Desks That Don’t Look Like Desks: Small Computer Armoires and Secretary Desks

Q. I live in a efficiency apartment that has 2 rooms and a bathroom. I have a computer and some books. I bought a desk but it was too big. I also realized that I did not want my bedroom to feel like an office.

What piece of furniture could I buy where I could have shelves for a few books and a small shelf for a laptop computer. Also maybe a couple of drawers. Is there such a thing? If not then what 2 pieces of furniture would work? Also, the bookshelves should not be open in the back.

Thank you.

Amy

A. I have checked around and kept your preferences in mind. I have two suggestions that you may or may not work for you. You said you tried having a desk in your room but didn’t want it to look like an office. And I also recall you saying that the desk was too big.

Assuming you haven’t already thought of this yourself in your search for the perfect item, have you considered getting a computer armoire or secretary’s desk? Both offer you the opportunity to hide your computer behind a lid. door or in a drawer.

The essential con with computer armoires is that they are moderately tall and the more you want from them, the bigger they are. If you go with a compact armoire, you’ll likely either have to get a fairly creative by using the compartments that are meant for the CPU unit, etc. as the storing place for your books if you need additional room. If you do that, you’ll likely have to store some of your books vertically (on top of each other) as well as horizontally (side by side). Also, if you use a computer armoire, you’ll want to plug in an extra keyboard in order to use your laptop.

What’s great about armoires is they blend into the look and feel of your room without making your room look like a home office. Remember, you can also put a plant on top of them, photos, etc. to personalize and beautify your room even more.

Some Computer Armoires worth considering are…

All of these are nice choices if they are not considered too big for your room. If so, then maybe a corner option would work. For example, the Burnham Standard Computer Armoire offers a link from its page to a corner version of its style. Home Decorator’s Collection also offers more of these type of armoires, so you’ll want to be certain to check them out. It also never hurts to also see what people are saying about them on Amazon.

Now for the second option–secretary desks.

Most secretary desks are compact so that you can fit them in a small space and they look a lot like armoires or chests. This also gives you the opportunity to also decorate them so that they mesh into the look and feel of your room even more. You can add a bit of personality to them with a silk plant, photo of a family member, a knickknack or two or whatever you so wish.

If you make the right choice by getting one with doors on the bottom and/or a top hutch, you can also store your books in it as well. One with a hutch typically adds a lot more height. Generally speaking, the secretary desks without hutches, or the ones that aren’t too tall will keep your room feeling more open. However, sometimes a taller item is worth compromise for ease of use and comfort.

You’ll see below that there are several choices of secretary desks. They’re categorized under “Short Secretary Desks” and “Tall Secretary Desks.”

In your situation, I would be tempted to choose the short secretary desks because the height of them would work best in a small room as opposed to a tall one. However, the short ones are the least safe option because it would require you to move things around a bit and they don’t appear to be made specifically for personal computers. On the otherhand, the tall secretary desks are made with computers in mind. They are the safest option but the only con is that they are tall if you don’t want something that high in your room.

Personally, I would likely go with the short one but only if I was certain everything would work out, such as the lid being deep enough to hold the laptop properly. The ability to adjust the laptop so that I could view the screen appropriately without the top compartment of the secretary desk hindering adjustability.

So if you decided to go with one of those, you’d likely have to maneuver your laptop around a bit and depend on the top lid as a way to use it when you needed it. Once you were done, you then you could simply close your laptop and slide it all the way back when it wasn’t in use. However, if you decided to do that, chances are you would never be able to close the lid on the desk.

Another option is, if the secretary desk comes with a drawer, and the drawer is deep, wide and high enough, you could place your laptop in it when it’s not in use. That way you wouldn’t always have to keep the lid open on the secretary desk.

If you go with one of the short secretary desks, I would recommend contacting the company that sells it and asking them if there’s a way they could give you the exact measurements of the top drop lid and the top compartment on the desk you’re interested in. This would just gaurantee that the top lid on it would be long and wide enough for you to place your laptop on it when it was in use and that you could adjust your laptop without the top compartment hindering you from doing that.

Also, if you have some local stores in your area, it’s suggested you buy one from them. That way you can look at them up close and see the pros and cons of each without taking a risk of being dissatisfied with something in particular.

:: Short Secretary Desks ::

Amalia Golden Floral Secretary Desk
Painted Cottage Secretary Desk
Hampton Bay Office Center

This one is an exception to the rule. However it is quite wide. It works for PCs but may be too large for you. This one also brings up a good thought. If you get something like this, and you want to shelve your books in the compartment where you see the CPU unit in the picture, if you aren’t able to shelve them side by side, consider shelving them vertically. One book on top of the other. The bottom compartment will also likely allow you shelving space.

:: Tall Secretary Desks ::

Chesterfield Secretary Desk
Secretary Flip Down Computer Desk And Chair

Expensive but if you have the money, you may want to consider it. Shipping is also free for this one.

Again, Home Decorator’s Collection has more Secretary Deks available. You may want to check them out. I only listed a few that I thought would be most helpful to you.

Anyway, I hope that helped or at least aided in getting your creative juices going so that perhaps it might give you another idea that would be useful to you. If you have any other questions, please feel free to write me anytime. I’m always happy to help.

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