Here's ours, which still is not used as a desk, although we're getting closer now that the construction tools aren't here as much. I never thought it should be desk height, but DH did and he won. We have the swiveling t.v. over it so if HE wanted to, he could look at it from chair I think. We still have to decide on an appropriate chair. Currently we have a wastebasket and dog bowls under it. Cute, yes? Items jump from that lower surface to the upper one constantly. I had hoped that it would be a barrier, but it's not. In my thinking, we might as well have had entire surface flat. Cork board between cabinet and desk is now used less decoratively. It's a working message center. That's where calendar hangs, thank-you notes and such are posted and oddball coupons get put. Although there's a "pencil drawer" we keep a pencil mug on the desk. Cabinet above desk is 16 inches deep--allows notebooks for financial statements, phone books, etc. Top shelf is unrelated storage of party gear. A permanently mounted power strip at front of bottom shelf of this cab allows DH to put chargers in here and let cord dangle down so that the device is seen and not forgotten once it is charged. He can turn off power to all chargers with one switch. Lobby is to left of desk. I'm trying to put "things going elsewhere" into the shelves in the closet in lobby instead of on desk--lib. books, stuff for Mom's sr. residence, things going to friends, etc. Otherwise, they accumulate on desk. But that's fine with me--better there than in the rest of the kitchen where they used to cluster, esp on top of refrig. because that was by front door. Because the peninsula is right there next to the desk, I would rather spread out on that to do any work with pencil and paper, but then, I'm a person who needs special glasses to focus on arm's length stuff, so I suppose that little desk just looks like too much work--easier to stand and write at peninsula with my multifocus lenses and squint. I clear pencils and paper and calendar and address book off the peninsula at least twice a day and plunk them back on HIS desk. Computer will never be used at desk, I'm sure. (It moves between peninsula and dining table all the time.) Telephone holder lives on desk, at least for now. I'm hoping to get it wired into a place on wall closer to dining room, but until then, it's here. This cordless phone is another thing that hides throughout the kitchen and has to be put away on desk when I spy it. One benefit of this space: For parties, we can clean off the desk and bulletin board, put up a sign or something decorative like this framed piece, then put beverages here. Keeps traffic out of kitchen. Remember--this is Formica, so it's not going to mind.

Thank you so much for the suggestions. As I don't have the key, let alone something like a control key, Aidan's comment prompted me to go to a locksmith yesterday afternoon, but the uncut blanks he had didn't seem to help. He also tried to activate the lock with his picking tools - his plan was what you suggested, Steve, to grab ahold of the lock tab if he could and pull from there. But it was no go, and even he was left baffled. He did note that the cylinder goes deep, must be just a sliver of wood behind it inside the drawer. I have worked with the escutcheon a bit - I've gotten it to turn freely independent of the lock, and we've tried to pry to the extent that any further efforts would damage it. Maybe I'll check for available replacements before doing more of that! I suspect Brickeyee's point has merit, now that I think about it. Since they were making these desks in big numbers for fairly utilitarian purposes, it may not have been conceivable that anyone would ever want to remove the locks, and indeed making them tamper-proof may have been an objective. It may just not be possible to remove the lock without sacrificing it... and/or wrecking the wood around it. I think I'll wander by a furniture refinisher's today at an antique shop that I frequent, and ask what they would do. I can't possibly be the first person to encounter this problem. Thank you again, and I'll post any progress. KarinL

If you cancel the OE1 table, which desk would you keep? Your work desk looks very small, maybe keeping the writing desk would help stretch functionality. A seating area would make it more cozy. Without measurements it’s guesstimating of course, but one possible layout would be to run your desks on the same wall and place either a small sofa or set of chairs on the opposite wall along with the aquarium.

While I think your garden stool option is pretty, I don’t think it’s practical. They are a bit heavy and unwieldy to move. There are many other options as others have shown.