Hey, I'm a digital artist looking to revamp the work environment in my room and I've been having some issues with narrowing down what's probably the most important piece of the setup: the desk.

I'm aware of the Karlby/Alex IKEA combo, and I think it looks great, but Alex drawers have been out of stock at my Ikea for the past month or so. It's also dramatically risen in price over the past few years, so, while it was considered a "hack" back at its original conception, doing the setup now easily runs you $500, so you're paying a pretty standard price for a desk.

I'd love to know 1) If the IKEA hack is still good value for the price. 2) What other good looking options are there in the market? (Not gamer oriented, I want to design a more professional looking space)