I actually took a look at my work desk. Monitor, keyboard & CPU Pix of DH & me Ceramic monkey I gave my Dad over 25 years ago Altoids box full of paper clips digi cam dozens of sticky note pads in assorted sizes sharpies, highlighters 2 hole punch stapler phone cell phone mouse pad more papers than any one person should have files, files, files phone log maps drawings printed emails staple remover wet wipes 2 bottles of hand sanitizer dachshund made of metal & a rock jar full of agates picture of Honolulu box of kleenex piles of napkins scanner-cat thing to scan files to me 3 binders of assorted sizes coffee cup several bottles of water in various depths bag of almonds water glass empty flower vase This is just on top of one desk. I have a table, a lateral file and a bookcase in my cube. I won't go into detail about what is on them...as well as my floor. Sigh.

I hope not since we have one! Here's ours (in a corner of our family room). I think cord management is critical and the desk needs to complement the rest of the furniture in the room.

There lots of ideas in one of the Gallery posts. Also, after reading your post, someone started a new one over on the Conversations side. You might want to check it out for any ideas they might have. HTH Here is a link that might be useful: office eye candy

I solved a similar problem by putting a TV in the bedroom. Hubs could watch his movies in there when I wanted to listen to music or read in the LR, or vice versa. With that small of an apt. you're really going to have a conflict if you're both using media at the same time. I'd bite the bullet and live with a small TV in the bedroom. And I say small by today's standards . . . We used to watch TV together in the bedroom, so I suggest that's where the TV go. I'd get a couch and two swivel chairs facing it for the LR and put the desk against either the E or W wall. That way your partner could use the chairs for his gaming or they could be used to create a conversation area in the LR if you two wanted to chat or have friends over. Also if I'm not mistaken, you can watch TV and movies on gaming screens right? So that's where I'd have a big screen, for guest media watching. Small TV for someone who wants privacy in the bedroom. Works for us.