The home office unit I designed was installed today. I’m quite pleased with the way it turned out and I highly recommend Jim Mason (yes, he’s working on re-doing his site) if you need custom furniture made in the Denver area. He was responsive, creative and easy to work with. I was lucky that Jim was able to work on this before starting another project he had in the queue. He completed the project in about a month.
Some of the details:
- There are 4 halogen spotlights on the top that bounce light off the ceiling and two small halogens illuminating the center area. The lights are controlled by the light switch on the wall. They are plugged into an outlet that is controlled by the light switch.
- The whiteboard folds away behind small doors on either side of the left side unit and pulls out to create a ’single’ whiteboard.
- There are cut-out holes connecting the wall units underneath the desk level to allow me to run wires as needed. There are also small holes coming out of the top to allow me to run wires for the printer, fax, etc.
- The desk level is slightly lower than normal to be a more comfortable typing height.
- The legs on the end of the desk are height-adjustable for fine-tuning.
- There is a large pull-out filing drawer at the bottom of the left side.
- The bookcases are 7 1/2 feet tall
Jim recommended that I wait 24 hours to let it all settle before I start setting things up. I’ll get the basics in place tomorrow night and be ready to use it next week.
Even though I didn’t build this, it’s satisfying for me to see the completed product. I know Jim was pleased with the result as well. Of course I can only blame the designer if there is anything I end up not liking about it. 
I’ve got a design in my head for a little desk stand for my PowerBook. I may try building that one myself, but I probably need to pick up a couple more power tools (maybe a small table saw?).
It was hard to photograph this properly due to the lights and the small space, but here are some shots to give you the basic idea. My flash reflected too harshly, so I ended up using my tripod and a long exposure. The actual stain color is a little more red (less brown) than it looks here in the photos.
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jstownsley adds this Comment:
looks very nice… you’ll have to post more pictures when all of your stuff is on it.
–jst
May 22nd, 2004 at 9:56 pm
Jonathan Greene adds this Comment:
I’m very jealous! I gave up my dedicated work space when our daughter “arrived” so she could have a room in our apartment. My desk is a bit more cramped now in the living room so I am quite jealous of your dedicated and professional work area!
Looks like a great place to get stuff done!
May 22nd, 2004 at 10:33 pm
Daynah adds this Comment:
Now that’s a nice piece of furniture!
Look at those bookshelves! Mind if I store my computer books there? 
May 23rd, 2004 at 1:18 am
Alex adds this Comment:
JS, yep - there is still much to unpack and organize from the move.
Jonathan, sounds like a good trade!
Daynah, anyone is quite welcome to store their books here. Sounds like a great way to build my library.
May 23rd, 2004 at 1:25 am
Christian adds this Comment:
What about a shot “out of the window”?
I’m interested in how the world you’ll see looks like from the chair perspective…
(If you don’t mind, of course…)
May 23rd, 2004 at 3:56 am
Tim adds this Comment:
Very nice! I dig the lights in the top of the pictures. They give off a really warm feeling instead of a bright halogen beating down on you.
You’ll likely need some more bookshelf space though, right?
Tim
May 24th, 2004 at 12:09 am
Alex adds this Comment:
Thanks, the lighting actually turned out even better than I expected. The lights on top provide good ambient light while the lights in the middle shine right down on my work area to provide task lighting.
May 24th, 2004 at 12:16 am