Or should I arrange it just like it is now with just hire Cabinets going to the ceiling?

Or just use the nook area... but then I would not know what to put on the larger wall. I’m going to assume uppers will not look good on that larger wall because it doesn’t really end anywhere, it would just be cut off at the barn door and I’m not sure that would look good.

It seems a shame to jam your work area into the corner when you have what appears to be a pretty big room. Maybe something like one of these layouts from Steelcase and Herman Miller which place the desk facing outward would be suitable. The window would be to your left so you could look out without having reflections in your computer's screen. (I think the odd-looking Steelcase desk is an adjustable-height model). -- amateur

@lawrence. I am a children’s entertainer and on a rainy day I actually throw parties in this room so I’m looking for something that is kind of out-of-the-way

This is why I definitely want to change out the peace so that it goes all way up to the ceiling and make it white to match my kitchen and so that it just looks brighter.

"I am a children’s entertainer and on a rainy day I actually throw parties in this room"

How about using an extendable table as your desk? Keep it short day to day and extend it for parties.

I’m an interior designer so I know the debate. There’s no clear stopping point on either wall, so I would let that dictate anything. I agree white will solve a lot of the visual problem. The black is visually heavy and distracts from the rest of the room. I wouldn’t hesitate to put cabinets across both sides of the desk if you want the storage. And seeing what you do, I can’t imagine it would hurt. Again, if they’re white, they’ll still feel half as heavy as your current cabinets. I might’ve misunderstood your suggestion, but I would definitely go built-in for both the wall cabinets and the base cabinets. A rug would also help define the area like you said.

Do you have a picture of the rest of the room?

My hunch is that you would actually benefit from a straight desk/cabinets and not have everything return, unless you want the extra storage.

Another option is to do a full height cabinet/wardrobe at one of the ends to increase storage if you can sacrifice counter space. That also gives you the option of doing a cool backsplash and giving it a definite stopping point. Or throw one wardrobe on each end of symmetry is your thing.

You also have nice high ceilings, so if there’s anything that you don’t use frequently and don’t mind using a step stool to reach, I would do an extra row of cabinets above the regular wall cabinets to the ceiling.

*wouldn’t let it dictate

@ Emily this is the other side of this wall. So the corner of my desk is the back to the kitchen.
I can’t go all the way across because of the window. I also feel that the beam should be the end point of my upper cabinets and entire office since I’m going to raise them. Ignore the mess please I am cleaning but it is also the first will you see when you turn left from the door towards the where the kitchen is the dining room and the backyard.

@emily I also love black but know that it is very heavy so before I get my built-ins should I paint this all white lmao I am probably the most impatient person in the world. So when I cannot get what I want immediately I always try to have temporary solutions.

I would obviously not have open shelving because I have to store away my binders full of gigs and tax write off‘s and electronics but I was also thinking of just having one whole wall between the corner and the beam shelving... Emily were you saying you think it is OK that I have uppers on the larger wall next to the barn door? Or was I correct in saying that might look wrong...

I just finished a remodel with a custom desk area/wall unit,

Mine wrap around so that my desk area is by the window - the counter runs the length of the cabinetry and it goes to the ceiling.

The lower cabinets are all pull outs - one houses my printer on a pull out.

I essentially have two shelves above the counter/desk area - the one immediately above the counter/desk has doors and the one about that is open and can be used for display or books or whatever.

It's very functional as well as being really beautiful - at least in my opinion. It was built by the guy who also did all the cabinets for my kitchen and baths as well as a room divider between the office and the formal living area which houses my television and has additional storage as well as display.

@helen, Can you please show photos

It looks quite bulky, paint it all white, can you shift the smaller end cabinet elsewhere, perhaps on that wall at the end of your bench, light switches might be in the way, you could cut gap in back of cabinet for those maybe, just thinking outside the box lol.

Yeah I think you can still put upper wall cabinets on the wall with the barn door. Just leave about a foot or so so you’re not getting too close. On the window wall, everything can stop at the inside of that header running across the ceiling like you said. It sounds like storage is key, and no one can ever have enough. I would do upper cabs on both sides to the ceiling so you can leave some empty space under the countertop for leg room. Nothing worse than having a huge countertop for work space but so many cabinets underneath that you can only pull up a chair in one spot! And lol no, I wouldn’t worry about repainting unless you want to.

I don't have the doors installed for the upper level so I am not going to post it - especially since I am still moving in and so the top surface of the counter area is really a mess as I am sorting through things and trying to determine where they will live.

I am posting a picture of the plans/elevation for the entire unit. The desk area is in the corner and wraps around - the window is to the left of the "long leg" of the entire unit and I have a very small cabinet at the end of where it wraps which has a file cabinet - My records are all in digital form except for those which require original paperwork like birth and death certificates; deeds etc.

Since my living/dining/den area are all one large space which is bisected only by the room divider I installed, I wanted my wall unit to complement the cabinetry in the kitchen/dining area. It is the same quarter sawn white oak in the same stain but the doors are a slightly different design.

When the upper doors are installed, they will be plexiglass with a slightly Art Deco design.

As I posted, it's really working for me functionally. The printer cabinet rolls out and I had an electrical outlet installed. Since it's a wireless printer, it's really out of sight. I have a hidden compartment in the rear of the desk area which holds my external hard drives so that eliminates that clutter.

All of the lower cabinets have pullouts installed and I am in the process of figuring out how to best organize them - what kind of organizational boxes or whatever I might use.

I have three shallow drawers in the desk area which are extremely functional as well.

It was designed by my designer with a lot of input from me in terms of how I wanted it to function. She supplied the specifications to my cabinet maker who built it and installed it along with the rest of the cabinets and also the room divider/televisions stripper pole unit.

Let me know if you have any questions.

These are the plans for the wall unit - window is on the left wall

This is a rendering of my room layout - it is not an accurate representation of final design but shows why I wanted all of the cabinetry to complement. The office area is behind the room divider.

This is one the lower cabinets look like. A portion of the desk area is peeking out. The pullout for the computer is not the cabinet immediately to the left but the second from the left. I felt that I wanted access to other stuff more frequently than the printer which is why I had the cabinet closest to where I sit not house the printer

This is one wall of behind my dining area - kitchen is to the immediate left. The style of the doors and doors complements the office unit but is not identical.

This is the kitchen which is actually just a continuation of the wall unit as the tall cabinet to the far right is the same tall cabinet in the picture of the dining area