Thanks, TR. I must apologize for not being more clear. I need a keyboard drawer/tray. You can install those post market, but not on a drop down desk front. Also I have a very large and heavy monitor (think big imac, although there's no cpu, but the monitor itself is just about as heavy) and I'm concerned about long-term stability of a drop front, too.

It's a pity, because there are lots of gorgeous options like that.

EDIT Oh, and the office will also be the guest room, so I do need to be able to close it up--I could make something like your pic work if I fixed it so it wouldn't close anymore, but in an 8 x 10 room you need every available inch for a bed.

EDIT Oh, and yeah, I would prefer white, but I've even considered buying the ugly knockoff (which only comes in black) and painting it, so I'd consider anything.

OK, I want one of those too, so now I'm going on a hunt! What's your price range?

They're cute, aren't they sjhockeyfan? Anything up to $1000 without thinking about it (The C&B Incognito was $999), anything up to about $1800 if it can persuade me it's really worth it.

ETA There were a bunch of different models and finishes by Home Styles (the one in the pics is theirs) but they've all been discontinued, presumably because of the QC issues. It sure wasn't lack of demand.

I downsized to a 1939 house, so I understand. Although I have upstairs rooms I can use as an office, I wanted mine downstairs for one-level living.

I purchased the Beckett Computer Cabinet from Arhaus. I have a 27" flat screen monitor to use with my MacBook. My monitor sits back inside the cabinet and I place my MacBook on the drop down desk that is supported by the pull-out drawer below. In order to have the desk at the right height for using a computer, I bought an adjustable height swivel stool to get my elbows up.

My printer is in the left bottom cubby with paper on the shelf above. There is a pull-out file drawer on the bottom right. There are drawers that can be placed at different heights within the cabinet.

Mine is located in the back right of my living room. There's an antique bookcase on the other side of the window. My room is 12' wide.

Thanks, dyhgarden. That looks promising.

Your living room is beautiful!

Spectrawood makes CPU desks for their home office lines. I don't know if they have retailers near you. I've never seen their furniture in person, but they are sold by a local (SF Bay Area) well established furniture retailer.

http://www.spectrawood.com/bedford_home_office.html

Room and Board carries a modern version, as well.

http://www.roomandboard.com/catalog/office/office-armoires/copenhagen-office-armoire

I don't know how your Craigslist is, but I just looked on mine (Maine) and there are three, including this Sauder one that's never been used. I found where it's sold and am linking HERE

If I didn't already have a nice Hooker one (I work from home) I'd be wanting this one on my CL for $300.00.

http://maine.craigslist.org/fuo/5455745700.html

"This gorgeous heavy oak computer cabinet / armoire is a floor-to-ceiling
all-in-one office. It comes apart at the midline for purposes of
moving. Slide out keyboard / laptop tray above as well as slide-out
printer tray below. Tons of storage. The lighted spacious interior
compartment has a cork bulletin board at the back with book shelves
above. Below, there is a file drawer that accommodates both letter and
legal size files. This was $2500 new; now only $300. 48" wide x 25" deep
x 83" high."

I agree, try CL. A quick look on ours (D/FW) brought up these two:

http://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/fuo/5478300969.html

http://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/fuo/5468357830.html

Good luck!

Thanks very much, everyone. ljwrar, that Room and Board one looks like it might work quite well.

My3dogs, you've always lived in the land of the Magic CL, and it looks like yours is nearly as good, MizGG. Ours tends to run to semi-broken Office Max pieces at asking prices only about 150% more than the original cost.

Oh, dyhgarden, I forgot to ask if you've ever considered a book arc? I have one and it's super handy for making it easy to find a spot for the macbook pro, in addition to giving it air circulation on all sides to keep it running cooler in clamshell mode:

https://www.twelvesouth.com/product/bookarc-for-macbook-pro-retina

I love this desk but not sure that it would work for your purposes.

http://www.frontgate.com/kingsley-desk/812223

That is really beautiful, Holly-Kay, and I wish it could work, but I'm afraid it doesn't. I'd much rather have a nice piece like that than most of the ones I'm seriously considering, but alas…

So, do you find the armoires too imposing? It seems like they would be a good solution if the computer needs to be able to be closed away.

