This IKEA hack desk is easy to make with a cheap IKEA desk top and two cube storage shelves. It’s perfect for a home office, virtual learning, or crafting. The storage makes this desk perfect for a small workspace!
After we moved into our house, we needed a cheap desk as soon as possible, and this beautiful IKEA desk hack for under $60* was born. I shared this DIY desk tutorial on the blog almost seven years ago, and it has remained very popular. Recently with the entire world all of a sudden working or learning from home, even more people have been making the desk!
We love DIY projects and making old things new again. This particular desk top has had three lives; a craft desk, a headboard for our guest room, and now it’s my desk again but with a shiny, new look!
*This post contains affiliate links.
Above is what the desk looked like after I made it in 2013.
IKEA DESK HACK
Back story: after looking at all of the small IKEA desk options I had some ideas but didn’t feel that they were all worth the money, at the time. It’s funny because they weren’t expensive, but I felt I could do something cheaper with the same amount of elbow grease.
*The Desk UNDER $60
What I ended up deciding was to get two cube storage shelves (these, which at the time were about $18 each) and an IKEA desk top. I never truly loved the gray LINNMON desk top, it just happened to be the one they had in stock and it cost less than $20 so I went with it.
This desk can cost under $100, $60, or even under $50- if you find the right deals on the storage cubes and the desk top! However, prices tend to go up and down.
Re-creating the desk in 2020, I found storage cube shelves that I thought looked better which at the time were $30 each from Target. Then I decided to use marble contact paper on the desk top which cost $11. The total cost of the new desk: about $90.
I could have done this myself, it was that easy, but in full disclosure my husband did help me. We like to do projects together.
HOW TO MAKE THIS IKEA HACK DESK
1. Put the desk top face down on the floor
2. Measure where you want the bookshelves to be and make sure they are even.
Place the tops of the bookshelves on the bottom of the desk top.
- Measure and mark four spots on the inside of the shelf where you will drill.
- Center your shelves in the middle of the desk top; measure the sides of your desk top and your shelf to find the centers of each, and mark them. Then line the two centers up.
- Drill pilot holes into the shelves.
- Use a screwdriver to screw the shelves into the desk top.
Carefully flip the desk over.
If you want to, add marble contact paper to the desk top – follow directions on the package.
Style! Add a lamp, bins, books, and office storage items. You now have a great DIY desk with storage to work with!
PRO TIPS
- Choose heavy screws that will be long enough to go through the top of shelves but NOT all the way through the desk top. If you use the exact items we have used, then 2″ wood screws or similar will work.
- This desk is great and sturdy to work on. If you plan to move it, we recommend disassembling it. The desk top and shelves are not solid wood and screws can come loose from them.
I’ve gotten a lot of questions since sharing this tutorial. Here are some of the most common questions and answers.
How tall is this desk?
It depends on the height of the shelf you use. This desk is about 32″ tall after it is assembled. The bookshelves I used are 3o” tall and the IKEA desk top is 1 3/8″.
SOURCES:
Cube Storage Shelves:
I have used both white shelves (#1 and #2) to do this desk. I also gathered up a few other colors that are available in this type of shelf. *These are affiliate links.
- White 2 Shelf Cube Storage
- White 3 Shelf Cube Organizer
- Weathered Gray 2 Shelf Cube Storage
- Pink 2 Shelf Cube Storage
- Espresso 2 Shelf Cube Storage
- Cherry 3 Shelf Cube Storage
- White 3 Shelf Organizer (Not Pictured)
Linnmon Desk Top, Accessories & Storage:
If you make this desk PLEASE share it with us! Leave a comment and positive review, and tag us on instagram @prettyprovidenceblog so we can see your work!!
DIY IKEA Desk with Storage
Video
Equipment
- Drill
- Drill Bit
- Measuring Tape
- Pencil
Materials
- 8 2" Heavy Wood Screws *read notes about size below
- 1 IKEA Linnmon Desk Top
- 2 Storage Cubes / Shelves shelves between 30"-32" tall are ideal
- 1 roll Marble Contact Paper optional
Instructions
- Assemble the two storage cubes according to instructions.
