Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Legare 42-Inch-by-42-Inch Corner Desk, Reversible Natural Oak and Espresso Ash




After converting my den-office to a kids' playroom, I was forced to put my main computer in an unused corner of my dining room, and needed a desk that would use the space well without looking too "office-y" in a part of the house reserved primarily for living not working. I researched every small corner desk in existence, and came away convinced that the Legare 42" Corner Desk was the perfect shape and size, was priced right, and would look as good as a desk in a dining room possibly could. Today I received my desk and set it up and I am thrilled to find that it looks even better in person. I don't normally review many purchases, but since this product had nothing in Amazon, I'm submitting the review I wish I had had the benefit of reading (it could have shortened my research while coming to the same final decision to buy this product).

All the other reviews for the larger Legare products are spot-on... the tool-free assembly truly takes about 1 minute, the pieces fit very well to form a sturdy piece of furniture, and the resulting product looks better than you can imagine from the pictures online. If I can figure out how, I will upload a customer image to accompany this review.

Some observations about this specific desk:

- Unlike the larger Legare desks, this desk (and the other "Reversible" products such as bookcases) is not finished in a real wood veneer. The surface is a laminate, but don't let that scare you. It's not a plasticky-looking sticker like Melamine shelving or cheap furniture from Ikea. It's more like a high-quality laminate flooring like Pergo. There is a subtle woodgrain texture that looks great but isn't so pronounced as to interfere with writing on the desk. I think I actually like this laminate finish better than the real wood veneer because it will resist spills and scuffs better, and it seems remarkably hard and should be difficult to ding or scratch. I've owned some wood desks that got indentations from ballpoint pen writing on the surface, that definitely won't happen here. The edges of the panels are very nicely rounded and finished, the look is really polished.

- A normal office chair with armrests will roll all the way underneath with no problems. There is ample leg clearance.

- The desk has no drawers to speak of, just open shelves on either side of your legs. If you have lots of cluttery junk then you would need to buy some baskets. The shelves are 14" radius quarter circles. I originally envisioned using a small extender to place my mid-tower CPU on one of the shelves, but I later decided it would leave too much ugly computer protruding, and would interfere with my chair. My solution is to put the CPU on a rolling caddy and stick it under the desk towards the back. There it is virtually out of sight but still easy to access the power switch, DVD drive, etc.

- There are no sharp corners or edges on this product whatsoever. Not only does this make it "flow" better in the corner of my dining room, but it was a nice safety consideration for me since my pre-schoolers often run laps around the dining table raceway. Most other products have unfriendly corners that would leave a mark when struck with a forehead or cheekbone.

- As has been said before on other Legare product reviews, the cable routing features are simple and elegant and should allow you to keep most wiring out of sight. When I switch to a wireless keyboard/mouse combo, I will have no visible cables at all.

- The desktop is 29" above the floor. With my current chair, I find this a bit high for comfortable typing. Standard ergonomic recommendation for keyboard height is 28-30", so this desk is "correct", but it just feels too high for me and my chair/posture/whatever. I will probably resolve this with a pull-out keyboard tray. This desk can accomodate a keyboard tray up to 30" wide. Just be sure to carefully select your mounting screws so that they do not go through to the top of the desktop, which is 5/8" thick.

As a final note, my desk was delivered by UPS in a package that looked like it had been run over several times, and one of the panels was damaged on one corner. I e-mailed Legare and within an hour they confirmed they would ship a replacement panel the next day, no questions asked. This is consistent with the support I received before my purchase; I e-mailed them several nitpicky questions about the finish, the color, dimensions, compatibility with other products, etc., and they cheerfully responded right away with informative answers. I am extremely satisfied with the product and the company that stands behind it, and I expect I will be buying additional Legare products as my kids slowly push me and my stuff out of the major spaces in my home.
  • 42-inch-by-42-inch corner desk with modern curvilinear design brings fresh style to small spaces
  • Made from eco-friendly 15mm engineered composite wood and genuine wood veneers; certified by the Forest Stewardship Council
  • Includes 4 curved shelves with 6 position options and concealed cable management
  • Espresso Ash frame and reversible Espresso Ash and Natural Oak top and shelves
  • 3-minute tool-free assembly; 3-year warranty

The Legaré 42" x 42" Corner Desk in the dual Espresso and natural finish incorporates the following innovative features: reversible horizontal panels make it very easy to completely transform the look of your desk ...  Assemble in one direction and you ha



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