This one from Wayfair looks kind of nice

http://www.wayfair.com/Riverside-Furniture-Cantata-Computer-Armoire-4985-RVF4091.html

I can relate. I've been trying to figure out a way to consolidate and simply my office furniture for years but I can't seem to find a true solution.

I have a MacBook Pro on my kitchen/dining table all the time, but an iMac in my office. In fact, I just bought a new one a couple of weeks ago. As short as my legs are, they need a place to go. Even with an extending keyboard tray, something similar to your first photo wouldn't give you any leg room. Plus your printer is almost in your lap.

So, do you find the armoires too imposing?

It's not that, but you bring up a good point, robo, and one that maybe I should have mentioned before.

The problem is that in old houses in FL not only are the rooms teeny-tiny, but there are windows absolutely everywhere in any house built before all-A/C- all-the-time became the norm, which makes furniture placement extremely difficult. In bedrooms at least a couple of the windows will usually be higher, so it's possible to put low furniture under them, but it would be be very hard to find enough wall for a full height armoire without having to put it in front of a window. A shorter cabinet just gives me much more freedom to arrange things satisfactorily, especially since I also have bookcases to work in.

I know what you're saying Linelle, and that's one reason why I want a pullout keyboard drawer. I realize I'm going to have give up the luxury of the one I have now, which also has a book stand above it if you pull it out all the way and lets me get a good 34 inches away from the monitor (just measured it), but as long as it can get me some distance from the monitor, that's something. For me it's not leg space so much as not being too close to the screen. Really my knees are only about 8" in under the keyboard now, so that will be okay.

For the printer I don't mind moving when I have to pull it out to print something; ditto getting into the file drawer.

I've not tried the arc for my MacBook. Thanks!

For Linelle, here's my current desk, although this is a very old photo back when I had a smaller screen to deal with. (I had to switch the hutch with the doors from the center to one side when I got my current screen.) But I've tried sitting with the keyboard only pulled out the width of the tray and it's quite comfortable for sitting, if I could just push the monitor back farther than I can with a hutch in place. And the doors below the keyboard are as much of a barrier as the printer and file shelves in the little cabinets.

Be sure you don't want a traditional style that you can actually pull a chair up to. I would not want the first option for office use. It screams a place to set the laptop--but not actually USE IT. Down sizing implies less pieces of furniture. Find a piece that is compact but user friendly too.

Thanks, arcy, but maybe we cross-posted. As I said in my last post, I've tried working at the center section of this big desk as I would have to use one of the little cabinets and it's just fine. I'm not worried about that. If I want to do a lot of hand writing I can use the dining table instead, and for fooling around surfing the 'net, I generally use an ipad on the sofa anyway.

Do you have a closet you're not using? I have an upstairs family room w/closet, probably for those who still use dvd's, cd's, etc. My closet was completely empty, and I didn't really have the need for a home office, so turned the closet into a space for my pc....totally works. ;)

Thank you, Patty. Unfortunately I will be seriously short on closet space, as is usual in those old houses. A small reach in closet in each bedroom (and the kind that goes back instead of sideways), some shelves for linens in the hall and that's it in the whole house. It's a great idea in a newer house, though.

I really like your sconces.

How about this one?

My sister bought one about 2 years ago and is pleased with it.

http://www.ifurn.com/home-styles-arts-and-crafts-ebony-collection-5181-19.html

Oh, that little white thing in the OP looks like a cute pet, I want one!

Oops, where did my reply go?

Anyway, thank you, Delilah. Yes, that's another version of the one I posted above. They had about six different door styles and most of them came in a choice of white or black/espresso, but they're all discontinued now.

I clicked through on the amazon link in your link but it's not really available there, either. You can put an order in if you're willing to pay $1700 for a $500 piece of furniture, but it just tells you it's backordered after the order is complete.

