Review of the Container Store’s Component Desks

April 30, 2006 at 3:50 am · Filed under Furniture

The Container Store sells components that can be used to build design-conscious and affordable desks. The assembled desks in the store looked so great that I went ahead and bought the components and assembled one for myself. Here is my review of the experience.

Pros

• The prices are great, with the final cost of the desk ranging from $109.95 to $492.99 depending on the components used.
• There are five desk top options, the best of which is the Veneer Desk Top in Walnut ($89.00) followed by the Melamine Desk Top in White ($49.99).
• To support the desk top, there is a large selection of components including desk legs, mesh drawers, file cabinets, and galvanized cubes.

Caption: A picture of my desk with the walnut desk top, white file cabinet, and two white legs. Retail price of desk components: $323.97

Caption: Image from the Container Store’s website of a white desk top supported by galvanized cubes. Retail price of desk components: $189.96

Cons

• There are no pilot holes in the desk tops. To secure the legs, you will be required to screw in three screws for each leg. The only way to succeed at this is by drilling your own pilot holes in the desk top. So, a drill is required.
• Velcro is used to secure the table top to the file cabinet or galvanized cubes. It is also used to secure the galvanized cubes to each other. This is a major drawback of the component system because the desk will never be one solid unit of furniture that can be moved easily. With only velcro to keep the desk together, moving it around will always be cumbersome.
• There is no built-in way to adjust these desks to uneven floors. Other desks sometimes have small legs on all four sides of the desk that can be screwed up or down. With these component desks, you will be left to your own means for dealing with an uneven floor.

Overall, the component desks are a great alternative to IKEA’s desk offerings and are a vast improvement on the types of desks available at office stores. If you can accept the drawbacks, then head to the Container Store to get your components today. If you do build a desk, please post to the comments with your results.

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