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14 ridiculously amazing desks and workspaces

From a zero-gravity workstation to the ultimate Avengers desk, these are the most drool-worthy techie workspaces in America.

Fox Van Allen
Fox Van Allen is a Los Angeles-based writer for CBS Interactive covering technology, tech lifestyle and gaming topics for GameSpot, CNET, ZDNet and TechRepublic. He has previously worked as a news and feature writer for a number of other sites, including Techlicious, Tecca, WoW Insider (Joystiq) and Blizzard Watch. In his spare time, Fox is an amateur skydiver, retro gaming and arcade enthusiast, 8-bit pixel artist, podcaster and Twitch live streamer.
Fox Van Allen
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1 of 21 Tom Spina Designs

Han Solo Carbonite desk

Who ever said your computer desk needs to be boring? The 14 different workspaces shown in this gallery have all transformed the desk from a piece of utilitarian furniture to the perfect tech-lover's showpiece.This Star Wars-themed desk is the workspace that Jabba the Hutt only wishes he had.

Created by Tom Spina Designs, this one-of-a-kind desk raised $10,500 for charity when it was auctioned off in 2010.

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2 of 21 L3p

Water-cooled PC desk

Peter Brands, otherwise known in the PC casemod community as L3p, is so well known for building amazing desks that his "L3p D3sk" reveal is becoming a highly anticipated annual event.

His 2015 edition, a water-cooled PC desk, shown here, certainly did not disappoint.

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3 of 21 L3p

Inside the L3p D3sk 2015

The clear glass surface of the L3p D3sk 2015 provides the perfect window into this PC desk's gloriously complex internals.

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4 of 21 L3p

L3p D3sk's water-cooling setup

The most impressive aspect of the L3p D3sk 2015, of course, is the PC's water-cooling setup.

You can view the 2015 L3p D3sk reveal on YouTube.

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5 of 21 MWE Lab

The Emperor XT Command Center

The Emperor X is no mere desk -- it's a fully adjustable command center with options for built-in LED lighting, speakers and a subwoofer. The whole structure can tilt back 35 degrees, allowing you to lounge comfortably, even while completely immersed in the matrix.

Pricing starts around $5,300.

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6 of 21 Tom Spina Designs

The Avengers desk (rear)

The rear side of the Avengers-inspired desk, meanwhile, pays homage to the rest of The Avengers.

On the left are a set of Hawkeye's trick arrows; on the right is a special gamma radiation storage compartment meant to represent The Hulk.

Nick Fury's needle gun is recessed into the desk's surface.

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7 of 21 Tim Sway Perspectives

Pinball machine desk

This isn't any ordinary "Charlie's Angels" vintage pinball machine -- Tim Sway Perspectives converted it into a desk for a client.

This rear view of the desk helps you appreciate the work required to convert a 1970s-era pinball machine into the perfect man-cave writing surface.

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8 of 21 Tim Sway Perspectives

Pinball machine desk (playing field)

The most satisfying part of the pinball desk, of course, is the view of its playing field.

The back glass (score display) has been removed and repurposed as wall art.

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9 of 21 Tim Sway Perspectives

Pinball machine desk (inside)

Tim Sway added new LED lights to make sure the upcycled desk looks its best, even in the dark.

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10 of 21 Luzzo Bespoke LTD

Luzzo Bugatti Grand Prix desk

This Bugatti Grand Prix workstation by Luzzo Bespoke pulls design elements from the company's Grand Prix cars of the 1920s.

Drive gears on the sides, for example, allow for mechanical height adjustment. The desk also has a retractable monitor feature.

This hand-assembled desk sure doesn't come cheap, however: A Bugatti Grand Prix workstation will set you back $240,000.

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11 of 21 Tom Spina Designs

Apollo 11 Lunar Module desk

Don't be fooled by outward appearances: This lunar lander is actually an Apollo 11-themed desk.

This custom-made piece by Tom Spina Designs was (appropriately) born out of a 1960s style office desk. The sides of the desk sport the NASA logo, while its surface contains two display surfaces for autographs from Apollo 11 astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins.

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12 of 21 Pedal Power

Pedal-powered generator desk

The Big Rig desk from Pedal Power isn't just about getting exercise.

Operating the pedals under this desk produces up to 100 watts of electricity, which can then be used to power your laptop or other gadgets.

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13 of 21 L. Sørensen & K. Lylover

Surf chair

The aptly named Surf Chair, designed by Kenneth Lylover in collaboration with Leif Sørensen, won Best Product (Internet Collection) at the Scandinavian Furniture Fair 2000.

Sadly, it never entered mass production.

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14 of 21 Will.U.Design

A desk that's actually a computer

Forget building a new desk for your computer case -- why don't you just build a desk out of your computer case?

That's what famed tech DIYer Will Urbana did with his design shown here, simply called "The Desk."

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15 of 21 Will.U.Design

Close up of The Desk

As you can see, the computer's CPU and hard drive (1.72 TB) are well-illuminated below a sheet of plexiglass.

Custom mounting arms keep Urbana's monitors from cluttering up its surface.

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16 of 21 Tetrashed

Tetra Shed

The Tetra Shed is quite the curiosity: This geometrically confused behemoth of a workspace is designed for both indoor and outdoor use.

Each shed is a custom unit that can take as long as five months to deliver; its price starts at $10,500.

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17 of 21 Tetrashed

Tetra Shed (inside)

The inside of the Tetra Shed is quite beautiful -- and customizable to a certain extent. Options include smartphone-controlled LED lighting, under-floor heating, built-in wall speakers and a skylight.

Good luck keeping the spiders out, though.

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18 of 21 Simon Jakubowski/BendDesk

The BendDesk

There's no wasted space on the BendDesk -- or room for a mouse and keyboard, for that matter. Instead, the entire surface of the BendDesk is a multitouch-enabled LCD display.

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19 of 21 Ergoquest

Zero-gravity Workstation

If you're the type who tries to get work done in bed, this zero-gravity workstation from Ergoquest is for you.

The chair, monitors and keyboard tray all tilt into pretty much any position. And if you want to get really fancy, lighting and a speaker bar can be added to the tube steel frame.

Unfortunately, it's not cheap: The Ergoquest Zero Gravity Workstation 7 shown retails for $5,995.

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20 of 21 Trek Desk

Treadmill desk

Why sit around at a desk all day when you can walk instead, burning more than twice as many calories? That's the concept behind the $499 TrekDesk treadmill desk, currently available with free shipping from Amazon.com.

The only catch here is that the treadmill isn't included, though you can likely find a relatively inexpensive used model through Craigslist or eBay.

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21 of 21 Tom Spina Designs

The Avengers desk (front)

A custom piece from Tom Spina Designs, this glorious Avengers desk was created for Grammy-winning artist Mark Hall.

As you can see, the front of the desk contains Captain America's iconic shield, flanked by Iron Man's helmet on the left and Thor's hammer (obscured) on the right.

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