Can you have an electrician put a new plug under the desk, a hole in the desk top at one of the rear corners and send the cords down to the plug? I would think that is the easiest fix since everything is already installed.

In our new kitchen we had planned to carry the cork tile flooring right on up the wall behind the kitchen door, framing it to be the same size as the door so that it would be hidden when the door was open -- then we planned to pin notes and reminders and photos to that tiled cork board. But when push came to shove, we had enough tile to cover the entire wall, I was away in the office, and our contractor friend persuaded my husband to just finish the wall entirely in tile, which looked great. It probably is best this way, but every now and then I wonder what it would have been like to have a cork board there for a sort of real-life collage, that could be hidden when the door was ajar. It still would be possible to suspend a cork board from the molding on that wall, like a picture rail, and pin things on it. But no rush. Lynn

What I've learned on GW: Built-in desks tend to become junk receptacles, though stand-up ones fare better. Desks seem to work better in larger kitchens, and especially if they're out of the main traffic areas of the kitchens. No pics just now (mine isn't quite finished), but my message center is mostly a cupboard to hide the phone in when I have company--not the best message center for a busy family. It's very shallow--just deep enough for a hanging desk phone--and has a phone jack and electrical outlet, a little shelf for pencils and notepaper, and a fold down surface to write on. The whole thing is high, so that most things are eye level and easy to find while one is busy, and the writing surface is high standing level. Just right for writing down a message, but not comfortable enough for things to grow roots. I'm not sure if I'll put magnet board or something on the inner doors since I'm trying to get papers out of the kitchen. Post-its might be the limit of what I'll allow to hang around. One can use one of the shelves as a charging station, but I'm not encouraging it.

Our Message Center: We were originally going to have 12" deep upper & base cabinets on the outside pantry wall b/w the FR & Kitchen for our Message Center...our garage door opens diagonally across from it & our Foyer entrance into the Kitchen is diagonally across from it on the other side. But, when several measuring errors by our KD reduced the doorway b/w the rooms from 5.5' to 4', there was no way the cabinets would fit. So, we now have a "Message Center Niche" recessed into the same outside pantry wall. The niche is only about 7" deep and was sized to fit the phone. It actually could have been an inch or so shallower, but since the studs for the wall gave us 7", we went with it. To us, the most critical elements were: Calendar to keep track of sports practices & games, school events, family happenings, project due dates, meetings, etc. [In this picture we had just put the calendar up & had not yet filled it in.] Land line phone & answering machine in a central location...in our case b/w the FR & Kitchen, which also put it central to the Garage entrance & Foyer/front door. This location is not only for answering the phone, but also so we can see if there are messages when we come into the house. During the remodel, the phone & answering machine were relocated to the Office/Library and we often forgot to check for messages. Keys since the Niche is across from the Garage entrance & a pretty straight shot from the Foyer/front door. We need a visible & easily accessible place! Message pads (sticky notes) & pens/pencils for taking messages/leaving messages. [Yellow sticky note pads are in the pocket at the bottom of the calendar frame.] Charging station for my phone since I will forget it if it's not w/the keys (unplugged when not in use BlueKitObsessed!) [DH's phone & DH/DS/DD's iPods are charged elsewhere since they don't have a problem w/remembering them...and also unplugged when not in use!] What wasn't a priority since we no longer had the cabinets: Magnetic board b/c over the years I've found the best places to leave a message that I want to be sure my DH or kids see are: bathroom mirror if it's for the next morning or TV in the kitchen (DH) or computer screen (kids) if it's for after school/work. B/c of these locations, we use sticky notes. Our garage door is metal so we do keep two "school bus" clip magnets for the various forms that come home from school. Each child has his/her magnet.