Nice spot!

A few questions: Are you planning to have a computer there? Laptop or desktop? Will you be sitting there doing the work or will it be more of an organizational stopping place (it looks like you would sit out into a hall way)?

To respond to your specific questions, I'd start by saying you can put a wireless printer anywhere. Because you have a lot of activities planned for the desk area I'd put it somewhere else (along with the paper and trash and recycling for waste paper).

Also, I'd build the unit to look like a whole piece of furniture, all one piece: The top could be pretty close to the ceiling but I'd probably hook the top to the bottom. You could probably have it built to be movable too!

Other things to think about are a shredder, and trash, so you don't have to run to different locations after you sort and clean up.

One way to accomplish all of this would be to make it a solid base (fill in the knee space with cab for shredder and trash,eg) and have a pullout writing area(like a built in cutting board) if you want to be able to sit down to use it.

That said, I think the set up you have designed looks fine. It's very similar to the one I had in my last remodel. My only regret with it was that I wished I'd not left SO much space for my knees. In the next kitchen remodel I put a small desk area with no real place to sit (I use this desk differently and use the computer-a laptop- at multiple different locations): It works great for mail sorting, cookbooks, charging station, file drawer, and drawers for paper, pencils, etc.

Here's a photo of the old desk, after we moved out. We had a flat screen tv that doubled as a computer monitor.

I'm not able to get the photo to rotate, but this is the second desk, with shredder and trash in the right lower cab, and file drawer with two smaller drawers above.

I have a laptop, which I use all over the house, but the kitchen desk will be the home for it. I also have a home office/library (also not finished) where I have a wired printer and where I work if working from home (I don't think I'd work 8 hours at this desk, it's just for bills, housekeeping items, looking up recipes, etc.).

I don't use a keyboard tray, never have. The shredder is in the home office and there is a recyling center in the kitchen.

Could you tell me the distance between the your desk and the uppers? And if it's comfortable?

I considered closing in the sides of the desk, connecting the uppers and lowers, but I was afraid it would make it to closed in. What do you think? I also plan to put the phone on the left side, near the entrance to the great room, and figured an open side would make it more accesssible. The piece will not be movable, it will be built in (it will be the same style as the kitchen cabinets, just white instead of cherry). I need the knee space to sit, if I stand for any period of time by back bothers me. I don't think I'd use it if I had to stand. How wide was the knee space of your desk? I can make mine smaller. The vanity in my master bath has 23" wide knee space.

Hey there,

Well, my desk was at counter height, and I'd probably make it table height if I had it to do again (for comfort), although it was nice to be able to put the spare island seating there. The uppers were 18" above counter top and could have easily been a couple inches lower (the flat screen tv/monitor had plenty of room). The drawer stack to the left was 12", leaving 36" knee space. I would think that two 12" or your 18" would be more useful (two feet would have been plenty of room for the knees).

I agree with you that the uppers shouldn't go to the ceiling: It would seem top heavy if you did that I think. And the corbels on the ends of the uppers look great, and will keep the end open for the phone.

We had never had a keyboard tray before either, and while we had the desktop behemouth there it was fine, and worked well. I prefer the laptop also.

It sounds like you have a cool desk thing going on: Can't wait to see the finished product! (yeah, I know, it might be a while)

Here is a picture of my desk set up. I love it!! Let me know if you have q's or need dimensions. It is 14 " to the cabinets on the outside ones and 31" in the middle.

Have you thought of getting a free standing secretary-type desk?

I really like the way a secretary desk can easily hide all the mess that a desk inevitably attracts. You can get a roll-down version or my preference is a flip down type which gives more space for the desk only when needed.

Ikea has a white version here:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90115214
WIth an optional storage unit on top:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50115211
and a matching bench with storage:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40120840

I've been looking at secretary desks for my kitchen, and doing a google image seach for secretary desk has led me to lots of other options.

you have to check willow decor's post. she just posted her butler's pantry pics which includes her desk. just beautiful and perhaps there will be an inkling of an idea there for you.

Sara, that's what I was thinking. Why the heck not just a DESK? If it's separate from built ins, you might find a real desk works better. I like the idea of a secretary. You can often find them at antique shops...

(Love that wall color, by the way...)

Yowzers, your desk setup sounds a lot like mine!! We did it in espresso which is different from the perimeter white cabinets, the opposite of what you're doing. Our ceilings are 8 feet.

To answer some of your questions...
- We based the distance from the desktop to the bottom of the uppers on our monitor size, because we're mounting the monitor on the wall.
- Can't answer your question about distance from crown to upper since I'm not sure what your question is...is it that you're not putting the cabs all the way to the ceiling, and wondering what the gap should be? We put our crown all the way up to the ceiling because it makes our 8' ceilings look taller.

Here are our plans:
{{!gwi}}

Here's the part I'm really proud of. DH had the contractor put a tube in the wall so all our wires and computers stuff are hidden! Here's how...

View of the desk, with the floor to ceiling pantry to the right. I love the open shelf to store some decorative stuff or piled books.

As I mentioned, the monitor will be wall mounted. The drawers drop down for a wireless keyboard, and mouse (one small shelf on either side depending on a right-handed or left-handed user):

See this hole? THis is where the monitor wire will go which fishes into the pantry.

This is the bottom drawer of the pantry which will hold a computer, potentially a printer but that will probably go in another room, and wireless modem.

We actually have another shelf that sits on top of the bottom drawer of the pantry, it's just not in yet.

Hope this helps!

I'm with fori with the secretary desk. I love the idea that I can close it quickly and everything looks clean.

My DH and I are planning to order cabinets in the next week or so. What I really want is a cabinet door built in with my main cabinets that would fold down like a secretary deck. No need for a knee hole because of the fold down desk space and it would just be a place to sort mail, keep cell phones/chargers, keys and my laptop.

The problem is that I can't find any pictures with my idea and I'm not sure if it would turn out right. I was thinking maybe we could just put our own hardware on the door so it would be able to fold down and make the desk? Most secretary desks lids fold up and stores at an angle but would but be too confined (too deep, not enough light) on the inside desk area to have the cabinet door completely vertical so you wouldn't know it's a desk? My laptop is a 17", how big should we make it so it will be comfortable to work. Any ideas/suggestions?? I'm open to hearing thoughts about it. Thanks!

I guess it was sara m that brought up the secretary desk first not fori. Sorry, I can't edit my post! :)

periwinkita, you have described exactly what I would like to do with the desk. Have you found any pictures?