Fun Finds For Mom
Sunday, January 6, 2008

My new desk

jcpenney-brown-desk.jpg pb-brown-desk.jpg

I’ve had my eye on Pottery Barn’s Bedford Desk for a long long time. Just about every time I receive my weekly Pottery Barn catalog, I flip right to that darn desk and picture exactly where it would go in my home (replacing the tiny, clutter-covered table in the corner).

Then I was obsessing over my blog stats and noticing how many people have found Fun Finds For Mom by searching for “Pottery Barn knock-off” (or something like that), leading them to my post about JC Penney’s Pottery Barn Kids knock-off bedding. So I thought - hey! I should check out JC Penney’s office furniture. Boy they’re good. Their Customizable Office Desk looks like a pretty close replication of Pottery Barn’s Bedford collection for a significantly lower price. The most noticeable difference to me is the hardware, which could be easily replaced. So we went ahead and ordered one. Eek and yay! Does anyone own either one of these desks who could comment on their satisfaction with it? Thanks!

$99 - $149 for each piece at jcpenney.com

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21 Comments »

  1. Meghan on February 21st, 2008 at 8:52 am:

    Did you ever receive your JC Penney Customizable Desk? I’m in the same boat, I’ve been wanting the Bedford Corner desk in Black for probably 2 years - I’m just not sure of the quality of the JC Penney desk. They both say MDF, but Pottery Barn’s says its covered with Pine Veneer. I’m wondering if the JC Penney version is just laminate, or wood veneer. I’ve also heard the Pottery Barn version scratches easily and doesn’t really hold up to lots of wear… I would love to know if you’re happy with your purchase. =)

    Thanks!

    Meghan from Las Vegas

  2. Elaina on February 21st, 2008 at 10:01 am:

    Yes, we did get our JC Penney desk and I absolutely love it. The quality is great and it really has the same kind of look as the Pottery Barn Bedford desk. I’m not sure about your laminate/wood veneer question, but it is made of MDF and is smooth and doesn’t seem to scratch easily.

  3. Barbara on March 2nd, 2008 at 4:08 pm:

    I just bought this desk in white. The main pieces that you order are already put together, which is great. I have an older computer, and my tower would only fit in the computer cabinet tilted to the side. The finish is cheap, and I can tell that it probably won’t look good for long. I already have some dark fingerprints on it that won’t come off. I am thinking of getting a glass top to protect it. The drawers don’t open and close as well as kitchen cabinets. But I like that I could customize it with the two file drawers, which is hard to find with other desks. Good luck.

  4. Elaina on March 2nd, 2008 at 4:25 pm:

    Thanks Barbara. I should mention that we ordered the dark wood color, so haven’t had the same problems with fingerprints. Maybe try a Magic Eraser?

  5. cathy on March 12th, 2008 at 8:04 pm:

    I am looking for the hardware on the bedford collection. Anyone know where I can find it?

  6. Elaina on March 15th, 2008 at 2:25 pm:

    I e-mailed Pottery Barn to see if they sold the hardware from the Bedford collection. The response was that they did not and I should try my local hardware store. Unfortunately it’s not so easy. I spent about an hour searching online for the Bedford hardware when I first ordered the JC Penney desk, and didn’t have any luck. There are quite a few other Pottery Barn drawer pulls on eBay at http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&dfsp=32&catref=C6&from=R2&satitle=Pottery+Barn&sacat=85887%26catref%3DC6&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=10013&sabfmts=1&saobfmts=insif&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=32&fsoo=2

  7. cathy on March 18th, 2008 at 4:55 am:

    I have been searching for weeks. I found chest pulls but they are a bit bulky. also emailed pottery barn. They told me they could tell me who the vendor was. Thank you for responding… my search continues = (

  8. Janus on April 7th, 2008 at 7:18 pm:

    I’m agonizing about what to order. I love the black, but the file drawers aren’t available in black at JCP. I called and they said they were waiting on the vendor and don’t even know if they will be getting more. Does anyone have the name of the maker? Or a website? Maybe I could order directly from the manufacture…Help!

  9. Tracy on May 14th, 2008 at 12:46 pm:

    Thanks so much for this! I’m in love with the Bedford corner desk in white but not crazy about paying $700 + tax + shipping for it. The only thing I’m unsure of is that I don’t see the dimensions anywhere on JCPenney’s site for the desk pieces. I generally like to measure the area it’s going in just to visualize it and it would be nice to check the depth of the CPU cabinet vs. my computer before it arrives.

