Desks now at home outside the den

Whether you work full-time out of your house or merely bring some work home, it's important to have the right desk. If it can be both functional

and

fashionable, so much the better.

Pore over catalogs and Web sites and it's clear that desks are on just about everyone's radar, with a wide range of styles, scale, materials, finishes and prices represented - from under $100 at Target to thousands of dollars in designer showrooms.

Handsome writing and accent desks and secretaries often feature the utmost in utilitarian design, including configurations with pullout keyboard trays, cubbies for computer towers, and slots for electrical cords. Some are topped by small organizers or hutches.

And because laptop computers are becoming more and more popular, brown boxy desks are being rethought by manufacturers, according to one furniture executive.

"Consumers need less surface space and storage for the CPU, which is going the way of the dinosaur," says Kelly Cain, vice president and product manager for Stanley Furniture Co. "Instead, they are buying decorative desks for their beauty and interesting design."

That's good news for the folks at Maine Cottage Furniture, whose colorful desks coordinate with a line based on cheerful hues such as hot lime and mango.

These days, it seems, desks are a part of most new furniture collections. At the spring furniture market in High Point, N.C., fashion designer Nicole Miller's art deco-influenced desk, crafted from Macassar ebony veneers, suited her Ritz collection for Excelsior Designs. And the much-ballyhooed Trump home collection included two desks, surprisingly less grandiose than one might expect from mogul Donald Trump.

There was even a touch of the exotic, evident in Tommy Bahama's Jimbaran Bay line for Laneventure. Crafted from woven rattan, herringbone woven cane, and bamboo carvings, the home-office group reflected Balinese architecture.

Versatile styling like that means you can put a desk almost anywhere in the house - in the foyer, the living room, the family room, even the master bedroom.

Some of the best evidence that desks can be both beautiful and efficient is the Kingsland Chinoiserie secretary in the Katonah collection for Martha Stewart Furniture by Bernhardt. The classic design features gold hand painting on a Chinese red exterior. Behind bifold doors is a black interior with complete home-office setup.

One desk profile is a logical evolution of the dining-table-as-temporary-home-office trend. At Restoration Hardware, a Renaissance-style 6-foot mahogany desk called Palladian stands on stout classical-column legs mounted on a base. It features a single drawer and antiqued brass-plated hardware.

Trestle styles offer another handsome look, and a desk from Williams-Sonoma Home has the added sparkle of polished nickel-plated legs and pulls, and a sophisticated, stylish combination with ebonized maple veneer. Since the desk is more visually open, the design is especially suited to a small space.

Although dark finishes remain popular, lighter woods and painted looks are drawing attention. So is a decidedly feminine form. One pretty desk, which could double as a vanity, was part of the latest introduction of Barbara Barry Realized for Henredon. The ivory-enameled finish is accessorized with jewel-like nickel pulls and sabots capping tapered legs. The top drawers have felt-lined jewelry trays.

Small desks, some inspired by the French escritoire, or portable writing desk, are turning up, too. West Elm's Jay desk, though tiny by most standards at 34 inches long by 211/2 inches wide and 32 inches tall, features a roll-out extension on casters, which doubles the work surface.

To save space, there are variations on the secretary theme. Taller pieces, some as slim as 17 inches deep, feature drop-down desks with cubbies and drawers inside.

Stanley Furniture's Portofino secretary, available in a heavily distressed black finish, has vintage European charm, and, at only 32 inches wide, could easily find a home in a spare bedroom.

A more modern transitional piece is the Davis desk from Williams-Sonoma Home. Shaker cues keep the straight-line design simple, and the contrasting hues (black, with a choice of white, ebony or honey-hued wood outside) are striking. Inside are drawers and compartments for stationery and small collectibles.

Even more compact is a scaled-down drop-front desk that stands shorter than a secretary, such as Stanley Furniture's Midtown desk from the Hudson Street collection. It's another two-tone look, with an ivory finish outside and natural maple inside.

Lest you think substantial profiles are passe, there's the handsome black executive desk from Drexel Heritage's Postobello Home collection, which has companion pieces such as credenzas with and without hutches. And Hooker Furniture's massive update of the rolltop desk has a tall hutch for extra storage; it could easily anchor the wall of a large family room.

Prefer to camouflage your work space? There's the Chadwick office armoire, available through Ballard Designs ($1,699). It has the look of an 18th-century antique, with dentil moldings and raised-panel doors in honey, distressed cream, or black that conceal corkboard and magnetic dry-erase board.

Selection like this means you should be able to find a desk that suits your special situation.