Decor Q&A: Hiding The Computer?
We don’t have room for an office. How do we disguise our computer desk in the living room?
The key? Let go of the idea that only desk-like and desk-looking things should go in the desk area, and design the area around it as you would the rest of the house. This means, first, your desk doesn’t need to be a metal monstrosity. Consider a rugged wooden table with a brightly painted chair, or a clean white simple desk that looks like chic furniture (the West Elm “Parsons” desk, $299, is a designer favorite). Then, on to the details. “Since it isn’t really realistic to try and clear your desk of clutter,” says Kim Gieske, an interior design consultant in New York City, “make the clutter look more artful. Mix in vases (they don't even need to have flowers), sculptures (even just a cheap replica of the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty) and if your desk faces a wall, lean some paintings on either side of your computer.” Or, if your bookshelves aren’t something you grab onto every day, try this designer trick: “If you have bookshelves, or books stored between bookends on your desk, put all the books in backward, with the pages facing out -- unless the spine is white, then put it in the normal way. Trust me, it just looks better.” But since most desks still require a few practical items -- you know, boring pen holders, blah paper clips -- try this if you can: “The best home offices I’ve seen adhere to a really strict color palette,” says Gieske. “One was entirely black and white, with jars of white pencils and black pens. Another was pink and green -- it even had a screen-saver of a huge pink flower surrounded by green leaves.”