Last Updated on December 7, 2022

Here's a sad fact that you have probably already noticed if you have ever been in the market for a new desk… They are expensive! When I was recently working on my new home office I realized that desks are hideously expensive, and frankly, there aren't many that are contemporary and cool.

So many of them are fussy and traditional and not all that stylish. Well, I figured out a solution for my office that I am loving and today I am sharing it with you! This Ikea desk hack is easy, gorgeous and much more affordable than what you can find at stores that have stylish desks! Read on to learn how I did it.

DIY IKEA desk hack by Tasha Agruso of Kaleidoscope Living

Table of Contents

Ikea Desk Hack Tutorial

Materials Needed

Ikea Alex drawer units (I used 3)
Ikea Barkaboda kitchen counter (I used one for my desk and one for my work table–each are 98″, but you can also get them in 74″ length and/or cut them down to a smaller size)
Ikea Krille legs (I used 4 for my work table–they come white, I had previously spray painted them gold for use in another room, but wanted them darker for my new office, so I used spray paint as indicated below)
Oil-rubbed bronze spray paint

Desk Hack Steps

Time needed: 3 hours

Desk Hack Steps

Assemble your drawer bases
This is the most time-consuming step. Assemble your IKEA Alex drawer units according to the instructions.
Place your drawer bases
Space all 3 units out evenly, ensuring that the distance between outer edge of the two end units measures 98″ (the same length as the countertop). Place non-slip bumper pads on top of the drawer units.
Place your countertop on top of the drawer bases to form the desktop
The kitchen countertop we used was very heavy, so we didn't feel the need to screw it in place, but you could if you are concerned about it. Note that the countertop is a bit deeper than the drawer bases–we made sure the front of the drawer bases sat flush with the front edge of the countertop by pulling them out from the wall a bit.

Yep, that's it! This IKEA desk hack gave me a huge double desk. Using a 98″ countertop and 3 units leaves just enough room between for two chairs to slide under the desk, which is PERFECT since I have my friend and assistant work in my office with me some days.

BONUS Work Table Steps

1) Spray paint your Krille legs, if desired.

2) Attach them to the bottom of the kitchen countertop. I placed mine 16 inches in from the short edges to ensure that the table has enough support toward the center of the countertop. If you chose a shorter-length countertop, you probably don't need to inset your legs quite so far.

work table IKEA hack by Tasha Agruso of Kaleidoscope Living

3) Flip it over and enjoy!

Y'all, I now have the perfect desk AND work table for my home office. Check out my finished Ikea desk hack and my Ikea table hack! You can see it with my work table positioned in front of my desk, where it usually is. It's great because I can swivel around when I'm not using the computer and have a ton of space to spread out my planner, books, etc. and write without a keyboard in my way. Plus it's easy to move around when I want to film videos for my blog since it's on casters.