Caretta Workspace

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Are You Shopping For A New Desk?

We know you shop around when deciding to purchase a new piece of furniture, especially centerpiece furniture such as a desk which may have a higher price tag. That’s okay. There are some very nice offerings at stores such as Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel. You may have even peeked into a few big box furniture stores. Did you find what you were looking for? Probably not. We know when it comes to value, functionality, and style, Caretta Workspace desks have a fair amount of added value compared to similarly priced products. The big question is, Should I buy the desk that I can see in the store that’s just OK, or should I go for the one that I found online that looks AWESOME!!?. Here are some ways Caretta Workspace desks add extra value for a similar price of high-end furniture retailers. (Hint, you are getting much more for the same price.)

Solid Hardwood vs. Engineered Wood & Veneer

There’s just something about wood. Real wood. First and foremost, with Caretta Workspace, you know you’re getting solid American-grown hardwood. There’s nothing wrong with engineered wood paneling. It looks…nice…but it’s not real solid hardwood. When our craftsmen cut into a piece of solid wood, they are opening a time capsule. A study in wind and weather, sun, and rain, time and location that helped shape the feel, color, and grain of every unique board. When you cut into a piece of engineered wood you get, well…glue and sawdust. At best the top layer is a thin layer of veneer. At worst it’s printed on fake woodgrain. Sometimes they’ll glue a thin strip of real wood in the front edge of the desk. Nothing should tell you more than real wood matters. Why not avoid the chipboard all together and go with a solid wood Caretta desk.

Caretta Workspace strives to offer customers the best quality product for the best price. If you ever are curious about the hardwood we use to create our desks, contact us for a wood sample!

Configuring your desk to the way you work

Try going into a retail store and explaining to the salesperson (either hovering or vacant) that you like the desk, but need shelves for your computer and printer, want to see their monitor arm options, and would love a place to plug your iPad into the desktop. Studying the glazed look on their face, you will realize that the answer is not in their script. When it comes to companion products and accessories, you can trust Caretta Workspace to have what you need to enhance your productivity. Caretta offers everything from computer monitor arms, wireless phone chargers, hutches, bookshelves, file cabinets, and more to make sure every aspect of your desk is customized to fit your needs! We can even laser-engrave your logo or other graphics into the front of your desk. Try that one, Pottery Barn!
If you’re interested in our companion products, be sure to check them out today!

Technology

Our tagline is American Hardwood Technology Desks for a reason. To us, technology management is not a hook to hold your cables or a grommet in the desktop. It’s integrated into our design philosophy. Our desks feature large, deep cable trays embedded into the structure of the desk, large surge suppressing power strips hidden under the desktop, wire grommets placed in exactly the right locations, extra power plugs, and device charging capability right on the desktop. Do you need extra monitor mounting locations and power requirements, integrated 19” rack, or custom connectors in the desktop? Just ask us.

Manufacturing

If you ever get the chance to visit our factory and showroom near Columbus, Ohio, you’ll be able to see our manufacturing plant where each desk, table, and other Caretta products are handmade-to-order. Each desk is crafted by skilled woodworkers, so you know your Caretta Workspace desk is uniquely created for you and each of our customers. I’m sure the fine folks in Southeast Asia are very nice, but that ain’t us.

Our Entire Sales Model: We design and manufacture it → We sell it to you.

If you see a desk in a retail store, have you ever thought of the journey it took to get to you? It was probably designed in an out-sourced firm, made by an off-shore contract manufacturer, represented by a company that you have never heard of, purchased in balk by buyers, gone through who knows how many exporters and importers and how many middlemen to eventually get to the store where they sell it to you. Those desks are made in volume to get the cost down, then all of those layers and retailers take their cut to bring the price up to where it is. We manufacture in much lower volume, with much higher quality materials, and can sell it for the same price because there are not any middle and retail markups. We also don’t mark it way up, just to mark it way down so you think you are getting a deal. (Note: you are not getting a deal, you are compromising on quality.)

Although everyone may not be able to visit our showroom to see and feel our desks in-person, we make up for it in high-quality products and fair prices. After buying your first Caretta Workspace product, you’ll understand why our products are worth every penny!

