Long gone are the days when it was cool to set up your computer in a dank, musty corner of the basement on an easy-to-assemble wobbly desk from Kmart. .
As more and more people are getting home PCs, the computer is attaining the status of the television set in American homes. Currently, more than half of all U.S. families have at least one computer somewhere in the house. With that number growing at an incredible pace, having a computer is like having a TV. The question now is: Where do you put it? .
Computer owners seem to be doing one of two things. They're either proudly displaying their desktop on fancy, gadget-filled desks or they're hiding it deep within the bowels of elaborate armoire-like furniture pieces. .
"As more people are splitting their time between the home and office, it's no longer 'Let me just throw it on the kitchen table,' " says Atlanta interior designer Jerry Poole. "People are getting computer-related furniture." .
Although you can still buy plenty of functional computer desks at discount stores for less than $100, furniture designers have jumped on the booming popularity of home PCs and home offices. .
"Several of our furniture lines have specifically addressed furniture that is strictly for computers," says Custer Mayor of Mayo Wholesale Furniture in Atlanta. Although this furniture may look like a simple entertainment center, chest or desk, it's specifically designed for computers with room for a tower, keyboard, monitor and all the wiring, says Mayo. .
According to trend guru Faith Popcorn's BrainReserve marketing firm, the number of at-home workers has increased by 100 percent in the last five years to 10.5 million people. That number is expected to double by 2005. While an estimated 40 percent of all employers now offer telecommuting, one in eight of all households already has a full-time, at-home worker. .
Popcorn -- who coined the term "cocooning" and was dubbed the "Nostradamus of marketing" by Fortune magazine -- has ventured into the home-office furniture design business herself.