You have a nice large room to work with. With regards to the sizing of the new desk, compare it your your existing one to see if it will be large enough. It is a beautiful desk. I would place it in front of the bay window.

Phuninthesun,

These are lovely rooms and it never occurred to me to place the desk in front of the window and face outward! Duh! I always assumed I would need to arrange the desk to face toward the door.

I just measured the bay window area and there is plenty of room, the depth of the desk can be accommodated by placing it just 1 foot from the window. As I mentioned, I like the colors in the curtains, soft warm tones as a background with jewel tones as accents (deep reds and dark green). I had cool grays in my former home for many years and am not interested in that any more but a warm gray would be welcome. I hope that makes sense! As I said, I have a hard time creating what I like but I know it when I see it!

I don't care how beautiful that window is, I would not want my back to the door. Consider placing the desk with your back to the window (which would necessitate some kind of cable management system) and a desk chair with casters so you could swivel to catch the view. Facing out the window in a working office is an invitation to be distracted anyway.

Desk placed sideways to the bay window:

Pinecroft · More Info

groveraxle,

LOL re: your comment about the dated sheers and swags! I was over the swags but thought the sheers were ok but they are pretty old and, yeah, they need to go.

I do like the arrangement in the photo. Thanks!

That desk is beautiful but I’d question if it would leave enough workspace when you monitor is on it. I feel your pain, I’m having the same dilemma. Why is it so hard to find a beautiful desk that’s also functional!

jpp221, I wasn't aware of the eyestrain issue. Although the current desk has an elevated tier for the monitor, it is too high and causes eyestrain and neck pain when I am wearing bifocals. I have computer glasses, contacts, bifocals and it all became just too much so I placed the monitor on the lower area. KimKP, I like groveraxle's idea of placing the desk perpendicular to the window and placing a computer table on the wall instead of a credenza and placing the computer on it. But would that preclude placing a picture above it?

groveraxle, what do you think of shutters at the windows instead? I thought they might be too much wood if they were the same stain as the window trim? What window coverings would you recommend?

KimKP, it been one of my dilemmas, a desktop that is functional with a gigantic monitor. I love the monitor but, it's hard. I had a laptop that was my primary monitor but was doing document development and management and needed 2 screens. I moved on from that and got rid of the laptop. I will check with our cable installer to possibly move the main access to another room where the wires can be camouflaged better. I'll also check gadgets for cable management.

Great idea. I use 2 large monitors and it’s been just impossible to find anything so far. I also have a very large printer so that’s not helping matters. Just a heads up, you lucked out with Grover helping you with your dilemma. She’s one of the best on this forum!

jpp221, thanks for the tip! I use readers for books and other material but never considered them for the computer. I knew you meant half-moons, autocorrect gets me all the time! :-)

jpp221, I will expand my search to include small dining tables. Never considered that either. Thanks.

KimKP,

I am grateful to get so much great feedback already on my dilemma and the additional suggestions for giant monitors and glasses. : )

I would like to place the desk in front of the alcove but that side of the room is very close to the entry. I think the options are to place the desk facing the alcove and a credenza either behind the desk or on the wall that currently has the small bookcase or as groveraxle originally suggested, with my back to the window or sideways.

The credenza shown was posted on craigslist today. Not sure what I would do so that it would complement a desk I like. (I am also still searching for a small dining room table.)

Yup, the door is too close to put the desk in front of the alcove. I would consider two things depending on your needs for storage and surface area. One idea is to have a built in made in the bay and put the desk in front of that. The other is to do a long credenza and maybe shelves above on the big wall and put the desk in front of that. Either way you would be able to swivel back and forth between desk and credenza.

I can't immediately find a photo I want, but this one illustrates the concept of the chair between the work and storage areas.

Home Office/Master Bedroom Redesign · More Info

Here we go:

Bradley Place Office · More Info

Ninos Residence · More Info

Caterpillar House · More Info

Carlsbad, California, Modern · More Info

Urban Loft Residence · More Info

This desk goes with that credenza. In fact, they look like they're from the same set.

Arts and Crafts Pedestal Desk, Cottage Oak · More Info

Why not have that niche by the door filled with deeper shelves, top to bottom, for more serious storage? Use baskets to camouflage the junkiness that can happen. Pull down those curtains and that piece of wall decor tonight! Sell any knock-down furniture on Craig'sList or in a yard sale. Go pick out some new flooring tomorrow. Take a sample of it with you to a good furniture or serious office supply store and see if any desks they have go with it. Post pix here so we can help you decide.

decoenthusiaste, OMG, I didn't realize the curtains were between 12-13 years old. I have taken them down as well as the wall decor. The pictures are kind of off due to the sun coming through the blinds. Later today I will remove the 80's brass hardware and box up the junk on the shelves and post pics later. I think a better place for the knock down furniture is a dumpster. Thank you all so much for the kick in the pants about this room, I don't know what I was holding onto - the truth shall set you free!!

groveraxle, those are such beautiful rooms you've posted. If my office comes anywhere close to those, I'll be ecstatic!

I especially love the feel of the Urban Loft Residence.

Look how much better it is already! They stay the best place to start is with an empty room. Then you can get your head around seeing it all differently.

Looks fantastic just taking out all of the old stuff!! Although, I still like the idea of a desk in the window area!! Keep us posted!

decoenthusiaste and phuninthesun, you're both right about getting rid of the old stuff! It's seems bigger, roomier and I appreciate the windows more. I am excited instead of fretting now.