- Place desk top face down on the floor.
- Measure the width (short side) of the desk and mark the center.
- Measure the width of one side of cube shelf and mark the center.
- Place cube shelf upside down on top of the desk top (which is also upside down) and line up the center markings.
- Measure and mark four spots where you will screw the desk together on each cube shelf. Markings should be evenly spaced around the inside top of each cube shelf.
- Drill pilot holes into each spot, being careful to only drill through the shelf and not the desk top.
- Next, drill wood screws where the pilot holes are. The screw should be flush with the surface of the cube shelf.
- Carefully flip the desk over.
- Apply marble contact paper according to package directions if you have opted to do that.
Notes
Love the desk. It’s very creative. I couldn’t find the exact bookshelf but I found one that I find to be quite similar. http://www.target.com/p/room-essentials-adjustable-3-shelf-stackable-organizer-white/-/A-15138375
OMG – LOVE IT! Totally going to steal this idea and set this up for my daughter when she is on vacation with her Dad this summer!!! She will LOVE IT!!!
Ah what a fun surprise!! She will love it!!!
The Original is from Vitra
Love it! Thanks for the suggestions, I’m going to order these items. I hope you get a credit for me clicking on your link! xo
Can you share the Target shelves model name? I wanna see how high is this after building. The Martha Stewart cube organizers are way too high, and are good for a standing up counter height craft desk.
This is fantastic! I need a desk badly, and thought I might buy one secondhand, but none of them fit in my tiny car. So, I thought I might build one, but I have very few tools, and even fewer building skills. This is perfect! Thanks for sharing!
Yay!! We’re so glad! You will love it!
hey! I love this desk, such a unique creation! I decided to use this idea except with a black top. But i absolutely love it! However, i have a question. Whered you get that banner? I love it and want it saying something else. Thank you!!
Very inspiring! I will definitely keep this mind for my future home office. :)
It looks fantastical!
hi! what chair is that? thank you :)
do you know the model number of the desktop? or the name, cant seem to find anything like that on ikea!
i love your desk! I see you got the bookshelves at target. How tall should the bookshelves be to make the desk work well?
Your desk looks really great. I’m so happy I came across your post. I was thinking of making a similar desk with 2 6 cube storage shelves for my crafts. I was wondering what to use as the desk surface. The Ikea desk top would work perfectly, and Its a great price.
What are the dimensions of the desk top??
She used the LINNMON Top: 39 3/8×23 5/8
Can I ask you how high the white little tables are ??
They are 31″ high!
This is a great idea!! All of the desks that I find online are much too expensive! I was thinking I would make this desk as well, but I was just wondering what kind of shelves you used? The dimensions or the link would work great! Thanks! :)
I don’t have any pictures (sorry!) but we didn’t use any hardware, just 1/2 inch wood screws and used a drill to put them in place!
Sarah — I love this idea and am planning to copy you! Can you tell me exactly how you secured the Ikea top to the Target shelves? Before I go out and buy the product, my hubby wants to know how he secures it all together. Thanks. Shalene.
Hey Shalene! Yay – I’m excited that you are going to do it. We put the desk top face down on the floor, measured where we wanted the bookshelves to be and made sure they were even, placed the tops of those on the bottom of the desk top (so the desk is essentially put together but upside down) and screwed them in place with a drill. My husband said he used 1/2 inch wood screws!
Could you show the screws and hardware you used to put this together? I don’t want to mess mine up!!
Would like to duplicate, what was the exact name of this “butcher block”, the IKEA site comes up with a dozen pages when I search that. Thank-you!
I don’t know the actual name of the butcher block since that’s not what I ended up using. The desk top I used is called the LINNMON!
I. Love. This! I’ve been looking for an idea for a new desk and this is perfect! I’ll be adding this to my apartment this weekend. I also stopped by Home Depot and they have sheets of clear acrylic that they will cut to size for me (as a topper) to protect the desktop and I can put something decorative under the acrylic.