Achieve Your Wellness Goals With The Wellston Sit-Stand Desk

It’s the start of a new year and that means it’s time to set your wellness goals for 2018. Many people make plans for a New Year Resolution, but don’t follow through on it. The Wellston Executive Sit-Stand Desk is a one-of-a-kind workstation which will take your wellness goals from a quick burning thought to a commitment to fitness for the entire year.

Stay Active

For starters, standing throughout the day is significantly better for you because you’re remaining active. This is a huge first step when you’re trying to improve wellness for your New Year’s Resolution.
According to studies done by the Mayo Clinic, people who stood longer at work were more likely to experience weight loss or maintain a healthy weight than those who worked in a chair, who were more likely to gain weight. People who stood while they worked were more likely to move around to grab a cup of coffee or use the restroom, for example.
Not only does the Wellston Desk encourage standing, but it encourages you to stay active throughout the day and keep the executive image you want.

Posture

Standing throughout the day is also really good for your posture. Since you’re not slouched in an office chair for eight hours a day, the Wellston Sit-Stand Desk will be an investment for your back!
Since you don’t put as much weight, pressure, and stress on your back when you stand, your lower back doesn’t have to take the abuse you can experience when you sit in a chair all day long. This will help you stay on your feet longer, and help you achieve your wellness goals.

Sitting Is Still An Option If Needed!

Even though standing is an important aspect of wellness in the workplace, sometimes it’s nice to be able to sit down and relax. The Wellston Sit-Stand Desk moves up and down to fit most heights or chair, so when you need to take a meeting in your office, it can be lowered to a sitting level of your preference.

If you are really considering improving your wellness this year, the Wellston Executive Sit-Stand Desk will be there to keep you accountable every day at work!

Tools in Our Workshop: SawStop Table Saw Highlights Commitment to Safety in Wood Shop

Each Caretta desk, table, and accessory is designed with safety in mind. Whether it’s the lifting columns in our Wellston Sit-Stand Desk or the cable management system built into each desk, safety is always a concern for us. This “Safety First” mentality even goes past our products and into the woodshop.

We recently added a new table saw by SawStop, who is known for its incredibly safe operation standards throughout each of their products. These saws are top-of-the-line, just like our desks! Each SawStop table saw has a built-in brake mechanism, which prevents blades from injuring the operator of the machine, even at full power, within 5 milliseconds after contact.

“Safety foremost,” Andrew Gilbert, Director of Operations at Caretta Workspace, said. “Our guys have a lot of experience, but wood shops are inherently dangerous, so every layer of safety we add is a benefit to everyone.”

The saw’s blade carries a small electrical signal and when something interferes with the electrical current such as a finger, the safety system is triggered. This causes the blade to immediately stop spinning and power is turned off instantaneously to avoid any serious injuries. This has brought peace of mind to Jens, who helps train other woodworkers how to use the machines at Caretta Workspace.

“I'm even more comfortable training people that are new to this type of machinery,” Jens said. “I don't have to worry about a major accident happening while the guys work on perfecting each desk.

“I think it shows our customers that we care as much about the safety of our workers as we do the quality of our products.”

Just like SawStop, we have incorporated important safety features into our products too. Each Caretta product is engineered with safety top of mind to offer all of our customers and their families the same ease of mind SawStop offers our woodworkers.

“Safety is built into the design of our products,” Andrew said. “From adding weight and changing geometry to reduce tip hazards, to using collision sensing components in our Wellston Desks. We know any piece of Caretta furniture will function exactly how it should and create a safe workplace for people of all ages to enjoy.”

Okay now that you've seen a hot dog, check out this man putting his finger into the SawStop table saw! It was featured on the Discovery Channel show, TimeWarp.

When it comes to safety, Caretta Workspace drives to be a leader in the furniture industry. Not only for the people who make each piece but for each customer. Safety is just one of the great benefits you can expect from a Caretta Workspace desk, table, or accessory!

NEW!! - Introducing the Wellston Executive Sit Stand Desk!

>> Link to the Wellston Executive Sit Stand Desks Here <<

We call our Wellston desk the “Executive Sit-Stand Desk”, because that’s what it is. It’s a highly engineered, precision crafted, solid hardwood adjustable standing desk that raises and lowers with the flick of a wrist (or a click of an app, but we’ll get to that part in a minute). We’ve noticed there are a lot of sit-stand desks in the world, but there aren’t many that are attractive enough and functional enough to make it the centerpiece of your office.

