I would buy the bigger one you found. You can always add a shelf and put baskets for her larger items. Going to be a very pretty room.

Are you sure that the 8-drawer desk won't accommodate a stack of computer paper? I would not buy anything that couldn't do basic paper storage, no matter how cute it was, but I can't believe that desk drawers are that small? I have a desk almost like that one and it works well. I'm also looking at another similar for DH for his study.

Red

I really like the second desk. I vote 'Yes' to that one.

You say the CL desk is bigger so I am not understanding how it could not accommodate a sheet of paper. It looks like it could and there is always the wide center drawer to use too.

I am curious if there could be another room arrangement. The dresser is so beautiful and so is the desk you are considering. Putting them next to each other dilutes the impact they have standing apart on their own. Is there a closet door to work around? I am thinking that you could angle the bed coming out of a corner and have the desk under the window. The dresser then would have the whole wall to itself giving it some breathing room.

I'm with Red. Having redecorated DD's room three times before she went off to college, she definitely needed/s a desk with space for paper.

I love the CL piece, but if there isn't a place to put a full sheet of paper I think you're going to find papers and the like around the room before too long. Ask me how I know:))).

Love the room idea! Very pretty.

I love the new desk. It looks to be higher than what you have now. Could your DD sit comfortably at it and not be too low.
I think it would be a great vanity with a mirror on the wall above it for when she is a bit older.

Does she actually do homework (not crafts, etc.) at the desk?

The CL desk looks very nice. I don't know what to suggest about functionality. Both my kids (older) have very functional desks in their rooms--but always seem to prefer working on the DR table!

Just a couple things to think about:
(1) Do the drawers open and close easily? Or could they be waxed to make them so?

(2) Instead of painting the chair, nightstand, and desk to match the other furniture -- could you stain them in a similar hue? That would reduce the amount of the tricky to decorate around greenish aqua and keep some neutral in the room.

I vote for the CL desk. It matches the other furniture you already have and I like the style more than the 1st desk.

My daughter has that same desk but her pulls are the same as the ones on your highboy. We bought it from an antique store and it's painted a robin's egg blue - so pretty! You would not believe the amount of paper and books she fits in those drawers! (I keep telling her not to put heavy books in dresser drawers.)

I know the side drawers won't accomodate paper or notebooks as I asked the seller. The dimensions are only slightly bigger than the one there now and it's more in the depth than length. It's 42" wide. I saw a similar one for sale on CL that listed the drawers as 6" wide interior. So only place for paper would be either the top drawer or the drawers on her nightstand where DD is presently storing all of her magazines. It's definitely not as functional as the one she has now. It's be a vote for form over function I think.

My DD uses her desk for both her craft, art porjects, she loves to draw, as well as homework. Sometimes she does her homework at the kitchen table, sometimes in her room. Either is fine, but she should have space for all her paranephelia in her room/desk. We also store a lot of her craft supplies in bins in her closet--though desk stores all her pens, markers, paper, misc. school supplies as well as bottom drawer has all of her returned assignments (that would need to be put elsewhere).

dilly_dally: Don't think there is another room arrangement that could work. DD's bedroom is tiny, 10x10 with 4' wall space for a closet, the door and space reservated on adjacent wall for door to open. We just purchased a daybed with a trundle which also limits layout options so the daybed is centered on the window wall so the trundle has clearance to open out when DD has a sleepover.

You didn't ask this, so you can just ignore me, but I wonder if she really needs all this furniture? The room appears, from the pics, to be wall-to-wall furniture. My DD has a very small room too, and she is turning 9 next week. We bought her a desk about a year ago, which she never used for either crafts or homework, and finally she asked if we could get rid of the desk so she could have more space for "playing." We got rid of the desk and her room is much more user-friendly. Just my unsolicited two cents.

In a small room, don't forget you can also use wall space -- when we got rid of DD's desk, we put up a shelf unit on the wall (for her trophies, collections, etc) along with a multifunctional bulletin board that includes a tack board, chalk board, and peg board.

Val, I'm with Red on this one. If it won't function as your daughter "needs" it too, then it's not worth it just for looks. The one you just bought it adorable and if I'm not mistaken is a student desk which is aimed at younger folks. Our daughter had a very similar desk when she was your daughter's age and it was perfect for all her crafting supplies. This other desk drawers would only bend the paper or collect "stuff" that's not needed.

Double check that it won't hold paper - get the actual measurement of the drawers. This is a desk, it was designed to hold paper, and paper has been 11 inches wide for a long time. I have a vintage double pedestal desks, about the same age of the CL one and older, and they all hold paper just fine. Maybe not coil-bound notebooks or binders, but definitely paper. And magazines.

