Hasta La Ideas

Previously: Part 1 – Accessories

Most desks ignore the cable chaos that many end-users suffer with—but a few designers have created desks that recognize the problem and try to help. These desks can be both functional and eye-catching.

Of course, there are always trade-offs to be made. A desk with built-in cable control will often have less flexibility to respond to changing uses than would a simpler desk combined with aftermarket products that can be readily removed or replaced. And the cable control features will probably add to the cost, making the purchase a bigger commitment for the end-user.

The OneLess Desk from Heckler Design is composed of two nesting surfaces made of 12-gauge powder coated steel—but the feet are made of polypropylene so they won’t scratch the floor. It’s a neat design for a small space, and it also provides cable control that’s especially effective if the desk faces a wall or a window. Behind that grill on the top level is a rear-facing shelf with notches and cut-outs near its rear edge for wrapping longer cables. And if you place your power strip on the shelf, you can have just one cable going from the desk to the outlet.

Christofer Ödmark’s desk also has a hidden space for cables and their power adapters. As his site explains: “The back of the table top features eight power sockets and enough space to gather all your cables. The electricity is supplied by a detachable power cord.”

This raises another design issue: power management. As you look through these desks, you’ll see that some include an integrated power strip, while others omit this feature. Having the power strip certainly helps control the cable clutter, but also raises issues of maintenance; what happens if the power strip has a failure?

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