To start with, the Wellston desk comes in two finish options (Natural Cherry and darker Estate Cherry) and two sizes (50 or 62 inches wide), and is loaded with so many standard features and options that you’ll want to call one of these desks your own! The desk raises and lowers with LINAK electric lifting columns that provide a stable, smooth, quiet, elegant movement. To control the desk height, use the modern, discrete controller. With a brief nudge up or down, the desk will move to any height between 29 and 50 inches, or to any of four preset positions. You can also set wellness goals and track individual usage metrics with the desk controller mobile device (yep, there’s the Bluetooth connected phone app) or your computer.

The Wellston desk comes equipped with all of the goodies that have our Caretta Desk customers big fans of our products from coast-to-coast, like the solid cherry wood top (that’s over 2 inches thick) with a soft and durable inlaid writing surface; lined, locking drawer; and of course our classic Caretta wire management system. The desk has a large cable tray with lots of wire entry ports, and large (as in 9 or 12 outlets large) surge suppressing power strips that we’ve specifically designed to integrate into the desk. The desktop also comes with several technology options, such as a Qi wireless phone charger, USB 3.0 ports with media card readers, and the Caretta Power Block, which makes two power plugs available at your fingertips.

Everyone has different needs for their monitors and displays, and this desk has many different ways to handle them. There’s a thru-hole mounting location on the desktop so monitor arms are sturdy and secure. If you need single or multiple monitors, if you need to move each monitor individually, or move them as a pair, or if you like to set up your monitors on a riser shelf, we have that one covered, too.
The desk comes with a micro-suede lined drawer, or you can opt for a keyboard tray if that’s how you like to work.

We have your computer covered, too. If you have an all-in-one computer, it sits directly over the desk cable tray. If you have a tower computer, there are mounting options for outside the desk, or under the desktop. The computer rides up and down with the desktop, so you won’t need those extra-long cables. There’s a shelf option that not only adds desk top space, but also has a cup holder so you won’t spill your morning cup of joe, and a large storage shelf under the desk for your personal items. That shelf is attached to the desk modesty panel, where you can add custom laser-engraved logos or other favorite graphics. Does that sound like a lot? Well, it is!

The desks are also available with short lead times, and can be delivered to you by a standard UPS truck. As with all Caretta products, assembly is a snap as compared to other sit-stand desks. Visit our website at CarettaWorkspace.com to see the desk and the full line of matching table and file cabinets.

Wellston Executive Sit-Stand Desk Size Options:

Nine Caretta Essentials for Organizing your Workspace

For those who put off organizing their office until the famous “spring cleaning” guilt kicks in, or those who think it is impossible to have an organized luxury desk, we know better! Whether it’s for stock trading, reading x-ray’s, gaming, publishing, or just regular day-to-day home use, a functional office CAN be a beautiful office. At Caretta Workspace we believe that we created a better way for you to organize your office.
Organizing your workspace doesn’t have to be overwhelming, and becomes easier when you have supporting products already in your office. Our cable management desks and companion products were designed to simplify office organization. Our modern desks were designed with the belief that hiding wires and managing your cables is only the start when it comes to a productive workspace. Let’s dive into the nine essential features and products that we believe will transform your workspace!

How Caretta Workspace helps with organization:

#1 - Desk cable and wire management - What can I say? This is an entire category of topics on its own, but let’s just say that Caretta Desks are designed around their cable and power management capabilities. It’s so much more than just an integrated cable tray and surge suppressing power strip.
Desk Cable Management

#2 - Desk Drawers - There is no such thing as having too much storage space. All our desks have at least one large locking drawer that is large enough to store a laptop computer. Our drawers are manufactured from sturdy solid cherry hardwood with metal drawer bases to maximize depth. Micro-suede lining on most drawers provide a high-end touch, and dovetail joinery is a hallmark for high quality construction.

