Take a Stand

When I go to a client’s home for the first time, I take pictures and careful measurements. I note what is stored where. I’ll ask what kind of cooking goes on there? How many people are eating in the kitchen at one time? What about the daily communications? I often find that 70’s style “Mom’s Desk” off to one side. It typically consists of a lap drawer “knee hole” with a small cabinet above it. I even see the old NuTone communication system above it, where apparently Mom was able to speak to all the family members while she was sitting there planning the weeks’ meals and cutting coupons. The phone is always there too, and often still with a cord holding it there like a captive. It’s clear that no one sits there anymore. The chair is often gone, and sometimes a wireless phone has long ago replaced the old corded one. We all have to have an area for our communications. The calendar, schedules, mail, weekly school packets…it all has to go somewhere, right?

That was then and this is now. Sometimes it takes some convincing, but my job is to point out new ways of doing things, and there is a better system for keeping all the stuff of a desk handy, but doing away with the chair. We call this the “standing desk”. Ever since the cordless phone was invented, the Mom’s desk became mostly obsolete. We now can take the phone (or laptop!) elsewhere to make the call, write the e-mail, or chat on the phone while multi-tasking. Checking e-mails is usually done at the breakfast table or island bar where there is more room. The eliminattion of that ball and chain makes it possible for us to get the whole area working harder. I typically place base cabinetry with upper drawers where the knee hole used to be. The stamps, paper clips, tape, scissors, envelopes, pens and paper tuck away here. All the stuff of a desk, without the knee hole or chair. Perhaps we need a file drawer or two there too. No Problem! The cordless phone can dock when it’s charging, and all the directories, phone books, etc can live in nice normal size wall cabinetry above. I point out that all the chargeable devices (cell phones, I-pods, cameras, GPS devices, etc) can be tucked into a basket on a shelf in there as well, with the outlet conveniently place there by an obliging electrician. We now have a hidden “recharge zone” right where we want it, but it and it’s nest of snaky wires is not on full view any longer.


This new “standing desk” now often has enough room for extra cookware, serving pieces, cookbooks, you name it. If we have enough room, we can add glass doors, or even a beverage center so the kids can get their snacks and drinks without going into the kitchen work zone.

Sometimes the way we do things is simply a matter of habit. “We’ve always done it this way” can make way for “Why didn’t we do this a long time ago?

Make an appointment to come in for more ideas on how to “take a stand”.
-Julie Hendrickson