You know, every time I see "Modern" furniture, even if I really like the aesthetic, my enthusiasm is always flattened by the anemic desk/workspace offering. Why is it that these desks an workspaces always show a single, laptop (often a Mac), or an all-in-one desktop (definitely a Mac), without thought to cable routing, peripherals etc...

Maybe because things were different when I was a kid, even if this stuff is child focused I think "there can't possibly be enough room for an inquisitive young mind and his or her technology. There isn't even much room for a game console and a computer, much less clear-able workspace for other activities". Even a single self-built desktop and associated peripherals seem to be too much for many modern-aesthetic home office/desk furniture. There's no playspace, no workspace, no nothing. Of course, this sort of stuff is being championed as the stylish thing to equip one's home with, even for adults. Check out the "West Elm" catalog - its a high end eco-friendly modern chic kinda place. Your significant other probably won't object to guests seeing anything you purchase, but could these - http://www.westelm.com/shop/furniture/office-desks/?cm_type=gnav - really provide enough office space for most people?

One downside to the fact that a "normal user" can get away with a laptop or all in one is that so much of the furniture is built with such things in mind, relegating those who remember well-built furniture capable of holding steel-chassis desktops and CRTs, with tons of grommets for cable routing, to purchasing either exorbitantly priced "executoy" custom/ergonomic desks or ugly behemoths.