# How to create a computer desk design to fit small home office spaces



## PD_Lape

Computers taking over our lives are an understatement. It has since become our way of lives. From the office to our homes, computer devices and powerful operating systems have upgraded our lives. Despite the prevalence of tablets, ultrabooks and other mobile devices, PCs still have a place in the home or home office.

*Where to place the computer?* This is not a problem in offices but a really big deal when squeezed into cramped and tight spaces inside the home. Simply stated, the personal computer serves as a small office that takes up a minimal, though still considerable real estate space. When not properly configured, this will still affect the mobility of the occupants in the home.

It may also become an eye sore if it contradicts the décor of the home; giving dents to the otherwise perfect harmony of the home interior. So creating the perfect computer space is a critical element in maintaining the ambience in a confined small home office space.

*How to locate the perfect spot in the home?* Computers must be ideally placed in inconspicuous spaces. Even though how small the home is, there will always be least used spaces. And it’s not just any space because there are considerations to be addressed. One underlying reason is comfort, not just for the one occupying the small home office space but also for the other members of the household. The dead space under the stairs is ideal. Why not allocate a portion of the foyer? The master bedroom or the bookshelves can be redesigned to fit in a small computer desk.

*What is the ideal office furniture?* The choice of computer furniture is no longer a problem because all home improvement depots have all sorts of DIY (do it yourself) knockdown panels to choose from. Armed with a design anybody can order cut to size the small computer desk, a pull out shelf for the keyboard and all other panels that will complete the small office furniture. And when you want the small computer desk fixed to the wall, metal brackets and attachment are available for this purpose. To top it all office furniture panels are finished all around, so you don’t need extra effort to make your small computer desk pleasing in terms of aesthetics.

Never again make transforming a part of your home into a small office space a big deal. Remember, DIY small computer desk designed to fit cramped spaces are now available. It is now your choice to pick which computer office furniture answers the need.


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## mako1

Is this an advertisement .I fail to see any question here?


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## LeakyHawaiiRoof

What is this? It took me all of two seconds to find where you stole this from. (Just copy and paste any paragraph into google). 

First, here's how to create a computer desk for a small home: (1) go to the existing desk and (2) put a computer there. No need to create ANOTHER desk area for a computer in a small home; that's just a terrible waste of space. In small homes, furniture must have multiple purposes. 

Second, get a keyboard tray. I see that the picture used on your website (and stolen from someone else) has a really skinny desk with just enough room for the monitor and the keyboard. Get a keyboard tray to make some room on that desk. 

Third, mount the monitor on the wall or on the side. The monitor footprint in the picture takes up a third of the desk space. 

Fourth, just get a laptop instead. If space is a premium, don't buy a desktop. (It seems you have used the words "personal computer" when you really mean "desktop"). If someone needs a bigger screen, connect the laptop to a tv.


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## jimn

My computer is my iPad which am holding in my hand. My other computers is a Mac mini which is about 5 inches square. Most others I know have laptops. The day of a computer desk and indeed a home office are numbered. Kind of like the mechanical adding machine.


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## PD_Lape

LeakyHawaiiRoof said:


> What is this? It took me all of two seconds to find where you stole this from. (Just copy and paste any paragraph into google).
> 
> First, here's how to create a computer desk for a small home: (1) go to the existing desk and (2) put a computer there. No need to create ANOTHER desk area for a computer in a small home; that's just a terrible waste of space. In small homes, furniture must have multiple purposes.
> 
> Second, get a keyboard tray. I see that the picture used on your website (and stolen from someone else) has a really skinny desk with just enough room for the monitor and the keyboard. Get a keyboard tray to make some room on that desk.
> 
> Third, mount the monitor on the wall or on the side. The monitor footprint in the picture takes up a third of the desk space.
> 
> Fourth, just get a laptop instead. If space is a premium, don't buy a desktop. (It seems you have used the words "personal computer" when you really mean "desktop"). If someone needs a bigger screen, connect the laptop to a tv.


(1) I did not steal this from anybody. I wrote this for a blog and I just thought maybe i'll share it here. The mods deleted the source link so I guess that's why you thought of that.

(2) The point of the article to find a better spot than the existing set-up.

(3) You do have a point on getting a laptop. However, not everyone can afford a decent one and desktops are still the more-cost effective choice. More performance for less the price. Laptops are good for shorter periods of up-time but are rather stressful to work on longer periods of time. A small home office should always have a reliable main workstation are't really the best choice for reliability.


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## rusty baker

"desktops are More performance for less the price. Laptops are good for shorter periods of up-time but are rather stressful to work on longer periods of time."

