Transformation of my Home Office

[TangoJuliet]

Last year I bought my first home - a small place here in NY but comfortable enough for just me and my wife. We decided to turn the back bedroom into a home office and this is how it all began.

Looking in from the hallway
http://i186.photobucket.com/al...24/Office/IMG_1622.jpg

To the left
http://i186.photobucket.com/al...24/Office/IMG_1624.jpg

To the right
http://i186.photobucket.com/al...24/Office/IMG_1625.jpg

Straight ahead (inside the room)
http://i186.photobucket.com/al...24/Office/IMG_1626.jpg

Looking out into the hallway
http://i186.photobucket.com/al...24/Office/IMG_1628.jpg
http://i186.photobucket.com/al...24/Office/IMG_1629.jpg

Here was the floor plan (cant find the final floorplan that had the desk layout)
http://i186.photobucket.com/al.../Office/FloorPlan2.jpg

I went ahead and purchased the O'Sullivan Ambience collection from Office Max. It comprised of an L shaped workcenter desk, a cabinet and a bookcase. The total ran about $900 shipped. So it wasnt exactly cheap (so I thought).

So here it is...completed. I had hung up a couple diplomas and as you can see there is some spackle on the wall that just needed some touch up.

Looking straight in
http://i186.photobucket.com/al...24/Office/IMG_2290.jpg
http://i186.photobucket.com/al...24/Office/IMG_2291.jpg

To the left
http://i186.photobucket.com/al...24/Office/IMG_2293.jpg

Other random closeups of the workcenter
http://i186.photobucket.com/al...24/Office/IMG_2331.jpg
http://i186.photobucket.com/al...24/Office/IMG_2309.jpg
http://i186.photobucket.com/al...24/Office/IMG_2304.jpg
http://i186.photobucket.com/al...24/Office/IMG_2334.jpg

So like I said all I had to do was touch up the paint by the diplomas and everything was set. So I'm sitting at the desk yesterday doing some bills and I hear a crack - then BAM the whole desk collapses on me. I managed to catch the Westinghouse as everything else pretty much fell. I escaped with a bunch of scratches and whatnot but the desk was gone....well atleast the middle piece.

Carnage
http://i186.photobucket.com/al...24/Office/IMG_0035.jpg
http://i186.photobucket.com/al...24/Office/IMG_0036.jpg
http://i186.photobucket.com/al...24/Office/IMG_0037.jpg
http://i186.photobucket.com/al...24/Office/IMG_0038.jpg

Now I have no idea how this happened aside from the fact that the desk is made of this cheap processed wood. The only thing that was on the main piece was the 37" Westinghouse monitor which only weighs about 40-50 lbs. I shot Office Max an email saying what happened and hoped that they would replace it since it was only 6 months old. I didnt have much time because it all happened about 30 mins before I had to leave for work. I also emailed the manufacturer from work explaining the situation and see if the very least if they cannot replace the desk the just the middle piece.

*Update*
I am working with the manufacturer on getting the broken parts replaced. Also OM gave me a $100 gift card due to the "malfunctioning" of the desk.

More pics from page 2
http://i186.photobucket.com/al...24/Office/IMG_0041.jpg
http://i186.photobucket.com/al...24/Office/IMG_0042.jpg
http://i186.photobucket.com/al...24/Office/IMG_0043.jpg
http://i186.photobucket.com/al...24/Office/IMG_0044.jpg

*Update 2*
I finally got all the replacement pieces shipped to me. I have to say O'Sullivan did a nice job sending 8 pieces weighing about 80lbs for free; which was nice considering they just went out of business. I unpacked the pieces and began taking the desk apart and re-building it with the new parts. However about halfway through I noticed a piece underneath that was cracked - I applied a little pressure and it snapped in half. I emailed O'Sullivan again and they sent out a replacement part for that as well - for free.

I have to say there is a considerable difference in quality in the replacement parts compared to the originals. The replacement's wood is a darked color underneath while the original is like a lighter wood color. (The finish on the top is the same - but under the finish you can see a difference) I am about 75% done with rebuilding it as I am waiting on the last piece to come in so I can finish. I will update with pics either tonight or tomorrow.

*Update 3*
Here are the pictures at about 75% complete. Also there is a picture of the crappy >1" particle board that they use

http://i186.photobucket.com/al...24/Office/IMG_2374.jpg
http://i186.photobucket.com/al...24/Office/IMG_2372.jpg
http://i186.photobucket.com/al...24/Office/IMG_2376.jpg

 

[Modeps]

omg, I'm glad you saved the monitor.

 

[Fourier Transform]

That looked like a really nice setup until the damn desk broke. Hopefully they'll either replace it for you or hook you up with something better.

Luckily the Westinghouse didn't get damaged.

 

[jtvang125]

Nice. But how can you sit that close to something that big?

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

OH SNAP! :Q

 

[tw1164]

how long were you sitting on the floor before you decided to get a desk?

