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80sgirlatheart

Is desk in kitchen a no-no these days?

80sgirlatheart
hace 5 años

Deciding on whether to get rid of the desk in our kitchen and add more counter-height cabinets. The desk seems like a good place for kids to study, mail, etc. But, I am hearing from designers that no one has desks in kitchens anymore with new construction. Thoughts? Where does everyone through their mail, kids schoolwork, etc? TIA!

Respuesta destacada
  • Jennifer K
    hace 5 años

    A better question is, "Do you use your desk in your kitchen?". If you do and there's no other place you'd rather be doing that work, then keep it. If you don't then put something there that you will use.


    While it's true that the fad for kitchen desks has long faded, that doesn't mean that your kitchen desk needs to go. Assess your needs and decide accordingly.

    Comentarios (67)

    • jlj48
      hace 5 años

      Wish I had one. My island is my catch all/desk

    • Chessie
      hace 5 años

      "Full disclosure - I am no spring chicken so, while I love my iPhone and MacBook, I still need paper lists and even have to print docs sometimes! "


      Ha! Yeah I just cannot imagine doing without a printer. Mine is right beside my desk. And I don't want a counter height desk - it's not convenient nor comfortable for me. I sometimes have to log in to work ( I don't work remotely but I do often have to do things from home if I am home sick or for a home service call) and I can be working there for some time, so I want an actual desk height. I have a pc with a full keyboard there - laptop is great but when I am looking at something seriously I want my pc and large monitor. Computers are my career, so I guess it is a bit different for me.

    • Kathi Steele
      hace 5 años

      When we remodeled our kitchen 3 years ago, I kept the desk in the kitchen, but moved it so it was not front and center. It is now on the periphery. I am sitting there as we speak!! I can keep an eye on dinner, watch TV and sit at my desk. All of my recipes are on my computer just an arm's length away. I cannot imagine a kitchen space without my desk/work area.

    • carladr
      hace 5 años

      I am doing exactly what nanj describes. Our new contemporary home will have a counter height desk/workstation in the kitchen. I got a few puzzled looks when I made the request for a counter height setup but when I reviewed how I use my current kitchen desk, I realized that most of the time I don't really ever sit at it for very long. I'm usually bent over checking recipe instructions, checking email or looking up something on my laptop. Counter height will be much more functional and easier on my back.


      The kitchen workspace is also a central spot for a calendar, schedules, important phone numbers, school paperwork, grocery lists, to-do lists, etc. We will have a large island in the kitchen but I am going to do my best to keep it clutter-free.


      Yesterday, a photo came up on my houzz homepage of a kitchen that had a counter height workspace and it certainly didn't look old-fashioned.


    • PRO
      G&F Home Service
      hace 5 años
      if no one sits there, loose the desk, add a counter over base cabinets and wall cabinets above. same function, no wasted space.
    • Chessie
      hace 5 años

      ^^ "lose"...not "loose".



    • PRO
      BeverlyFLADeziner
      hace 5 años

      Make it counter height and 24" wide You can use it as additional counter if needed and if the future you find you don't need it the space is the perfect location for a wine/beverage fridge. Win Win!

    • Michele Babaie
      hace 5 años
      This is my first comment. I loved my kitchen desk so much in my last home built in 2003 that when I moved into my new home (built in 1903) and did an addition, I made sure to add a desk space to our newly built family room that opens to the kitchen
    • carladr
      hace 5 años

      Here's one example of a counter height desk: https://www.houzz.com/photos/towns-rd-vaucluse-contemporary-sydney-phvw-vp~51195107

    • greenfish1234
      hace 5 años

      i do like the counter-height idea for versatility and resale. This makes me think of the built-in bathroom make-up vanity. Feels dated, and does anyone sit to apply makeup? If you wanted to it seems a stool at sink height would suffice.

    • Sue 430
      hace 5 años

      Got rid of mine in the remodel in favor of a longer counter run. For our huge kitchen, a drastic improvement. We did have to figure out where to put the stuff that was there, bought a cure small cabinet for the tv room and put the stuff there. I’m happy with the change.

    • Julie B.
      hace 5 años

      They were where the kitchen phone went, so as land lines went away so did desks, I’m guessing.

    • tikkanen
      hace 5 años
      I have a small one in my current kitchen. There is just enough room to put a microwave on top and a toaster oven on top of the microwave. Underneath, there is room for two rolling pet food bins. We keep pet food in one and charcoal for the grill on the patio outside the kitchen.

