary over to that shorter wall where the table currently is? I think that might be a better fit.

I think the round Stickley table and chairs may protrude too much into the room opening, but will take a look and see if that has potential.

Gah. I know this sounds bratty, but I'm starting to get sick of this room. ;-)

I actually like the chairs flanking the desk and may just leave everything like this for awhile. I like the way the artwork is arranged in the inspiration photo above, so maybe I'll work on the paintings on that wall next.

Waaaay better. If I do say so myself. ;)

Yes, great suggestion Sue! DH approves too. :-)

If you google secretary desk vignettes many of them are set up exactly like Sueb20's picture so I think the two of you have "done good". And the chair next to it as "my" requisite floral print on it with the throw over the back so there is that hint of femininity to the picture. I think it looks good.

The chairs with the desk take up enough room on the wall without looking sparse.

Agreed! It actually looks welcoming and - dare I suggest it - somehow more library-like with the armchairs there. :-)

I also like that I was able to use existing pieces and not have to buy anything at this point. I still like the booksellers shelf, but maybe for another location in the room.

Thanks to all for the thoughts and suggestions. I so appreciate the excellent help you're all giving me in getting my new place set up!

I like this newest arrangement, too. You are tireless, aren't you?

But how do you use the desk?

Just pull one of the chairs up to it when I'm ready to sit down and sort out the junk behind the raised "lid", which is the first order of business before I can sit down to work there. ;-)

I have used the desk in my previous home to work on my laptop, to write a note to someone, or just to sit and go through old letters and cards which I can't seem to bring myself to throw away.

I think you did a great job with the new arrangement! It looks very cozy!

Now what room are we doing?

Well, I really, really, REALLY want my bedroom furniture. DH got tired of listening to me whine about it yesterday and said, "Oh, just go ORDER it already!" - but I'm pretty sure he knew the store was closing in an hour and he saw that I was already in my scruffy house slippers. What a tease.

Jen, I like the chairs on each side of the desk! I just realized it's probably because in my greatroom I have a tall secretary bookcase w/chairs on either side, and a gallery of pictures, very similar to yours but larger pictures, almost to the ceiling. I like the direction the room is taking. ;)