#3 - File Cabinets - At Caretta Workspace we know what it’s like to have random files and paper everywhere. We offer several commercial-grade file cabinet options with premium wood tops that match the rest of your Caretta office, or can slide under the return of your L shaped desk. The file cabinets can hold different sizes of file folders in multiple configurations, laterally or side-by-side. Options include a 30” lateral and two pedestal options. If we don’t offer the file cabinet that works best for you, just tell us what you need. In most cases we can find a solution!

#4 - Hutches - We offer two different hutch options, to match your personal or professional style. Our artistic hutch goes perfect with our Artistic Series Desks, and our contemporary hutch goes great with our Modern Urban, Traditional, L Shaped, Loft Series, Standing and College desks. You can mix and match the hutches to create a style that fits your ideal space. Each features locking doors, media shelves, and a handy pin-board where you can add an options LED light bar. These hutches don’t have to be set against a wall either, as they have the same beautiful Caretta wood finish on all sides.

#5 - Bookshelves - You know all those books floating from room to room taking up space? We created a series of book shelves that will fit every lifestyle and home décor, while eliminating that stack of books on your desk. We took a modern spin on the classic book shelf and built a Bookshelf Table. This table is perfect for not only your office, but truly any room. If you need additional space, we also designed a bookshelf with an added drawer.

The Artistic Book Shelf is a modern classic, with beautiful arcing solid wood sides that you won’t be able to keep your hands off. Do you want a conversation piece on your office? The Artistic Book Shelf is it!

#6 - Power-Organizer Tower - If a traditional in-out basket is not your style, but you need someplace to store your papers at your fingertips, then the Power Organizer Tower is the right desk accessory for you. More than paper, you can store your wired components as well (I’m looking at you, backup hard drive), because there is access to the main desk cable tray and power strip. Talking about power, this tower has 3 power plugs right on front. Do you need an easy place to plug in your laptop or phone charger? Bingo! It’s right there on your desktop!

#7 - Paper Trays - No need to pretend like those random papers scattered throughout your office and home do not exist. We have heavy duty paper trays and power organizer trays specially designed with our customers in mind. The paper organizer tray is made from a thick aluminum and solid hardwood, which makes for a substantial addition to any office. The power organizer tower allows our customers to plug devices into their desktop tower, while filing away additional papers.

#8 - Coat Trees - our coat trees are unlike any coat tree you have bought before. They are beautifully sculpted out of solid cherry hardwood and crafted with a flowing shape. With a more traditional coat tree, you hang your coats on rods or knobs, leaving that awkward looking bump in the back of your coat. With the Caretta coat tree, we utilize hangers to keep all your coats and garments looking fresh. The hanger’s posts are positioned directly over the legs to give it maximum stability.

#9 - Desktop Connectivity and Charging - Get rid of more wires and add convenience to your desk with 3 optional devices. With the Desktop USB-SD-Charging Grommet, you can plug your charging cables or media cards into the desktop. The Wireless Qi Charger charges compatible devices by just setting them down. The Caretta Power Block brings 2, 15 Amp power plugs to the desktop.

At Caretta Workspace, we love designing and manufacturing products that help to take the stress out of organizing. We may not have invented the concept of organization, but we did add a luxurious and contemporary element. All our products mentioned above are easy to assemble and help complete the perfect workspace or room.

Tools In Our Workshop: Our Steel Threaded Inserter Helps to Take the Headache Out of Desk Assembly

Take a step into our workshop, you will hear machinery humming, smell fresh hardwood, and witness wood and metal being crafted into beautiful furniture. At Caretta Workspace we pride ourselves on only producing the highest quality modern furniture. We pay special attention and detail from the fit and finish of our products, to the end-user experience of assembling their new desk. Our Steel Threaded Inserter puts the building blocks in place to make desk assembly easier.
One of the most common bits of feedback we hear from our customers is they are delighted at how easy their desk assembly was. First, they are happy that all the holes line up properly, then they are equally excited that they don’t have a pile of miscellaneous bolts and nuts, wood screws, and strange metal objects that look like they’ve come out of a puzzle. Our desks assemble with 1 size of standard steel ¼-20 machine screw, that easily threads into steel inserts in the bottom side of the desktops. We decided to use steel screws over wood screws for one main reason, wood screws lose their grip after being assembled and reassembled a few times. The machine in our factory that makes this all possible is the Steel Threaded Inserter.