I'd be determined to make sure because I am a desk FANATIC and if that desk showed up on my local CL I would have it in my house at top speed even if I had to store it in the BASEMENT.

KarinL

I suppose justgottabeme and Red are right and I should just pass on it. I was not even looking for a desk specifically, but came across it while checking out the antiques section. It is just so darling and a perfect match to her other pieces, but my gut feel is the drawers are not going to be very useful--since they are all so small. I have some like that in my hall bath vanity and they only hold the small stuff. There is one problem with her desk that happened when I was transporting it. A couple of the planks glued together to make the desktop popped loose so I'd need to glue/clamp it before I paint it. I think my neighbor can do it for me since he's into woodworking. I just thought with this other desk I would not need to bother in case it does not come out. Then I'd have the prob. the chair doesn't match so I think I'll just stick with what I got and move onto the painting.

karenl: I am soooo tempted, but this is the seller's reply:

Hi.
No the side drawers are not wide enough for an 8.5 sheet of paper. The center would only.

Sorry.

OMG, we have a desk that is almost identical to the CL desk, only difference is ours has claw feet and leather top. It's a beautiful piece, cleans up nicely and because I'm biased, that one gets my vote! :c)

Ack, you ladies are making it so hard! Lukkirirish: What are the dimensions of your desk? This one is: 42Wx20.5Dx30H. I suppose I could at least check it out, though will take me two hours to get there and back. Seller said desk is $100/OBO. I would hope to not spend more than $70 on it max if I were to purchase. I'm still in two minds about it.

Here are the problem areas with her other desk.

Just heard back from seller. He checked again and said the drawers can hold paper, just not binders. So I'm thinking of offering $70 and seeing it tomorrow.

One thing to ask about with the CL desk is if those are the original feet on the desk. I think they are not.

They look like generic "replacement" from the photo. I don't know if this would sway your decision or not but I would hate to see you drive two hours to find out something like this that could be a deal breaker.

Also are there photos of the drawer interiors? They could have spilled stuff, marker marks, crayon marks, and stickers in them and you would have to sand and poly/paint the interiors too. Sometimes the interiors of these old things are a mess if they have been previously used in a kid's room.

I got THIS mahogany kneehole hepplewhite desk "free" off my local CL. It was missing one complete drawer pull & 2 handles. I paid $20 to replace 3 brass pulls. So that changing out the hardware will be an added expense. I did a search on my CL when I got the piece home. There were 2 more listed at $40 & $50 for the same basic style.
{{gwi:1491423}}
My vote is "no"....it's not worth the trouble or the money to buy another desk. I like what you have so far, it's very nice!

I vote "no" because while I really love the CL desk, it does not sing "little girl" to me. The current desk looks more like a child's desk and is more open...something I think you need in a small room.

Take some of your daughter's paper Val just to make sure.
And yes, the deck top is an easy fix with the right size clamps.

Yup, it's the same. Ours has the same wood tone, same bowed drawers, rope trim and latches. It was given to me about 20 years ago for free by an old boss of mine. She also gave me an early century Victorian dresser. But as beautiful as it is, I don't think it's worth 100.00 and think 70.00 is more reasonable. Ours does hold paper and the two bottom drawers in ours are actually 1 tall drawer so it holds files too.

I keep saying it's mine but truth be told, my daughter who was a teen when I got it, loved it so much she made me promise she could have it one day. So when she & her DH bought their home, I passed it on to her. It sits proudly in her living room.

Either one would look great, knowing my kids the larger desk would keep the room looking better because there is more covered storage.

I am still in two minds about it so I emailed a low-ball offer of $50 and will see if seller responds. Meanwhile, I'll talk to my neighbor to see if he can help me glue and clamp the existing desktop since either way I'll need it fixed. DD was not too keen on the other desk though I think I'm overwhelming her right now with too many options--paint, furniture, lamps, rug.

OK, so I'm glad to have it confirmed that I know my desks even if I don't know my paper width. Sigh. Paper has been EIGHT AND A HALF inches wide, not 11, for many years... is what I meant to say.

I love the colonial maple like the desk you have now, though I don't like that configuration and I don't like that they mostly were only 18" deep. That's a huge constraint if you've ever tried to work at such a desk. If the new one is deeper it will be a huge improvement, though your daughter will not appreciate it yet, perhaps. The only advantage of the current desk is that there is more room for a chair.

I had a desktop like your current one in worse condition and posted a query in woodworking about how to fix it. Cut the joints and re-glue was the answer, not an easy task for me.

