here is a working drawing of mine. still need to tweak it somewhat as i'm not happy about having TWO sets of doors (one for desk area and another for knees). going to see if we can do it with just one set of doors and have it still look good. the doors recess into the cabinet and there are bookshelves and space for calendar/cork board/supplies inside. although my kitchen is going in in a few weeks, we put this piece on hold (dh was getting queazy about all the $$$ leaking out of here!) and i'm kind of glad since i want to get it right.

Check out sweeby's kitchen in the FKB. Not sure if she has photos of that specifically but she turned a closet into a desk area which she can completely close off. I don't know if that's what you have in mind but probably good to glance at for ideas.

thanks so much! Lowspark--it didn't occur to me to use closet-type doors but I love the idea and am going to explosre it. It's a great way to break up a large bank of cabinets.