This machine is responsible for putting the steel threaded inserts into the bottom of the desktops. Manufactured by FlexArm corporation, this valuable tool comes from just up the road in Wapakoneta, Ohio. (You know, the place where Neil Armstrong grew up!) Using our CNC wood router, we pre-drill a specific size hole into the bottom of the unfinished solid cherry desk top frames. The steel insert bites into the wood and creates a solid hold. The pneumatic machine uses air to operate and automatically sets correct depth. The arm helps to set the insert in the correct place and keeps the insert perpendicular to the surface so they are not installed crooked.

The steel threaded inserter arm is guided by one of our craftsmen while the steel head goes up and down to get the inserts into their correct place. The arm allows for the inserter to move freely while placing steel inserts throughout the top of the desk. The machine resembles the same sound as a drill, the operation is very smooth and quick. Our craftsmen can add all the steel inserts within 2-3 minutes. Taking these additional 2-3 minutes in the manufacturing process adds life, value and quality to the product.
To give you a better idea of how the steel threaded inserter works, we’ve taken a video from our workshop.

The steel insert is one of the many ways Caretta Workspace implements detail and quality into their products. The steel inserts are key when it comes time for a customer to assemble the legs of their desk. Steel machine-screws aid in easy assembly and allows for our desks to be reassembled many times over. Keeping the customer’s needs in the forefront of the design process and not skipping quality has resulted in the beautiful modern desks you see today.

Desk featured in the video: The solid cherry Loft Series Desk.

What’s Special about “Real” Cherry Hardwood?

Cherry hardwood has a timeless quality to it, with a beautiful natural color and unique grain pattern. It’s durable, easy to work with and has a soft smooth finish. You can find cherry hardwood throughout our line of contemporary desks, tables and companion products. When built into furniture, cherry has amazing detail throughout the grain. The grain patterns in our Cherry furniture almost creates a 3D quality as you look from different angles. We love manufacturing high quality, luxury furniture from cherry wood and want to make fans of real cherry wood for those who love modern contemporary wood furniture. Real, premium solid cherry has very little resemblance to plastic laminate cherry, or some kind of imported mystery wood with cherry stain.

Let us start by explaining what true cherry wood is and why you will never find plastic or “mystery wood” at Caretta. Cherry hardwood is a high-grade solid brown American hardwood, with hints of red coloring to it. The hardwood from cherry trees is some of the most attractive wood in the world. As the cherry tree ages, the wood starts to darken slightly and forms the desirable and beautiful wood that we create our contemporary desks with today. Nothing close in color to those reddish orange country cabinets that possibly comes to mind. Cherry is a close-grained wood, which creates a soft, smooth feel when finished properly. The grain patterns are all unique and dramatic, each telling a story of time, weather and the environment of where the tree was grown.

Cherry wood sounds beautiful and modern, you’re ready to buy your next furniture piece, right? If you’re still on the edge do not worry, we are here to help you understand why laminate furniture differs from cherry hardwood. To do so, let’s dive into plastic laminate furniture. Laminate, is a man-made product, usually some form of plastic that manufacturers print to look like it has wood grain. This allows manufacturers to create furniture, cabinets, and flooring for less. There is a large difference in color between plastic laminate cherry or “mystery wood” with cherry coloring, as compared to real solid cherry hardwood. Cue the reddish orange cherry flashbacks now. Consumers started mixing their view of cherry wood when companies began creating furniture and home pieces with laminate material. The goal through creating laminate items was to produce a product for a low cost that allowed consumers to have a “wood” piece in their home.

At Caretta Workspace our goal is to bring high quality, contemporary furniture to our customers without cutting any corners. With our manufacturing facility located centrally in Ohio, we're in a region known for some of the most beautiful hardwoods in the world, and our wood supplier is located just down the road. That means the solid cherry wood going into our products has been locally managed, responsibly harvested, milled, dried, hand selected and delivered direct to our facility.

We would love for you to see for yourself why we are so found of cherry wood. At Caretta Workspace we offer our cherry furniture in two stains, Natural and Estate. Simply request a free sample of our cherry wood by clicking here.

Request a wood sample.