The Perfect Desk for Little Man
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The first week of back to school has come and gone. I sure am glad the little man is finally back to his old self, thanks to a normal school routine. It has been a busy summer for us, starting with our trip to Chicago, gatherings, to packing for our move last month. The never-ending activities meant that little man barely had the chance to enjoy some quiet time at home, which for him is colouring or arts and crafts. I had wanted to get him a desk before we moved, so that at least he would have a place in his room to spread out his colouring. The back-to-school season once again got me started on searching for his perfect desk.
What makes for a perfect desk for the little man? I'm actually not too concerned about a kiddie's height desk, since he has no problem getting in and out of adult chairs. I would much rather get him a desk that he can grow into.
- Size: Looking at his room size in our new house, a desk of around 4' or less would fit perfectly in a furniture placement plan I have in my head.
- Style: Either a traditional looking desk in a fun colour, or a modern-looking desk with legs in chrome.
- Storage: He always wants more blank papers, so I think a desk with drawers to store his supplies is a must. Of course, we also need those drawers to store his craft supplies to free up space in the office =)
- Leg room: As a child, I had a desk with leg room the width of my chair. I found that extremely uncomfortable, and just trying to skirm in my chair for comfort made me lose concentration while I studied... Ya, blame it on the desk for my lack of motivation to study. To avoid that for the little man, he would need a desk with lots of leg room. Preferrably, leg room as wide as the desk. Now I just hope that he doesn't lose concentration from swinging his legs too freely ;-)
These are simple things that I'm looking for, but a desk with the right combination of all of the above AND at the right price was not easy to find.
In order to maximize leg room, I'm basically looking for a desk with no obstructions under the surface. That means the drawers need to be right under the desk. Here are some examples:
Sources: 1. IKEA Alex desk; 2. Target Threshold Campaign desk; 3. Wayfair Cascadia Laptop desk; 4. West Elm Parsons desk
I love all the styles above, but the IKEA one is too long, and #3 and 4 are more than what we're willing to pay for. We're price sensitive, and would like to get a desk that's bang for the buck that can still be a long-term piece.
That leaves the Target Threshold Campaign desk, and that fits the bill perfectly. I also love the drawer pulls in the campaign style. I actually don't mind the desk in red, it'll definitely be a statement piece in his room. Not to mention, 3 drawers are always better than 2, right?
Unfortunately, it's not available in Canada, so hopefully Target is planning to make the piece available shortly... or I'll have to lug one across the border!
With a desk in his room, he will finally have a spot to work on his colouring. I'm sure he will then want us to showcase his masterpieces. I've always loved the idea of a gallery wall, but not really sure how it would fit in with our home decor. What better place to try it out than the little man's room and with his own artwork! I think the wall space above his desk will be a great spot for a gallery wall. This is such a cute and easy way to change up the display as quickly as those pieces of artwork are churned out:
The little man has been reminding us occasionally to get him a desk for his room. I know he's looking forward to having one, as he probably equates having a desk as being a big boy. I just love little kids' logic and thought process =)
He's right in a sense though. Getting him a desk is exactly the first step to a big boy room. It seems like little man has fully grown out of his toddler years in lightning speed, and I assume he'll just keep growing up at the same rate, if not faster! With our move to the new house, little man's room will be decorated with some funky-ness appropriate for "little men". And I'm looking forward to that as much as he does!
Here is my design concept of his little artwork area, with the perfect desk for his space.
Sources: Gallery wall via theprojectcorner (above); Desk - Target; desk lamp - IKEA; storage basket - redinfred.com ; ghost chair - Structube; cushion - Etsy; desk accessories - Restoration Hardware; zinc letters - Anthropologie.
How do you like the workspace with the desk? Do you have other art hanging ideas to share with us?
