Desk space in the home is invaluable.  Whether it’s for a student, for completing your crafts, or for organizing your household finances, there is always a need for a workspace.  Unfortunately, desks can be quite pricey… even on Craigslist!  And, often, even if you find a desk within your budget, it simply may not fit your needs.  And, really, who wants a piece of furniture that doesn’t fit your needs- what a waste!  Well, I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to compromise in either style or function to get the desk you want!  I spent about $85 and completed a completely custom DIY-built desk for my sister-in-law.  It not only perfectly fits her needs, but it also functions perfectly in the space!

When you have a student in the house, a desk is a necessity.  When the student is in college, having the desk in their room is even more of a necessity!  Well, my poor sister-in-law, has been crammed into a 10-foot by 10-foot room, leaving little space for furniture, other than her full-sized bed.  To alleviate the lack of space issue, we build her an awesome DIY Closet Kit, full of storage and organization solutions.

After the DIY Closet Kit build, we focused our efforts on giving her a study space that would function well for school, but that would also act as a nightstand of sorts and provide additional storage.  Getting this multi-purpose piece of furniture done right was vital!

Because this study space was sooooo easy to build, I’ll just give you a quick & dirty tutorial!

SUPPLY LIST

The greatest part about this tutorial is that all of the cuts were made at Home Depot!  I didn’t have to do a single cut for the desk, shelves, or support brackets at home.  So, if you don’t have a saw, you’re in luck!  The only tools required for this job is a hammer and a drill (and a household iron)!!!

• 1 sheet of PureBond Plywood
• 1 Rast Dresser from Ikea
• Dresser Hardware (if you don’t want what comes with the dresser)
• Stain of Your Choice (Dark Walnut)
• Paint of Your Choice (we chose a coral-pink color, and simply purchased a “tester” size to save money)
• Shelf Brackets
• Screws
• Nails
• Edge Tape
• Household Clothing Iron

CUT LIST

 

• 1- 60”x24” (desktop surface)
• 3- 11”x35” (shelves)
• 1- 1”x60” (back support for desktop)
• 1- 1”x23.25” (side support for desktop)

8-STEP TUTORIAL

1- Have all pieces cut out of one sheet of PureBond plywood by Home Depot

2- Iron on edge tape to “seal” the edges of the plywood and make it look like one solid piece of wood.  Trim off excess using either a box cutter or a trimmer

3- Stain desktop, supports, and shelves

4- Assemble Ikea Rast dresser and stain

5- Paint drawer fronts

6- Install shelf brackets and desktop supports (note: we split the back support, but in hindsight, it wasn’t needed)

7- Place Rast dresser in place and install desktop using nails (or finishing nailer)

8- Insert shelves into brackets and secure with screws to the brackets

FINAL BEAUTY SHOTS

In the end, like I said, the product was perfect!  It fits the space, gives her tons of room for studying, and also provides her additional storage and a “nightstand” type of function!

HOW ABOUT THOSE DETAILS?!?

Oh yeah… and who doesn’t love additional hidden storage!  The extra space between the dresser and the wall is the perfect size to store a small file box, garbage can, or anything else you can think of!

WHAT DO YOU THINK- EASY ENOUGH?  WHAT DO YOU NEED A WORKSPACE IN YOUR HOUSE FOR?

This blog post is part of the series, Operation: 30 Days to an Organized Home. To see the posts in the rest of the series, go here.

Thanks to Haven 2012, we met the amazing folks at PureBond® Hardwood Plywood. They told us all about their amazing product and I fell in love and ran home to tell the hubby about it!  With all the recent, health-conscious and enviro-friendly changes we’ve made lately, it only made sense for us to make the change to using PureBond exclusively too!  We’ve officially made the PureBond pledge… will you?  Here’s a little tidbit about the product:

• PureBond technology utilizes formaldehyde-free, soy-based adhesive
• Manufacturing with PureBond technology contributes to an air-friendly indoor environment
• PureBond veneer-core panels are cost-competitive with traditional panels made using UF construction
• Panels are made in the US and Canada
• PureBond panels contribute towards the LEED® IEQ Credit 4.4 for Low-Emitting Materials: Composite Wood
• Panels can be specified as FSC® certified upon request
• PureBond MDF and Particleboard hardwood plywood is available upon request
• PureBond is manufactured exclusively in North America by Columbia Forest Products.

Disclaimer: We received PureBond® Hardwood Plywood for free; however, no other compensation was paid.  As always, the opinions expressed are always our own!