Kathy Ireland Furniture: Home Star Merlot Collection Desk Review

I shopped for months for the "right" affordable desk for our small office (converted from one of the bedrooms).I didn't want a cheap lightweight desk.Instead, I wanted a classy looking one that would work well with our existing medium to dark cherry wood furniture and one that was around 46-48" wide.(I actually had a hard time finding something I liked in this width; most desks/writing tables that caught my eye were way wider or even smaller.)I needed one that I could use for comfortably for writing (with space to spread out some books and files) as well as computer usage (mainly just to fit a keyboard and monitor as I have the hard drive sitting in a cabinet of sorts on the ground next to the desk). I didn't want side drawers to maximize space for me to move around.Further, I wanted nothing to obstruct the legs on the far end because I want to have just enough space to allow my 6 year old to sit across from me and color or do homework on occasion when I'm using the desk.I actually found this desk on another online store site (with good reviews) for less money than Amazon.However, because I have had excellent service from Amazon with respect to return goods, I decided to pay more for peace of mind in case this desk turned out to be a dud.

My spouse installed this in under 1/2 hour and said it was fairly straight-forward.I initially was disappointed to find the drawer looked like a regular pull out drawer for storage of stuff that had a front panel around 4 inches deep (but the actual storage space of the drawer is only around 2 inches deep), wondering how awkward it would be to insert/remove a keyboard in it.(Before buying, I had read mixed descriptions for this desk's drawers; some sites mentioned just a drawer and others mentioned a keyboard try.I took a chance on this aspect.)Then I discovered that the entire front panel of the drawer pulls down so you have a flat bottom to slide the keyboard in/out.The front panel is connected to the side of the drawer by magnets.I can't comfortably type while the keyboard is in the drawer, though, as it is too low for me, and I'm about 5'7".I slide the drawer out and put the keyboard on top of the desk to type; and hide it away when I need a desk for writing.I do have one of those office task chairs with adjustable heights, and I need it at the highest level to type comfortably with the keyboard on the desktop.However, someone at least a few inches shorter than I am should be able to just keep the keyboard in the drawer/tray while typing.I was also able to pull my computer speaker cable and table lamp cord through a space between beams underneath the desktop all the way across the desk to reach the computer and outlet on the opposite side; since I have a cabinet right next to the desk to further hid the cable/cord from sight, my desktop is not cluttered with ugly cords.

I've owned this for several weeks now and the finish isn't one of those cheap kinds that scratch off easily with fingernails or pens.(Compare this to a [...]+ Crate and Barrel red console that I was considering -- I noticed a scratch to the top finish in the showroom and, to my dismay, found the finish scratched off more by me rubbing my nails slightly in that area.)Our wood furniture range from Ethan Allen and Pottery Barn to moderate/relatively inexpensive wood pieces bought here and there online.I think for under [...], this desk was a great purchase.It has a beautiful dark cherry-ish finish and looks very classy -- simple clean lines from both the front and the back, which is important as I have don't have it placed against the wall and the "back" of the desk faces the entrance to the room (so I can look outside the room from where I'm sitting).It has a nice solid/heavy feel, with smooth gliding keyboard/misc. drawer.It coordinates well with other medium to dark wood toned furniture, and it doesn't take up a huge amount of room.In short, I think I received good value for my money and it is exactly what I was seeking.

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Desk

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