I don't think so. My laptop has 8gb,,,one terrabyte. More than many desktops.


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## jimn

Kind of a sweeping generalization for laptops. I work for a company with 30,000 plus employees . The only desktop computers we have are laptops, HP, Apple MacBooks or Dells. All have 8 GB or better, SSD or 1 TB hard drive. The are reliable, energy efficient and portable . Get an external keyboard if you need it. The days of needing a desktop for business unless your business is video editing, publishing, or photography or CAD are pretty well over.


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## PD_Lape

jimn01 said:


> Kind of a sweeping generalization for laptops. I work for a company with 30,000 plus employees . The only desktop computers we have are laptops, HP, Apple MacBooks or Dells. All have 8 GB or better, SSD or 1 TB hard drive. The are reliable, energy efficient and portable . Get an external keyboard if you need it. The days of needing a desktop for business unless your business is video editing, publishing, or photography or CAD are pretty well over.


as I have said, this is for small home offices with limited budget. laptops with 8gb RAM and a 1tb SSD is almost thrice the price of the same specs of a desktop. You stating that your company has more than 30k employees just says that you're in a well funded organization.


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## RHeat

LeakyHawaiiRoof said:


> What is this? It took me all of two seconds to find where you stole this from. (Just copy and paste any paragraph into google).
> 
> First, here's how to create a computer desk for a small home: (1) go to the existing desk and (2) put a computer there. No need to create ANOTHER desk area for a computer in a small home; that's just a terrible waste of space. In small homes, furniture must have multiple purposes.
> 
> Second, get a keyboard tray. I see that the picture used on your website (and stolen from someone else) has a really skinny desk with just enough room for the monitor and the keyboard. Get a keyboard tray to make some room on that desk.
> 
> Third, mount the monitor on the wall or on the side. The monitor footprint in the picture takes up a third of the desk space.
> 
> Fourth, just get a laptop instead. If space is a premium, don't buy a desktop. (It seems you have used the words "personal computer" when you really mean "desktop"). If someone needs a bigger screen, connect the laptop to a tv.


Well Said. :thumbsup:


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## carpdad

I have kids who can't live (or study) without the computers. It is also logistically impossible to tell them to share. They each have a laptop as well as a desktop. All the hardware is bought used (core2duo avg 2.1 hz processor win 7 home) with new ssd. 
They are also getting into video and editing, partly as a school project. I am beginning to find out that computers they have is not adequate. The graphics processor or the video cards as well as cooling, and transfer speeds of the usb, wifi cards, they are going to need at least one up-to-date desktop. Forget about the price of such a laptop.

I agree that dedicated computer desk is a waste of space, for a general use. One 30"x48" desk, for example, is plenty for me, because I keep it organized. One of my kids, who can't, no space is going to be enough.
The desktop main box (?) can be taken apart to an extent. On/off switch, dvd recorder, usb plugs, can be removed and wires extended so that the box can be semi permanently put under the desk, etc.


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## ron45

Man oh man, I feel out of place...
I need a place for my donuts, coffee, ashtray, and to prop my feet up etc..


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## hyunelan2

rusty baker said:


> "desktops are More performance for less the price. Laptops are good for shorter periods of up-time but are rather stressful to work on longer periods of time."
> 
> I don't think so. My laptop has 8gb,,,one terrabyte. More than many desktops.


...and my desktop has 24GB, 6TB, 3x 24" monitors, more than nearly every laptop. 

In my office we still buy desktops because tit-for-tat, they are a couple hundred dollars cheaper than a laptop. Screen space is a premium too. As far as IT investments go, the single most effective thing you can do to improve worker productivity is give them more screen space. For workers that also need mobility, they get a tablet as well. Only those workers that are consistently never in the same place get a laptop, which is like 4-5 people out of ~75.


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## Greg.Now

hyunelan2 said:


> ...and my desktop has 24GB, 6TB, 3x 24" monitors, more than nearly every laptop.
> 
> In my office we still buy desktops because tit-for-tat, they are a couple hundred dollars cheaper than a laptop. Screen space is a premium too. As far as IT investments go, the single most effective thing you can do to improve worker productivity is give them more screen space. For workers that also need mobility, they get a tablet as well. Only those workers that are consistently never in the same place get a laptop, which is like 4-5 people out of ~75.


exactly my point. Desktops are still the best there is when it comes to price to performance which then translates to a significant boost in productivity for less the cost. I also can't stress more about screen space. Sure laptops have high quality displays up to par to that of most dedicated monitors but screen space is very limited. This greatly reduces multitasking not to mention you're gonna have to squint all the time if you are working on documents. You can always zoom but then again that will also reduce the amount of displayed objects.


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