      I’m currently house hunting. If we end up in a home with a kitchen desk, I would probably utilize it in the same way. A larger desk would have pet food and water dishes on it. A drawer would have pet related items. The upper cabinet would hold toaster oven pans, and my occasional use items like blender and food processor.
    • melle_sacto
      hace 5 años
      Última modificación: hace 5 años

      in our home, now that each child has their own bedroom, there's no other space for an office. DH built a modest desk area in an unutilized space in our kitchen. I call it our kitchen-office. I really like it, easy to monitor the computer use and also discouraged mindless time-wasting (at least when other people are around). it's not ideal, a private office or maybe family room would be sweet, but given how much we use the kitchen/dining area having the desk in there too is handy.

    • Shannon_WI
      hace 5 años
      Última modificación: hace 5 años

      I had always thought - from comments on here over the years - that the kitchen desk did not go out of style or had designers say it was out of style. It was that many of them became a clutter cluster, a magnet for papers, chargers, catalogs, mysterious keys, magazines, mail flyers, and miscellaneous stuff that often was unsightly. People wanted to break that habit so the kitchen desk went out of favor. For practical reasons, not trend or style reasons. If your family does not have this habit, or does have the habit and it doesn't bother you in the kitchen, then a desk sounds like what you want.

    • PRO
      Patricia Colwell Consulting
      hace 5 años

      We share a home office , I use Alexa for shopping lists and print to the ofice when I need a list. We have all wireless computer stuff as we also have 2 international students all school year. I have a TV inthe kitchen so use that for recipes and if i need to look something up or like a lot of people pay all my bills online so most mail is junk that goes into recycling immediately. I do think that you need to do waht is right for how you live.We have teenaged students, they do all their school work in their rooms where they each have a desk .

    • greenfish1234
      hace 5 años

      Oh as far as what do kids do, they do not study where you wish they would! Nice to have computer visible but good luck getting them to study at the tiny desk! The island, maybe.

    • Chessie
      hace 5 años

      " They were where the kitchen phone went, so as land lines went away so did desks, I’m guessing. "


      And I still have my landline too. :-) I refuse to give my cell number out to service companies and the like - so I use my landline for that and everything except personal and work. I despise the spam calls that line is inundated with, every day.

    • shirlpp
      hace 5 años

      I have my landline too. The good thing about it is you always know where it's at. I am constantly looking for my cell phone.

    • bossyvossy
      hace 5 años

      I have one and have never used it as such. In my next remodel it will be converted to an appliance garage or more cabinetry, whichever looks best.

      at present, desk is just a junk collector.

    • sheloveslayouts
      hace 5 años

      I think this is a great discussion! Bossyvossy- is your desk at 30 inches or at counter height? if it’s at 30”, do you think you’d use it more if it was like a standing desk?

    • bossyvossy
      hace 5 años

      It is 30”, height wouldn’t matter. Look at all the junk! Temporary but junk


    • sheloveslayouts
      hace 5 años

      If I had one it would be a clutter magnet,.


      Yours is a great spot for a kick step (love mine)

    • bossyvossy
      hace 5 años
      Última modificación: hace 5 años

      That’s about all it’s good for. I use my ks lots too

    • tqtqtbw
      hace 5 años
      Última modificación: hace 5 años

      I would want a command center with room to charge everything. I would work at the breakfast table if I were at that end of the house.


      I do need a dedicated space. Right now my "desk" is a rolling laptop stand that works like a hospital bed table, but not as long. I keep my family files in a Container Store rolling cart.


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      I like the window view with this one, place for wireless printer.

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    • PRO
      Brickwood Builders, Inc.
      hace 5 años

      I think a desk in the kitchen encourages needless clutter. We have an office in the bonus room and all important papers, computers, printers, etc are up there. Don't want that laying around my house and making it look more junky. We talk with a lot of people about kitchen remodels, and I have never heard anyone say their children actually sit at the desk in the kitchen. Most of the time (particularly when they are young) they use the breakfast table or island. Easier for an adult to assist them if needed.

    • Boxerpal
      hace 5 años
      Última modificación: hace 5 años

      I would not say a No No... I think it depends on how you use your space and what you want.


      For us, years ago when our family did not have wireless or high speed internet the built in desk was an essential command center for our family. The calendar, the schedule, notes to each other, a place for the dreaded catch all junk drawer filled with pens, markers, stick notes and stuff of families, that desk was a great part of our life. Fast forward to today, out laptops, wireless, high speed, tiny cell phones, ... allow us to move around the house to use our techie gadgets anywhere to work. We can be on the bed, the sofa or the dining room to play on GW or Houzz or update our schedules. Our streamlined style of living with less paper and pen in our home doesn't need the built in desk. We took it out to put in food storage and a coffee maker. We can't give up our coffee!!!

    • acm
      hace 5 años

      no-no for resale, maybe. think about alternative ways to handle the stuff that collects there -- one of those organizer centers, maybe, or a collection of "in-boxes" somewhere else that sorts mail for the family to handle, plus a cubby zone for kids to drop their stuff. for sure, don't count on a desk like this being used for homework -- island, maybe, or kitchen table, or on laptops upstairs, or... I can see the centralized information system for a stay-at-home adult to organize the household, but not many families can afford that luxury financially or in terms of space, so those functions get moved into offices or family room zones.


