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! Wooo hooo! Since I found such an affordable solution, I wound up with a huge desk AND a huge work table. Read on to learn how I did it. This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission which helps keep my blog up and running but it won't cost you a penny more)! Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
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
IKEA DESK HACK STEPS:
For the desk:
1) Assemble the Alex units using the assembly instructions that come from Ikea.
2) 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.
3) Place your countertop on top of the drawer units.
Yep, that's it! Using a 98″ countertop and 3 units leaves just enough room between for two chairs to slide under the desk. PERFECT since I have my friend and assistant work in my office with me some days.
For the work table:
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.
3) Flip it over and enjoy!
Y'all, I now have the perfect desk AND work table for my home office. The full reveal is coming soon, so stay tuned! For now, check out my finished Ikea desk hack and my Ikea table hack!
And here 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.
What do you think of this easy Ikea desk hack? Simple and stylish solution, huh? Who'd thought kitchen counters could make such great desks?!
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Just curious if you happen to have a YouTube channel by chance? I’d love to discuss some of your wonderful furniture/interior design videos on DNN sometime. Which furniture retailer do you prefer best by the way? :-)