I have always wanted a roll-top desk. Not just any roll-top desk. A big one like the old post office desks with lots of small cubbies or drawers. Now I have one.
When we set up our small office two years ago my desk was shoe-horned into the 50 inches between the side of the closet in the wall, and Ron spread out on the opposite wall. I chose that area because of the window. The small desk, which is the one Ron and his brother shared when they were children, fit nicely under the window and a tall bookcase filled the narrow space on the left, keeping my writing books, copies of my published articles, my creative journals and other important items nearby. I didn’t care that there was barely enough room for my laptop, let alone a keyboard conducive to continuous writing on large projects. I could look over my laptop and out the window to my woodsy back yard, which is always food for the soul.
That lasted a while, but I began to feel like a sardine every time I wanted to work. It was easier to remove myself to another space. That is when my in-laws ran across a small roll-top desk without the cover. Two drawers on one side and a pencil drawer were its only features beyond getting the laptop higher and giving me more work room.
It helped, but I ended up pulling out the pencil drawer to prop up the keyboard and then using the edge of the keyboard as a desk when writing out checks or going through mail. I was still a sardine.
My husband and I started looking at corner desks, thinking that would give me more space to spread out. They were fairly inexpensive on auction sites, but I wasn’t willing to spend more than a few dollars on one. We ended up at Good Will on President’s Day and all the furniture was half off. There it was, a gorgeous golden oak roll-top desk with everything in tact, even a keyboard drawer.
After hemming and hawing for a long time, I bought it. Since it broke down into three pieces, we thought we could get it home in two vehicles, a small mini-van and a Ford Fusion. We were dreaming. We ended up making two trips with the mini-van.
My writing space has changed tremendously! We took the door off the bottom right side of the desk and aimed that end at the window. The desk nearly fills the space from the side of the closet to the wall and stretches from the window to the door. It’s huge, and it’s beautiful. I still have access to the bookcase, which was turned around and put on the wall behind my chair. And I have a clearer view out the window, though it is at a different angle.
I’m excited, and it gives me more space to work. It even has cutting-board-style extensions on both sides so I can add desk space if I’m working on a larger project. Look out world, here I come!
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