Writing and Creating Space

(a post in which I rave about a desk – oh yes I do)

Both my children are ‘creators’ – of mess mostly, but also of art, stories, Lego cities and…mess. They begged for the longest time to share a bedroom, which is lovely (until the gouging out of eyes starts each night) and it also means they have a playroom space. The playroom is not a huge room at all, but it is just off our front deck, it is filled with light and they really do adore this space all of their own.

PudStar now has very-important-work to do (Year Two homework – give me strength) and spends much of her time at home writing in notebooks and drawing; we are overdue for a desk. In their separate bedrooms both the girls had teeny tiny ‘vintage’ school desks which were gorgeous, and I had imagined neatly arranged pencils in little tins and cute collections of vintage accessories – all about me that dream was. This, of course, never happened and both desks ended up dumping grounds for folding and stuff. Stuff! Stuff does my head in.

I wanted a desk for the playroom that fitted the length of one wall, to make use of every millimetre of space and be long enough for two (even three) of us to work at and play at (see how they have turned it into their ‘library’ here!). I didn’t want any drawers  (drawers collect stuff) and I wanted it nice and narrow so that they could both reach everything. I spent the longest time looking for a desk in department stores and all were two short, too wide, had too many drawers or felt wonky (technical term for ‘feels cheap and unstable’).

Enter Table and Desk –  online and custom made to fit any space. I realise we are not talking about solving the big issues of the world, but this desk at least solved one teeny tiny issue for me and it ticks every single box on my ‘Find a Desk’ list:

• After months of pondering desks, this took me exactly ten minutes to order.
• I could order exactly size I wanted and even me, who really has issues with measurements and numbers, did this with no help. Oh yes I did.
• As you order you can see all prices clearly displayed (I really like this!) and a custom made desk was a comparable price (if not cheaper) than the wonky options I found in stores.
• The desk was made locally and the company is Australian owned.
• Table and Desk seems to have a real commitment to sustainability and outlines this in detail on their site.

Basically you just choose your colour, leg options, and the exact dimensions you need (tiny to fit a nook or super long)  – to the millimetre. Then you click and pay and it magically appears on your deck a few weeks later. Then you freak out and break into a sweat at memories of flat-packs that have failed. Then you screw about four bolts in – okay it may be more, I didn’t do this bit, but it took about ten minutes.

The packaging was really minimal (the earth is smiling) but the stuff around the edges (below on floor) is just about the coolest tunnel/moat/track ever for a marble run, car track or to roll 1000’s of beads down in the case of my children.

I am an affiliate with Table and Desk as our desk is SO GOOD. Affiliate links cost my readers nothing and help to pay the running costs of Children’s Books Daily. I only link with brands I buy and love. Win all round.