Cheapie Contemporary Furniture Stores: Desks

Let's talk about desks from cheapie contemporary furniture stores (West Elm, CB2, Ikea, etc) or CCFS.  Desks from CCFS are stylish and affordable.   But many times, you get what you pay for.  The finishes and quality of desks from CCFS are iffy.  Nick or scratch the veneer of a desk and that's all you'll be seeing until you get a new one.   And they are ALL easily nick-able and scratch-able.  But you want a chic desk and you can't afford (or don't want) to pay for one from a higher-end furniture store?  Don't sweat it.  I found a great solution.  I really liked the Jay Desk from West Elm but was hesitant to buy it because I was pretty sure the veneer/varnish scratched/nicked like crazy (especially in the color that I wanted: white).  I was right.  I had to exchange the desk 3 TIMES before they delivered an acceptable one.  Twice the desk came dented on a corner and contained scratches and once the desk came with random large nicks.  I had a thin custom glass top (aka glass blotter) made for my desk to protect the desk's surface.  It was inexpensive (approximately $30) and definitely worth it.  Even after over a year's worth of use and abuse, my desk looks new.  I'll be keeping this desk for quite some time!  I recommend using a local glass shop so you can save on shipping costs (which can be high).  That's what I did.  Just google for one.