  10. Elaina on May 14th, 2008 at 1:13 pm:

    Hi Tracy. It’s kind of fun to see this little faux Bedford Desk community forming here! If you click on the name of each item in the JC Penney collection, a pop-up window opens with the details and measurements of that particular piece. Not the most user-friendly design, because it’s not apparent right away that there are links there. Here’s what they show for the CPU cabinet measurements: Overall: 19-½x18×28-½”H; CPU compartment: 17-¼x17×18-¾”H.

    I should mention that we did have to cut a hole in the back of our CPU cabinet because the CPU was overheating without having that ventilation. And it’s true that the quality on this is not the same as Pottery Barn’s Bedford desk (little nicks in the dark “wood” in a few places), but for the price, I am still very happy with this purchase.

  11. Tracy on May 14th, 2008 at 5:11 pm:

    Oh, thanks!! I didn’t even notice that pop up window option. I’ve been watching the white Bedford desk for a while - hoping it would come down in price a little more. I’m leaning towards giving the JCPenney option a try! Thank you so much for this information.

  12. Mandy on June 1st, 2008 at 5:51 pm:

    Wow! I also noticed the similarity while debating whether or not to splurge on the bedford collection. It makes it hard to justify the PB set, when you can get such a close knock-off version. The CPU/file cabinet measurements were helpful…seriously, who doesn’t include furniture measurements on a website?! Does anyone know the measurements for the desktop? I would assume it’s close to the 23″x70″ PB version, but I would feel better hearing from someone who knows. Thanks! (It’s good to know I’m not alone out here with my Pottery Barn and bargain-hunting obsession!

  13. Mandy on June 1st, 2008 at 5:54 pm:

    Oops. Disregard that last message’s request for measurements. Found them.

  14. Lauren on June 6th, 2008 at 11:16 am:

    Hi ladies!
    I just purchased this desk. JCP.com delivered it to the store for me in two days! I am happy with the desk. It’s a great compromise on the PB one. However, when I put the desktop on, it seems to have a huge lip that doesn’t show up on the ads online. Did anyone else notice this? It’s not the end of the work but it seems more difficult to access the back of the drawers this way. I do love the way it looks in my room though.

  15. Joy on June 8th, 2008 at 1:44 am:

    Thanks so much for posting about this desk. I’ve wanted the PB Bedford corner desk for over a year and my hubby and I were ready to make the purchase today and just couldn’t justify spending the money. I happened to come across your post and checked out JC Penny and they have a corner one just like PB too! The only thing I’m bummed about is the hardware…..

    BUT…… I did a lot of searches online and found some very similiar hardware….. you can find almost identical door pulls if you Google “chest hardware” and they range about $3-$5/each in various sizes and finishes. On the PB 2 and 3 door file cabinets there are square plates above the handles- you can find those online by Googling “file cabinet card holder”- they come in various finishes too.

    Thanks so much for sharing the info about JC Penny. Hopefully the handle info will help make the desk an even closer match. I’m looking forward to buying my new JC Penny desk and hardware soon!

  16. groppi girl blogs » Blog Archive » New digs. on July 3rd, 2008 at 6:56 am:

    [...] I digress. I googled something like “Pottery Barn Bedford Knock off” and came to this site. Well, golly! There is a good looking knock off out there. Here is the desk I wanted from Pottery [...]

  17. Abra on July 12th, 2008 at 11:00 am:

    I think JC Penny may be my pick. Thanks a million for directing me there.

  18. Splash of Color » Fun Finds For Mom on July 15th, 2008 at 10:01 pm:

    [...] magazine holders would be a fairly inexpensive way to add a nice splash of color on top of my newish desk. And Pottery Barn’s Bridget Rug would add even more pop to the room. And look how great [...]

  19. teresa on July 25th, 2008 at 8:22 am:

    Have you seen the coastline @ Target? It looks great and is currently 15% off and free shipping.

  20. Target Coastline Desk » Fun Finds For Mom on July 28th, 2008 at 9:07 pm:

    [...] of the Pottery Barn Bedford Desk, and from the photos, it looks even more like the Bedford than the JC Penney version that I bought several months ago. I think it’s the square “feet” on the bottom [...]

  21. Elaina on July 28th, 2008 at 9:10 pm:

    Thanks Teresa. Now I’ve seen it and I love it! I just featured it in today’s post.

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