It is pretty, and I don't have other suggestions for similar items... but really, Pottery Barn?? I would be leary of spending that kind of money there.

There's a Pottery Barn outlet a few hours from where I live. They have a lot of scratch and dent type stuff. It's seeing this scratch and dent type stuff that made me so nervous about their furniture! So many of their big pieces at the outlet would have a damamged corner on the top flat surface. What was scary is that you could see that even though it *looked* like a solid wood top, the material is actually closer to *cardboard* than anything else! Seriously, oncea corner has been smushed, you could peel it back in papery layers. Doesn't seem like something that will hold up to me.

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I don't want to spend that kind of money for chinese mdf - I'd much rather pay more for quality.

This isn't the first time I've been frustated that what looks good isn't built well. For this particular thing it isn't even the looks (though I do love it) but also the functionality.

I'm nearly ready to seek out custom - I could buy the file cabinets and have the top made. Not that I know where to look for someone to do that....

How about this site? I've seen it mentioned here a couple of times. I think someone here recently placed an order. You may want to check it out and then do a search on this forum. Good Luck.

Here is a link that might be useful: Custome Shoppe

What's "chinese mdf"?

FWIW, the things I've bought from Pottery Barn have held up just fine. They might not survive a nuclear meltdown, but I probably wouldn't either.

Thanks for the report. MDF is medium density fiberboard, and I imagine the stuff from China isn't any worse or better than that from anywhere else....but I'd rather buy American-made hardwood. I haven't ruled out Pottery Barn, but my children sometimes seem nuclear-powered so it is smart for me to buy the best quality I can afford.

Not sure where your at (your gardening zone indicates south). I found this place that makes custom partner's desks, but they only serve the "Dallas metroplex area". I have seen a couple antique/vintage partner's desks come up on my local Craig's list in recent months, for much less than $1500. Both were hardwood due to their age. Here's one from New Orleans CL, made of walnut. No photo. Walnut is a good hard wood, it would almost survive a melt down (and would be worth a drive to go see if you're in that vicinity).

Do you have any office furniture outlets nearby? We have one that carries good condition well made furniture (but it almost always looks office, not home). Ballard Designs makes one for $1000 of pine + pine veneers. Pine is a very soft wood, though, so it would show dings more readily.

There's more, just google "partner's desk", some on eBay as well.

Bump. I'm still looking, haven't had the time to peruse ebay or Craig's list. I'll explore local custom builders, if anyone has other suggestions I'd love to hear them. TIA

The Pottery Barn system (work table top, lateral file cabinet, 2 3-drawer file cabinets) I need would cost $1500 - there's gotta be a way to either get it cheaper or get better quality for that kinda money!

*******

Looking for higher quality/custom built for less money? That's a bit like looking for the Mercedes S-Class at the Toyota Camry price. Its just not going to happen.

A recurring theme here on this forum is "More for Less" and I can tell you that 99.99 % of the time thats an impossibility. Here we are looking at a mass-produced (as in thousands of units) combination done by a mass marketer, made in China (where the hourly rate is .50 per hour) made of composite woods and fibers. Realistically the price is beat down as far as you are ever going to get it. This is what the American consumer has been demanding and Pottery Barn has delivered it to you.

Custom built for that kind of money? Raw material alone would almost come to $ 1,500 in solid hardwoods that are stain grade, finishing material, hardware for slides, etc. A well-made custom-built unit is going to be closer to $ 5,000, regardless of what part of the country you are in.

Duane Collie
The Keeping Room

Thanks for the reply. I understand I can't have both better quality AND a cheaper price. I'll pay more for quality/durability. I just don't have a lot of time to shop, and have never ordered custom furniture before. The ideal solution is probably going to be mass produced file cabinets and a custom top.

MDF is unacceptable for a top of a desk at any price. It simply has no strength on the edges and corners. At a very minimum if priced very low needs to be edged in solid wood. In addition, you have the disadvantages of weight in that MDF weighs more than solid oak. I havenÂt seen to many Partners desks at an affordable price however I have seen two writing desks put back to back to get a similar look. Here are a few links of writing desks that might work
All of the desk links below are solid oak tops and made in los angeles and are in stock fully assembled except the
OFJ800301 which is Solid rubberwood and an imported from china

http://www.barnfurnituremart.com/product_details.?id=OFAMD002C

http://www.barnfurnituremart.com/product_details.aspx?id=OFAMD72EDC

http://www.barnfurnituremart.com/office/desks.aspx?page=1&size=39

http://www.barnfurnituremart.com/product_details.aspx?id=OFJ800301

Here is a link that might be useful: http://barnyardgazette.blogspot.com/

I was at our local Pottery Barn yesterday looking for a possible desk for my children at a good price. The manager of the store told me, now till end of Spet. is their "Desk Season" so check back in October for floor models and sample sales. (We don't have an outlet store near by.)

I don't know if you can wait that long or not, however, I found when they have their floor model sale, things become very cheap, and I will not feel terrible when it gets damaged or toss away.

Another thing, I found "Pottery Barn" is fairly easy to resale online.

This might be a way to keep the cost low.

So it has been a year since I first posted and we've just recently contracted for custom built ins around the perimeter of the room. It will cost 5 times as much, but it will be a great value as the (limited) space will be well used and the carpenter will use cherry and plywood. He is a craftsman who will take care and pride in the work, and the project will add value to our home.

A friend of mine did buy this PB desk and loves it, along with some matching wall units she bought for less money from Penny's.

Thanks for the replies!

I have had Bedford Office furniture for the past 3 yrs. All the pieces have worn fine except the desk top. The edges are wearing where I sit and do my work. The wood dents very easily. Eventhough I do not have th acrylic top they now sell, the top should be wearing a lot better.

I understand that real hardwood is expensive.

But why is MDF expensive? What's the explanation for that?

I don't think MDF is expensive. Furniture made with MDF can be expensive, depending on the styling, marketing costs, and of course the supply/demand balance. That is why I didn't want to pay much for it - it wouldn't hold value over the long term.