desk du jour {is bigger better?}

the talented mother/daughter team at good bones, great pieces recently raised an interesting topic that i’ve been mulling over for a little while. they say here that the widespread use of laptop computers has eliminated the need for such “hulking” desks, which we now seek to replace with sleeker pieces that could be put to use in a number of different rooms. does this ring true for some of you?
personally, i love having space to spread out my textbooks and whatever project i’m tackling at the moment. while suzanne and lauren picked out some truly gorgeous pieces, i have to ask: where would you put your stuff? a desk with no drawers might look stylish, but where do you put your school supplies? similarly, a desk that could do double duty as a console table is definitely more versatile, but where would you place your printer?
{the desk of malene birger via full house)
it also makes me think of jen of made by girl‘s home office, featured here, where she pushed together two parsons desks. might that be the perfect compromise between a desire for less bulky pieces and the opposing need for extra space? i love the big wide desk in the space above and the fact that it could even be shared by two people. as an aside, i also like the idea of propping frames on shelves instead of hanging them directly onto the wall. what are your thoughts on this space and what seems to be a new trend in workspaces?