Interesting..... I had this vision in my mind to do the cabinets in a dark cherry to tie in with the bedroom and bathroom for over a year now. It was only yesterday that the designer suggested white and I immediately dismissed it, yet since then, the idea has been growing in my mind. There is a lot of white trim throughout the house with the doors and molding plus the blinds there now are also white so it is really not adding another woodtone look. I could see myself making it less stuffy too with a fabric valance on the bay windows. The other advantage is that it is less expensive and it puts the third designer we met with (who will work through Costco and most likely the less expensive of the three--we get a $10 cash card at Costco for every $100 we spend, plus we pay through Costco and it counts for our EOY rebates). I am just going to sit with this idea in my mind for a few days as it is a big shift in my thinking for this room, but this type of input is so impt. for me. I will call the other two and tell them to quote in both the african walnut and white, but as of today, I'm leaning towards the white myself for a more airy, less stuffy look. It is very hard to visualize how very small this is. It is only 8'9" (including the 3' bay bumpout) x 10' (including the step). Doing any type of cabinetry on the north wall would block the entryway. We wanted the desks to face out into a window so we have a view of our backyard while working. That way the blinds can be open yet no glare on a monitor. The desk locations are really fixed as all wiring and lighting has already been done with that in mind. funkart: You brought up some very good points. We are working with closet companies for now that have all the insides for offices and do the wire management so it's not fully custom without an upcharge. So choices really are either 20"D or 24"D cabs but the countertop will have an overhang of 1-1/2". Yes, my kids (3 of them) do use it occasionally though DS has his own laptop, older DD we are in process of buying a laptop for her and my 7-year-old will probably start using it more and more--just the computer. Everyone (all 5) will use the printer (networked) and we may add a second one for laser printing (either here or in DS's room who has greatest need right now), but the narrower depth should still accomodate that. The narrow depth will definitely make it easier to reach over and open the windows. DH wants 20" and I'm leaning towards that as well. I actually want to cut down on the desktop clutter so I'd say more impt. is having enough storage to put it all out of sight--that alone I think will have the biggest impact. I guess things get lost in the back of drawers/cabs. anyway. The uppers will probably be 14" deep, though only one upper. The one tall cab could be something different--could even be 24"D and desk cabs 20"... I'm still trying to figure out the size of the cab since the wire we put in for the plug mold is right smack in the middle where we would do two equal sized cabs and I'm not sure how much it can be move--so the tall cab may end up being larger--closer to 36" and we also need some filler of the left to accomodate the drawer clearance. I'm still debating putting an upper on the west wall or just leaving a bare wall as I don't want to feel closed in, though I'd really like some overhead paper trays over the printer to load it up. Today I'm going to head out to 2 of the showrooms and will visit the third tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have a clearer idea then. It took me 6 mos. to design my kitchen (time well spent) though I'm hoping to do this one in much less time as we are so sick and frustrated with dealing with it as it is....

deltabreeze: That flor looks amazing. I learn so much from this forum. Yours looks beautiful and I can see it as a very viable option. While I may or may not do it in the office, I can also see possibilities in my kids rooms as they also have hardwood in their rooms and under their desks and are not as careful as DH and I. Would be interesting to put under my kitchen table as well where I wouldn't like a lot of pile. How did you cut it? johnatemp: Parsons chairs! You are a genious! I am leaning towards no office type chairs with casters, but just a regular chair and putting felt pads on the feet. They actually scoot pretty well that way and I don't need as much scooting as I thought I would to access the shared drawers. I also do not want arms so they can tuck under the desk. I was thinking about getting chairs stained to match with an upholstered seat, but there is already enough wood in the room already. I LOVE that idea as it will definitely add to the intimate, private retreat of a master bedroom suite.

Over a year of your time has zero value? Many people struggle with the DIY fallacy that it is too costly to pay a Pro to do an expert job quickly. Time has a value. Not always monetary. But, monetary as well. You can't get that year back. It's not like a year spend together as a family building a pool in the back yard. What is the cost of your attention and focus being on something that limited your focus on your job and family? What is the cost to your spouse to pick up the slack? How do you quantify that impact? If it saved you 10K, but cost you in another way, was that tradeoff the one you imagined it to be when you are 70 and can see the years running out fast? Which would you rather have? 10K? Or more time spent with your kids when they were young? Its the same trap as "I MUST have the big house with everyone getting their own bathroom and 5 places to eat,'' No, you don't need that. You need that time you spend working overtime to save for that giant house to be spent watching your kids recital. And make them share a smaller space.

Wow, so excited to see such good and varied inputs on my request! Thanks @Flo Mangan - I am now certainly going for a ladder shelf for the corner. I am not sure of moving the desk away from its existing place for precisely the reasons @functionthenlook mentioned - my desk job can sometimes result in 8-9 hours, and I do plenty of video calls throughout the day. So not only is it nice for me to have a view (which BTW Flo is right, it is limited since the windows are a bit above my eye level (photo of the view below)) but it is also pleasant to have light on my face. Further, the remaining space in the room comes in handy when the occasional extra guests stay over and the sofa beds need to be pulled out. Thanks everyone for all the rug options - this weekend is going to be (window) shopping weekend :)