Just keep plowing through! It is easier to dream and envision things when the canvas is empty and the clutter is gone from the room and from your mind!

I'm going to suggest you abandon the idea of that first desk you posted above. It's big and cumbersome and belongs in a much larger room. And while the Urban Loft I posted above is gorgeous, I suspect it's more contemporary than you'd like. Nino's place, however...

Ninos Residence · More Info

The Roar and Rabbit line from West Elm is gorgeous!

groveraxle, after removing some things and taking measurements, I agree the desk shown originally is too large. What I like about the Urban Loft and Nino's Residence are the color schemes. The later items posted (Nino and Roar and Rabbit) are a better feel for me. I am going to take decoenthusiaste's advice and tomorrow, head out to look at flooring and office furniture to be able to see them in person and get an idea of dimensions, fit, comfort, etc. I'll take my room and computer measurements with me. BTW, the computer is 26 in across with an 8 in stand. Thanks, all!

Hi ljbshouse, I found this thread.

Ok, I am rather confused here, there is a lot of furniture coming and going.

I think you need to write out a list of the equipment you need to have, because for example, the screenshots that groveraxle put up with a desk and credenza plus shelves behind you are gorgeous, but they are not compatible with a comment you made earlier in which you said you work with a full size computer screen.

Okay, so you need space for :

a full size computer monitors

A printer.

Do you have a CPU (hard drive) or a lap top?

A battery back up?

An external hard drive that has to live some where?

Honestly, honestly, are those two file drawers enough for all your papers or do you keep piles of things elsewhere?

What is that stuff on top of the drawer of the built in in the alcove? Naughty, naughty! :)

If you have a two drawer file cabinet that you are not using, then start to use it, and develop a color coded system, with color coded files and/or color coded labels so that if God forbid something awful happened tomorrow (after you labelled everything) someone could walk in and take over your business without missing a beat.

You shouldn't have that two shelf bookcase almost empty, and then the shelves up in the top of the alcove packed to the gills, that doesn't make sense at all. Maybe you could have shelves built in those empty spaces in the alcove and get rid of the free standing bookshelf.

Do you ever have client meetings up there?

Do you ever plan to?

I think you need a long desk with a return. A return is the part that goes at a 90 degree angle.

Your desk chair should be the most comfortable thing in your house except perhaps for your bed.

Your chair should be sitting on one of those thick plastic floor protector pads so the chair can swivel easily from one part of the desk to the other, so you can look at the monitors, access the printer, write on paper, get to a landline phone, do whatever without getting up.

These desks with returns are generally best purchased at office furniture stores and can be high end and look like wood or more basic. They usually have holes with grommets for electrical cord management.

I don't know what your closets look like, but you should make sure they are totally outfitted with shelves and color coded baskets (which you can get for a song at the dollar store) which you will label for all your long term storage. And you should have a three-step step ladder that lives in there permanently.

Short-term storage and small quantities of things you need on an everyday basis like a stapler, staples, paper clips, etc should go in at least two drawers the desk will come with. The desk will also come with a file drawer. You can choose to use that file drawer for active files you are working on that day , or to use that drawer for your purse. If the return has a file drawer as well, then you can do both.

If you think you need a white board and/or bulletin board, you should arrange the desk and return so that either the desk or the return are against the wall on which you are mounting the whiteboard/bulletin board.

The less stuff and furniture and clutter you have in that office, the more efficiently you will work.

Not a lot of doodads. One photograph, one big live plant. a big piece of art.

First purge.

There is an organization of professional organizers that train and get certified.

It might be worth it to just pay for a quickie consultation, and they can come into your space and tell you exactly what kind of furniture you need, and from where to order it in your area, what sort of organizational systems to set up, how to corral your cords and what kinds of ways you can do that (saving you days at the Container Store trying to figure it out yourself), etc, etc.

It's not like you are a hoarder, you just need some advice and a concrete plan, and someone who knows all the things available and where to get them and then you can implement it yourself.

It's much easier to organize someone else than to do it yourself.

Hello loobab,

First, thank you for such a thoughtful post. I began this post naively with the idea that I just wanted to replace the desk but, with the input from generous readers such as yourself, my plan has evolved. That became clear after decoentusiaste suggested I remove more stuff from the room, take a field trip to look at flooring and office furniture. I did that this weekend and realized there are many options but that those boring details like power cords, usb ports, monitors, etc., are more important than I realized and I shouldn't just slap a new desk into the room, I have to give thought to the functionality of the contents of the room.

I am off to a good start though by answering the questions you posed. My first job is to purge even more than the 2 shelves in the alcove that I previously planned. I am going to take your sage advice, take a giant step back and contact a professional organizer. This task has already taken longer than I expected and I am back at the beginning so I don't need to waste even more time spinning around.

I need to update my kitchen also and thought I would start with something easy and fast, like replacing the desk, before getting involved in something major and making big mistakes! Ha!

This exercise has been even more productive than I could have considered so I will purge, list, plan, and return once I actually know what I need!

Thank you all.

As important, I don't want to waste the Houzz group's time.

BTW, I work on a project basis and must retain files for a period of time after completion. The material on the desktop in the alcove is from the latest project and is ready to archive! But it does look junky and like it needs a proper home. :-)