But thanks very much for trying. I'm glad to know your sister is pleased with hers. Do you happen to know what printer she has, if she uses the printer shelf?

Have you considered finding a cabinet -- a small buffet or sideboard type tat you might pick up used for $100 or less and then paying a handyman or carpenter to retrofit the interior a bit?

I tried a google search and found a RTA Sauder unit at Walmart that was mid-height andthis one at Oerstock -- also has assembly required.

My best google combination of words has been "compact office desk" which has given me a few prospects. Many of them have a pull out tray designed to hold a laptop, which which I think could hold a keyboard with a monitor perched above the desk. My monitor sits at about 36"-37" anyway (7" above my desk top)so it might be an option.

http://www.copelandfurniture.com/bedroom/bedroom-desks/astrid-laptop-desk.html

lascatx's idea seems good as well...I could picture a washstand with the top drawer retrofitted to be a flip down pullout keyboard tray ..

Thanks. lascatx. Yes, but it's "out of stock" at overstock (they have them all, actually, as "out of stock", as many sites do right now, but they are gone completely from the manufacturer's site, so I think it's more than that).

If I can't find anything, I would consider doing a retrofit. I thought about just ordering one custom, but then I thought about all the custom furniture/built-ins I've seen lately and frankly those all look just like someone went to WoodYou and got out a paint sprayer, except that they fit the space better. But a retrofit would avoid that, since they wouldn't be making the outside.

Thanks, robo. That's a very cool looking piece. ETA, didn't see the photo the first time; great idea.

Try All Star Interiors. They started as desk and office and specialize in that I guess. The have a brick and mortar here in Michigan and a website. I'm sure they must ship. Everybody does these days.

Thanks, sumac. I'll check it out.

Sorry -- didn't see it was out of stock. Guess I got too excited about finding something -- or distracted (I was sitting outside on my back porch to try to appease the dogs --my lab thought the weather was too good to let me stay indoors this morning and she's very persistant).

Take a look at printer, office and sewing or craft cabinets when searching. Perhaps that will help find something.

Crate and Barrel has one that you can order now and says it is expected to ship in May.

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/newman-compact-office-desk/s197395

Looks ike that one might be replacing another one I saw photos of but didn't find on their site (the Incognito).

And this one if concealing everything isn't important

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/hobby-table/s259390

Maybe a cabinet maker could make a custom piece for you. It doesn't seem much different than a base cabinet, really.

I scrolled through the pictures of the crate & barrel newman desk linked to above. Unless that shelf the printer is sitting on pulls out, it's not really functional for a printer.

If it doesn't have a roll out tray and you want one, you can add one. It just takes a few screws.

Thanks, everyone. I don't know why but for some reason I haven't been able to post to this thread today, although it works elsewhere in GW. Let's see if I can now.

Thanks so much for persevering with this, lascatx. It's very sweet of you, and no problem at all about the "out of stock". It's well hidden on most pages; I only know where to look because I've been running into it so much lately on my quest.

The C&B Incognito was by far the best of these small cabinets by all accounts, but alas it only exists now in this knockoff:

http://www.amazon.com/Proman-Products-Incognito-Compack-Office/dp/B0052O7SJK

which is definitely on my desperation list.

The Newman is very cool but I see that more as a wonderful solution for someone who uses a laptop without an external monitor. I agree that a rollout could be arranged for the printer, but my concern is that if I could fit my monitor on it (it's less than 18" deep), I'd be looking up so far to see it.

Laughable, yes, having something made is an option, but I'd have to do a lot of looking for a cabinetmaker, because I'm pretty sure that the guys I know would give me something that looked like a kitchen cabinet that somehow managed to escape the herd. :)

Here goes. Let's see if it posts this time.

I saw an old secrerary in a consignment shop which had two additional legs added to each side of the front to hold up.the desk section. They were somehow locked in place and could be brought down when extra weight was necessary. I thought it was a good idea, and probably not too difficult to achieve if you were to find a secretary you liked and was a good deal. This was before the 'computer age'.

Thanks, patty.