With so many of us still working from home, a home office space has become a must. But if buying a brand new desk keeps getting put on your budget backburner, there are tons of DIY ideas that can finally make your oft-imagined office space a reality.
1. Pottery Barn-Inspired DIY Desk
For this project, you’ll simply need a corner desk (like Ikea’s Effective Desk) and a pair of wooden file cabinets. The first step is to paint the desktop and the cabinets in white. Remove the legs and hardware from the desk, then add some braces to the back corner that, in this case, have been fashioned out of metal plates and banister inserts. Now you have a brand new desk that looks better than ever.
2. DIY IKEA Standing Desk
Space-saving standing desks can be pretty expensive, which is why a DIY project like this one can be a wallet-loving alternative. This particular desk was made using some IKEA tech, as well as items from the hardware store. The owners didn’t give us many details on the process, but you can figure it out from the pictures. It’s an attractive, functional piece, and the best part is that it didn’t cost more than a few dollars.
3. Designing and Building a New Desk
This is a more elaborate project, although it’s totally doable with some planning and careful construction. Building a solid and stable (and stylish!) desk from scratch is not difficult, but it’s not the easiest DIY, either. But it’s a great way to get exactly what you want. In this case, it all started with an old solid wood door.
4. How to Build a Mini Laptop Desk
I’m personally a big fan of portable laptops. They’re smaller than regular laptops, but they’re more practical because of how easy they are to carry around. Here’s how you can build a desk for your own mini laptop. First, you’ll want to cut the piece to the size you’re after. Use laminated pine for the top, and pine for the risers and legs. You’ll also be using a circular saw.
5. Home Studio Desk
For this DIY home studio desk, you’ll need a tabletop and four legs to make the main desk base. Then you can build another shelf for a keyboard and monitor. You can hide all the wire underneath the desk, and you’ll still have plenty of room for the monitor, the keyboard, and the speakers…plus some spare space. This desk was made for only £45.99 ($72.86).
6. Birch and Aluminum Desk
This particular desk was designed to meet some specific needs. For example, it had to be large enough to spread out an open textbook, notebook computer, and writing notebook. It also had to be durable and had to be without nooks and crannies that would fill up with knick-knacks. And, stylishly, it had to have modern, clean lines.
7. Build-Your-Own Desk for Less than $30
When you think practically, there’s no need to pay hundreds of dollars for a desk when you can make your own one for under $30. Here’s how: Use (9 cm) wide CLS for the mainframe (legs and one support) and some 60mm (6cm) CLS timber for the supports that will be visible. Use 18mm thick plywood to make the desktop. Cut it down into 4’’ planks, then place as the desktop, leaving a small gap between each plank. Use screws and glue to keep everything together. You can also choose to paint it. {found on instructables}.
8. Custom Desk Project
Here’s how you can make your own desk without paying tons of money and without sacrificing style or function. First, decide on the dimensions you’re after, then buy the wood for the desktop. In this case, three planks of pine were used. Sand the wood and stain it. (This desk has a water-based walnut finish.) Use a foam brush to apply two to three coats. You’ll have to use some cabinets as a base (shown: three IKEA Besta Cabinets). Place the planks on top of them, line them up, and secure them together. Now you have a nice desk and plenty of storage space in the cabinets. {found on aubreyandlindsay}.
9. DIY Upcycled Tabletop Standing Desk
For this standing desk, you’ll need a table (upcycle one you already have, buy a new one altogether, or make one yourself) as well as a second table top and brackets. Place them one on top of the other, secure them together, and you’ll have a brand new and very functional standing desk for less than $30. {found on ikeahackers}.
10. Eclectic DIY desk
This is a fantastic DIY desk-building project that resulted in a modern desk incorporating multiple finishes. It’s glamorous and chic. If you’re up for creating your own version, start by sanding the top and the sides of the desk.
Then use a blow torch and have fun with it. Lay the torch at such an angle that the flame licks across the surface as you move horizontally. After that, wipe it down with a wet cloth and start the staining process. Assemble the legs and the shelves, place a glass top over it, and you’re done.
11. Murphy-Style Wall-Mounted Desk
Grab a chunky wood remnant and attach some cables or hinges to the edges. Make sure you research your weight constraints to the support system you choose, but once you’ve got the thing mounted to the wall, you’ve got yourself a fantastically minimalist-modern hanging desk. Bonus: It can fold up onto the wall when not in use.
12. Shelf-Supported DIY Desk
If you have some old shelves lying around and you’re not quite sure what to do with them, look no further than this DIY computer desk design. Grab a top for your table (use wood cut to size then sand it), and lay the top on top of the two supporting shelves. Prime and paint everything to fit your taste. The benefit of something like this is that you can use what you already have, and it will be a completely unique home office desk – with plenty of storage or display area.
13. Mid-Century Modern Desk
If you’re wanting to change up the look of your space, or if you only have one dresser available to mount a desktop onto, or if you love a mid-century modern vibe but your workspace doesn’t say that, consider this option. Pick up a pair of simple table legs that are similar in height to a modern-style dresser. (You can raise the height of the dresser with four short legs, if necessary.) Attach the dresser and the two legs to the underside of the desktop, and you have an absolutely original and fabulously stylish desk. {found on manhattan-nest}.