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      I have an end table that holds two laptops in magazine slots and has a project sorter sitting on top, so all the bills and stuff happen during TV time, not while cooking. in-laws swear by their very tidy kitchen desk, but have lots of free time and few kids/chaos-makers... know your own lifestyle!

    • Lois Huneycutt
      hace 5 años

      I use mine, but I could easily do without it. My husband and I each have "in" baskets on the desk, and we hang our keys and have a rack for outgoing mail there as well. I keep my checkbook there, and write maybe three checks a month these days. I keep my cookbooks in a shelf above the desk. I keep stationery and stamps there, and I'll also sit there from time to time to write a card to send to someone, but if I'm doing something "bigger," like addressing Christmas cards or something, I move to someplace quieter and more comfortable. If I had a better use for the desk area I would take the desk out, but I don't need more kitchen cabinet space.

    • Judy Mishkin
      hace 5 años

      i'd find counter height more convenient... sliding on and off a stool or just standing there for something quick... and someone could always put a beverage fridge underneath in the future.


      after 62 years i'm finished with grocery lists. i just shout it all at Alexa and look at the list on my phone at the store.

    • suezbell
      hace 5 años

      Agree with those that say it depends upon whether or not it's used. Personally, I'd rather have a table w/storage and wheels that I could put where I want it, including against a wall in or near the kitchen.

    • rantontoo
      hace 5 años
      Última modificación: hace 5 años

      A command center makes more sense to me than a 30 inch high desk facing a wall. What the command center looks like will depend on needs. Some have a floor to ceiling cab; others have a counter-height top; some have a stool. If you research command centers you will get a lot of ideas to help you meet your family’s needs.

      Absolutely put in a charging drawer, but it does not have to utilize the expensive expanding arm outlet. I simply put an outlet in the cavity under the drawer and ran a multi-charging port attached to the drawer with a removable command strip. If I had wanted to drill a hole in the back of the drawer, the port could sit all the way back in the shallow drawer giving me more room for devices, but the current set-up fits all the devices we have. Adding multiple, new short charging cords and the multi-slot port cost at the most $50. I love the charging drawer....contains all the devices of my non-techie, two-person household.

    • PRO
      The Kitchen Place
      hace 5 años
      Última modificación: hace 5 años

      I don't do a lot of them...but I always suggest to clients, that if they want a desk in the kitchen, make it kitchen counter height and use a barstool. That way, the taller space can also be used for other things....a serving area, dry bar...etc. I think the main reason they were never used was because they were so short and it felt awkward sitting in a low chair in the middle of the kitchen. I know when I was a kid, our 1972 home's kitchen desk was never used. It later became the perfect spot for our honkin' huge RadarRange aka microwave when those came out. LOL

    • Mid America Mom
      hace 5 años

      Where do the kids do work now? When mine were little it was the coffee table or kitchen table. Now it is my sofa, their desk, or the kitchen table.


      We have moved many times and from before kids to kids in the house we always need a place to put stuff. Some do this in the kitchen or maybe an entry or mudroom. I find we need 1. Junk drawer. Holds scissors, tape, batteries, pens, extra furniture bumpers, flash light, twist ties, paper clips. For the last two homes this has been either a 18 or 15 wide drawer in the kitchen garbage cabinet. 2. Place for car keys, lint roller, mail, purses, spare change, baseball or sun hats, those annoying loyalty cards or occasional gift card. I tend to like a 3-4' long by 30" ish closed cabinet or chest of drawers in the entry.

    • dabjg
      hace 5 años
      We removed our desk area in the kitchen. I wanted the extra counter space . No regrets! We now have more cabinets and counter space
    • Boxerpal
      hace 5 años

      My new junk drawer is going to look like this one.. Only mine will have more pens , pencils, scissors,.... The ones below are great ideas I never even thought of for my space.


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      this is really a cute idea.. Wish I had thought of something like this...


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    • 80sgirlatheart
      Autor original
      hace 5 años

      Anyone out there know if there's a good way to raise my desk to counter-height? Can I add wood at the bottom or top and still have it look good? I only need to raise my desk 3 inches. TIA!


    • sheloveslayouts
      hace 5 años

      Do you need the 3inches to go from 33 to 36? I'm wondering what the advantage of the three inches is and if it might be easier to just get an adjustable chair rather than try to adjust the desk.

    • tqtqtbw
      hace 5 años

      Post a picture of your current desk and let's see what can be done.

    • 80sgirlatheart
      Autor original
      hace 5 años

      @tqtqtbw- Will do when I get home from work! Thanks.