On kids and furniture and the right amount, per SueB's post and your own daughter's overwhelmedness... my kids get only a little say over their furniture. Open space isn't always the best thing; it doesn't meet all activity needs and my kids always seem very adept at filling it with stuff that I need to clean up. Furniture provides a place for "everything in its place." Not that I achieve that ideal, but I dream of it.

Also, my kids have a furniture addicted mom (I always say it could be worse, could be heroin) and also they aren't the quickest at getting rid of stuff nor of tidying up, so since I do most of the tidying that does get done, I get to make the decisions. I do respect when they're attached to things, but sometimes I manage changes by putting what they really need into their rooms and keeping what they're attached to in the basement or the storage locker (yup, I have one, it's the only way we survive in such a small house inhabited by 4 collectors). Besides, those kids go through stages and then are gone so fast I've barely got one room configuration arranged before it needs to be changed.

If the seller's had no other response on the desk for some time your offer may work.

KarinL

karinL: It sounds like we too are in quite similar situations and mentality: furniture addicted Mom who struggles with clutter from the kids--only we have one more child in the family! I know what you mean also about redoing things. All three kids had new paint in their rooms three years ago and I'd love to redo my 14-year-olds room as well--but she and I have different taste plus she is a slob so not much point. My 8-year-old, by comparision, is much more adaptable to my suggestions and even cleaner! So, I'm determined to get her room together before her teens--or at least give her some sense of color and fabric combinations! But, she does keep making and collecting stuff that we then have to find a place to put, so I hear you with having room for everything and unfortunately, we don't have a basement. My tactic is usually to stash things away in garage for awhile and if no one asks for it in a month out it goes! The seller did not like my offer, didn't even bother with a counter, nor did he say he had any other prospective buyers. Can't quite figure out what that means when you list an item OBO. I figure if you put OBO then you do not even expect to get your asking price. If you put firm, then a person knows not to make an offer. If nothing, then it's in the subjective grey area so I try not to low ball too much. I think I'll just reply and ask him what price he is expecting? I can go as high as $70--after that it's probably not worth it given the expense I'll put into painting it and changing out hardware. There is actually a similiar desk, but doesn't have the bowed drawers and rope molding, at Salvation Army. It's pretty beat up so perfect item to paint and it has a glass top (big plus). That I can buy for $25--assuming no one else has bought it, yet. Style-wise, though, it's no better match than the one I have now--just a tad deeper, plus the glass top.

Why don't you just get another piece of wood and paint or finish it and put it on the existing desk, if what you are seeking is more workspace?

Or, get two filing cabinets in wood, paint those out, and add a top to create her workspace. The filing cabinets will allow for much better organization of papers and such. She can use a stool instead of a chair, something cute that you can paint and to which you can add a padded fabric seat. Or, if there isn't room for two filing cabinets, use one, and then add interesting wood legs for the other side -- essentially a larger, more practical version of the student desk she has.

I would also be trying to get the desk next to the bookcase, for a more practical arrangement in the room based on usage of the furniture pieces.

Finally, I think I get what you are saying about the older siblings, but unless they are leaving for college and never returning, they will be back for month-long winter breaks, 10 weeks in the summers, etc. Their furniture will be used for quite a few years even after they are in college.

valinsv.Have you checked out oceannas post on kids rooms ??? So many inspiration pictures there..........

Here is a link that might be useful: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/decor/gal030827409081.html?19

OBO could also mean that he may be expecting higher bids than the asking price - a bidding war, and will take THE BEST OFFER! Like in a house sale. A popular house may come on the market for $500,000, and may get multiple offers, including offers that are higher than the asking price to assure that they will be the highest bidder because they really want that house!

Sometimes for furniture such as the desk, a seller may not know what it is really worth, but a collector would.

Did the guy not respond at all?

Yeah, the guy replied that he had a higher offer--very cagy. So, I sent him another email from a different email address, not using my name and inquired about the desk since it's still on CL. I wanted to see if in fact, he sold it, or just didn't want to sell it to me anymore since I lowballed it. I can understand that as I've been the recipient of lowball offers and sometimes I just ignore them and wait for a better offer.

If not, there is also this one for sale. It's not as pretty, though I do like the glass top and definitely something that needs some fixing up so I could probably get on the cheap and put my $$ into paint and new hardware.

Here is a link that might be useful: Another antique desk

I think the 50 was a risky offer since you hadn't gone to see it yet. Sometimes you can do that in person, but it's dicier from a distance, He may just have another person coming to look.

The other one... nnnice, but not as nice. I like the legs on the first one. Not as good a match for your dresser either.

But hey, I'm ready to move to your CL area!!

KarinL