14. Upgraded Straight-Legged Table
For those old beat-up tables with straight legs and zero personality, this is a fantastic makeover into a showstopper of a desk. Use slim pine boards to create the design of your choice between the legs (this DIYer added in a board at the bottom between each pair of side legs and the entire interior design on each side), then paint everything. What an amazingly unique and chic desk project!
15. DIY Desk with Vintage Sewing Machine Table Legs
Flea markets and yard or estate sales might be your new best friends if you’re after some kind of gem like this. Find a vintage piece with cool legs, like an old sewing machine table. Even (especially?) if the piece itself isn’t your style, you can repurpose the legs by detaching them from their original top and attaching them to a simple desktop board, cut to size. This is an excellent way to upcycle vintage bits and showcase your personality.
16. Industrial Pipe-Leg Desk
Great news for those of you with die-hard industrial style: your DIY desk doesn’t necessarily have to give you slivers or scrapes (from all that reclaimed rough-hewn wood you were bound to use) to have the edgy industrial vibe you love. Pipes! That’s the answer found in this complete (and awesome) tutorial. Galvanized pipes used as legs attach to a clean desktop for a totally inspiring, efficient, and stylish home office desk.
17. Minimalist Floating Desk/Console Combo
When you think of minimalism, you think of the least possible components to achieve maximum effect or function. This DIY floating desk is just that – with a few boards from a hardware store and some elbow grease (not even that much elbow grease, either!), you could create a similar desk in your own space. (Full tutorial available.) Modern, cool, and very very chic. Not to mention completely functional. And, bonus, when you remove the chair or set it aside, you’ve got a working console in your hallway. If that’s not a win-win, I don’t know what is. {found on designsponge}.
18. DIY Double Desk
If your space is small but your desk space needs are large, you might be inspired by this creative DIY double desk idea. Although a tutorial isn’t available, you could let this photo be your guide to customize a similar double desk that works in your space. With a sturdy bookshelf as the separator, a desktop is mounted at the proper height (if the bookcase is sturdy enough, the desktop could even rest on the middle shelf and extend all the way through, making two workspaces out of one desktop). This is a great way to get the most bang for your DIY-home-office-desk buck.
19. Sawed-Apart Table Desk
For a potentially awkward and/or dreary corner office space, you’ll be able to brighten things up in no time by upcycling an old table. That’s right. An old, beat-up table that’s destined for the landfill. Cut off the end (or ends, if you need two), fill in any cracks or gaps on the top itself, and then prime and paint. Mount the table end (a.k.a., your new desk) to the wall, and voila! A beautiful customized desk. Do two of them if you have two people working at the same time, or even if you’re simply looking for symmetry. {found on migonishome}.
20. Wood Slab DIY Desk
The Merrythought shows us how to make this simple wood slab DIY desk that adds a rustic touch to any home office. If you don’t have a home office but desperately need somewhere to work at home during these challenging times, it’s the ideal budget-friendly solution. To make things cheaper and easier, this project uses two wood slabs, which are glued together to create the main part of the desk. Everything is attached directly to the wall, so you don’t have to worry about it taking up too much space in any room. This would look great in a teenager’s bedroom and offers a good area to work and study.
21. A Simple Standing Desk
A standing desk is a healthier option for working from home and can provide you with a way to stretch your legs instead of sitting down all day long. Many individuals are opting for standing desks nowadays, and this simple standing desk from A Beautiful Mess is the ideal solution for your needs. This wrap-around standing desk allows you to stand up or use a high stool and offers plenty of desktop space. It enables you to have a free center of your room and make the most of what is most likely an unused corner of your room.
22. DIY Compartment Desk
Shades of Blue Interiors shares this DIY compartment desk plan which offers you additional storage without adding bulky cupboards or drawers to your new desk. When you open up the compartment on the top of this desk, you’ll find three sections underneath. You’ll be able to tidy away your pens and papers instead of letting them clutter up the surface of your desk. You’ll also find this is a great option for vanity, as you could hide makeup inside the compartment.
23. DIY Butcher Block Desk
You’ll love the modern and minimalistic look of this DIY butcher block desk from Modish & Main. It’s one of the easiest desk plans on our list today and offers a simple and sleek desk for any home office or bedroom. You’ll simply get a butcher block slab and then add hairpin legs to create your desk. It looks like something you would buy in an expensive furniture store, yet costs very little to put together yourself.
24. DIY Desk with Concrete Desktop and Wood Legs
This DIY desk from The Home Depot Blog creates an industrial look that will fit perfectly into a modern apartment or home. The concrete desktop offers a sturdy top for your desk, and the wood legs make the desk look a little warmer and more natural. It’s a simple desk to which you can also add additional shelving to for extra storage if needed.
25. Leaning Wall Ladder Desk
If you are looking for a new desk that makes efficient use of your space, consider this DIY leaning wall ladder desk from Ana White. This plan incorporates your desk into a leaning bookshelf, so you can also store folders, books, or decorative items within your shelving. It’s a great option for anyone who has a lot of paperwork and files for their work and needs a practical and effective storage solution. This would be ideal for anyone who lives in an apartment and is short of space but has suddenly been forced to work from home this year.