    • Mid America Mom
      hace 5 años

      Oh- Pic as requested before and are you also replacing the counter? Thanks!

    • 80sgirlatheart
      Autor original
      hace 5 años


      We are replacing the countertops. We are also refinishing the cabinets. Thanks!

    • tqtqtbw
      hace 5 años
      Última modificación: hace 5 años

      If you can carefully remove the base cabinets, you can have risers built for each side to raise the desk up. The question is why do you want the desk 3 inches taller? It will put it closer to the upper cabinets.

      If you aren't going to use the area as a desk, it looks like it would make a nice beverage/coffee center.

    • chocolatebunny123
      hace 5 años

      We had the planning desk in our kitchen replaced with a custom made cabinet of drawers. I didn't have the budget to move the electrical outlet and light switch so I had the cabinet made the same height as the desk.

      Our old desk was too small to be practical. I used the drawers for pens and such, but the space underneath (where the chair was to go) became a catch all for all sorts of junk. I like my cabinet of drawers much better.

      I will say though that I have a desk in my family room (the kitchen, breakfast nook and family room all flow together). We have a home office but my husband works from home a lot and has client files in there so it's become "his" office. Our dining room has become a study for our teenagers. When they were little it was their playroom. Now the dining room has 2 desks, their computers/laptops, bookcases and storage cubbies. If they need me to help them with homework then we usually sit at the kitchen table.

      The cabinet of drawers has our land line on top of it and we use it as a charging station. I am debating on whether or not I should add backsplash tile there, or put something like cork board up so I can hang my calendar there and finally get it off the side of my refrigerator.

    • Mrs Pete
      hace 5 años

      If you think you want a desk, I suggest you start by listing off the functions you'd want it to perform -- if you take time to think through what you're going to need, you're likely to get it right. For example, I'd want the following:

      - Space (without crowding) for the desktop computer that my husband still prefers.

      - Space enough to sit down and write a check or a card.

      - Ample outlets for charging phones, laptops, iPads ... and shelves so these items can be "set up" instead of hogging the desk space.

      - Storage space for stationery, paper, pens/pencils, scissors and tape, checkbook and stamps,

      - Out of the way space for a printer.

      - Space for small quantity of files ... some in narrow file boxes, others in notebooks.

      - Big calendar for writing appointments.

      - Ample light.


      Someone else might want space for two children to sit, or space for cookbooks, or space for specialty tech. Someone else might want a desk adjacent to the living room or in a quiet spot. The key is thinking through your intended use.


    • ILoveRed
      hace 5 años

      14 yrs ago I put a desk in my kitchen with most of the functions listed by Mrs. P. I really loved my desk.

      My boys were toddlers and I had visions of them working on the computer and doing their homework there. Well they did some of there work there. We had a printer, a file drawer which really did help me stay organized. I used the desk a lot for several years and then it became a dinosaur. A 6 ft dinosaur and unfortunately a waste of space. I actually looked into tearing it out and replacing it with something more useful but the cost was too high to justify it.

      the new house we are building now does not have a desk but dh has a first floor office with printer, etc. Boys are 16 now and do their homework in their rooms and use iPads which are required by their school.

      KD and I designed a “message center” in the entry way of the new house to serve as junk collector, keys, school supplies, etc. Everyone charges their own devices.

      Dinosaur desk...

      Message Center...

    • PRO
      User
      hace 5 años

      I think that many people have separate offices these days, and that's where the printers and papers go. Mobile devices can be anywhere, including the kitchen island, or patio out back. That's one of the reasons of the demise of the desk.

      My customer here had the typical clutter magnet as the Before. She wanted a spot for the TV that occupied the counter, and some display space, and some wine storage. The shallow front to back dimension meant that we had to put the wine fridge in sideways, but we managed to get all of her asks included.


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    • ILoveRed
      hace 5 años
      Última modificación: hace 5 años

      Cooks Kitchen. That is awesome. What an improvement! Well done.

      My replacement in my old house was going to be something like 12k..so I left it. Just as well. The gal that bought my house sold some expensive mlm makeup line and loved the desk for her home business. Go figure.

    • Chessie
      hace 5 años

      Yes everyone has differing needs. Lots of us that have to do work from home that requires more screen real estate, need space for that. Add to that my frequent creation of music cds, and video editing and so many other things I do online where a little laptop just doesn’t cut it.. A desk space in the kitchen is perfect.

    • Kathi Steele
      hace 5 años

      I love having my desk in my kitchen. We eliminated the kitchen table. Added cabinets and a table height counter with enough seating for five. We use it for breakfast, occasionally lunch and use the dining room for dinner. My knees do not want me running upstairs every time I need to use the computer. The printer is upstairs and in the knee hole, there is a shredder. We used the LeGrand under cabinet system and I have plugs and USB ports under the upper cabinets. Hidden in plain sight.

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