 

[imported_Imp]

For this reason alone, I thank god every day I'm paranoid and research my table's weight allowance and the mass of everything I put ontop. That and I'm 1 year away from finished an engineering degree. Think I'm only using 30 of 50 Kg on my desk. I have nightmares where it cracks down the middle and I have to catch my monitor... Didn't know this actually really happened.

Well, the table didn't fail in bending. Looks like it got sheared (scratch that, looks like bending), which means that monitor was way too heavy. Don't bother getting that table again, it'll just break again. If you go particle board again, look for something thicker than an inch...

 

[Tiamat]

!!

I think i would have dived to save the display too! Man, thats crazy, I just ordered that same screen. Looks like Ill not put it on my temper'd glass desk and instead find something made of steel.

Good luck with the resolution of this! I hope they come through for you.

 

[Abel007]

When I saw this picture, the first thing I said to myself was "Man, how is that desk holding that monitor with no support under it?" Then I saw the other pictures.


Hope they replace it for you.

 

[TangoJuliet]

Originally posted by: tw1164
how long were you sitting on the floor before you decided to get a desk?

haha it was a couple of months
just got married and bought the place so other things had to come first....and actually sitting on the floor wasnt so bad.

I didnt really sit that close it was about 2-3' away. It was pretty nice with the futon there too because I sat on my leather chair and friends sat on the futon. Or me and the wife would watch some HD movies on it together.

I'm not sure what happened to the Westinghouse yet. All the wires are still tied up behind the desk. I just took this pic right now to see the aftermath of getting all the wood fragments vacuumed and whatnot.

http://i186.photobucket.com/al...24/Office/IMG_0039.jpg

Hopefully OfficeMax or O'Sullivan can hook me up. I checked last night and the Ambience line is discontinued at OM so I'm not sure if they can even get me a replacement.

 

[So]

Uh oh. Judging from the look of your desk, the one I got two weeks ago from OM is *very* similar. Fortunately, I don't have as much weight on the main center part. Still...

 

[K1052]

wow thats some shoddy construction/design

now I really appreciate my desk: 1 inch thick glass top over rectangular welded steel frame
the only way I can hurt it is to attack it with a claw hammer

 

[NaOH]

Is this a home office or a home theater?!

 

[TangoJuliet]

Originally posted by: NaOH
Is this a home office or a home theater?!

haha....both??

 

[Tiamat]

if they dont do anything satisfactory, perhaps you can keep everything as it is in your latest picture, but make the triangular piece of out MDF or Birch Ply that you can get from Home Depot. Perhaps salvage the keyboard tray from the now destroyed piece. If you cant get a color match, maybe just make it flat black or whatnot...

 

[TangoJuliet]

Just did a search and the Westinghouse is 49.6lbs. It was positioned towards the back of the desk where there was more support (see last picture). I am having a hard time finding anything online about the desk as it is discontinued.

http://www.osullivan-furniture...11842.html#ProdDetails

 

[imported_Imp]

Eh, do you really want a replacement? I mean, it is a very nice desk, but if you're going to put that monitor back on there, you better nail a 2x4 under there to act as a beam or column for more suport. As nice as these Office Max/Staples/Ikea desks are, they are cheap pieces of sh!t and will break on you. They're probably only designed for a 17" LCD/CRT.

 

[TangoJuliet]

Originally posted by: Tiamat
if they dont do anything satisfactory, perhaps you can keep everything as it is in your latest picture, but make the triangular piece of out MDF or Birch Ply that you can get from Home Depot. Perhaps salvage the keyboard tray from the now destroyed piece. If you cant get a color match, maybe just make it flat black or whatnot...

Yeah, I was thinking that. My brother in law's dad does something like that for a living. I was going to ask him if there was anything he could do to fix it.

 

[alien42]

real wood desk ftw

 

[Terabyte]

The desk looked nice to me.....until it BROKE lol

 

[TangoJuliet]

Originally posted by: Imp
Eh, do you really want a replacement? I mean, it is a very nice desk, but if you're going to put that monitor back on there, you better nail a 2x4 under there to act as a beam or column for more suport. As nice as these Office Max/Staples/Ikea desks are, they are cheap pieces of sh!t and will break on you. They're probably only designed for a 17" LCD/CRT.

I dunno. I would like a replacement just because it does look nice. If it happens again then shame on me.

 

[ddwbi0]

I could never get anything done in that home "office"

 

[TangoJuliet]

Originally posted by: ddwbi0
I could never get anything done in that home "office"

haha me either

 

[TangoJuliet]

So aside from the desk snapping in half. How do you guys like the way it came out?

 

[NissanGurl]

Originally posted by: alkohoLiK
So aside from the desk snapping in half. How do you guys like the way it came out?

I like it. If either the manufacturer or OM replaces the broken piece you might consider purchasing a mounting kit for the monitor and finding some studs near that corner instead of putting it back on the desk. If you can find one with a swing arm that supports that size it would probably have the same look without the risk of collapsing the desk. Just a thought.