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Create your own desk with IKEA Expedite and some personal touches simple #DIY makeover project

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Finished IKEA Expedite desk creation #DYI project makeover

Slowly my office is taking it’s place and I’m making it my own. My room isn’t very big 12×10 maybe with lots of windows and doors, making it hard to put furniture in as well as making it functional without feeling cluttered. I hate clutter and my old desk was great, but HUGE in the room; it took up 2 entire walls and we had junk in the desk everywhere, lots of lost space. I missed taking a picture of my desk before I moved it out to my Mother in Law’s scrapbook room, it fits perfect in her BIG room, so here is a picture of the desk that was in my tiny room before.

The picture of the Desk was when I had a bigger office, before the baby took over the room … nice big office space with my wonderful desk….ahhhh… memories

misc stuff 032

Now you see what BIG desk I had in my small tinny office, it was a great and beautiful desk, no doubt; just too big for my small space. Okay, moving on to the new desk. You know my love to the IKEA expedite shelving units; I have them everywhere like in my living room, my princess room, my kitchen Organizer/Command Center Unit, my Bedroom with Hidden Storage and I know I have many other uses in my house for the IKEA expedite units.

One reason I love them, they are cheap, sturdy and will hold a ton of stuff. Check them out at IKEA next time you are there. I bet you will get lots of use out of them as well. Okay, back to the desk.

This is how to create the Desk

Build a desk out of Ikea Expedite units #DYI project

You need:
2 IKEA expedite Single Units ($59.99 each)
1 piece of plywood cut to fit the top as well as the desk unit (one sheet will be enough and Lowes or Home Depot will actually cut it for free per your measurements)
1-2 pieces of Crown Molding for the top
3-5 Wood Blanks to go on top of your desk unit

Optional:
If you want a backing on the Unit, pick up a paperboard at Lowes or Home Depot, they will cut it to fit your measurements and was only like $5 each; very cheap, but you can nail it to the back, or the wall like we did. If you choose this step, be sure to check out my Fabric backing DIY idea HERE.

Put it all together:

Assembly was easy; put together your IKEA Expedite units per instructions (your teens could even do that for you), put the Ikea Units as far apart as you like your desk to be and measure for the top Plywood piece to be attached. Add the plywood on top with nails or screws;

Attach the desk part with 2 2×4’s screwed into each side of the shelf unit walls and sit your desk part on top; nail or screw it down for better hold.

I also painted my wood blanks for better look and durability; I always use the one step wood paint PolyShade from Minwax; it’s a one step process; a few coats and your desk will look like a million bucks. I used the same PolyShade Minwax on our dining room table and it’s holding up very, very well.

the stain we used for the Ikea Desk makeover #DYI project

Simple as that… you can build your very own desk out of two simple IKEA shelf units in a few hours and have something that will look like that …..

Ikea Expedite desk in process #DYI makeover Simple idea

Of course, I wanted some color and we added the crown molding to give it a more build in look and well, I love crown molding. Always makes things look more fancier in a simple way. Now your desk is actually ready to be personalized to your style and taste. 

I was going to ad some shelf’s above the monitor but quickly changed my mind when I figured out that I would either put pictures there or just junk and I ended up leaving it without a shelf unit; but you could add shelf’s without a problem, either attach them to the wall or the side of the IKEA units to give it support. Totally up to you.

I personalized my white back with Fabric and will show you in another tutorial how simple it was to customize the desk or any room with a bit of fabric and about 10 minutes of your time. Check out what my finished desk looks like going from two white simple IKEA Expedite Units to this …..

Finished IKEA Expedite desk creation #DYI project so simple and looks great

I added some lights to the top of the desk. They are actually battery operated and I found them on clearance at Lowes for like $6 for a set of two; they have different light setting and are super cool and give me enough light to work on at night.

Finished IKEA Expedite desk creation #DYI project

Be sure to come back and check out our other office #DIY makeover ideas that you can easily re-create in your very own home for little money, little effort but create a BIG change.

The Backdrop out of Fabric and Liquid Starch
The finished room Makeover
Simple window seat with cushion and pillows
Simple #DIY Window Valance on a Budget; NO Sew!

Comments

  2. i love it!!! the crown molding works soo well, and the fabric background gives it a nice pop…and i also like the lights how neat!

    Reply

  7. This is really cool. I wouldn’t have thought that it was possible for me to recreate, but your step-by-step photos make it seem so easy for anyone, even me, to do!

    Reply

  8. Oh that is so neat! I love all those shelves to put stuff on! What a great way to be able to organize!

    Reply

  12. I need something like this. The cats tend to knock everything off the desk and nightstand in my room. I have a lot of my coupons, etc. that I haven’t clipped and I’m forever picking things up. This would eliminate a lot of that…I think then again cats do like spaces like this. You did fabulous!

    Reply

  13. I love this- especially the fabric you chose for the back. This is such a cute and clever idea. I could really use something like this, because I have very limited space for my computer area (it is in an area between the kitchen and living room). Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply

  14. Wow, the transformation is amazing! One would never be able to tell. The crown molding definitely adds so much height and probably an expensive-finish to the entire look. I like the use of the electric lights; definitely a great buy and very functional! Love all the fabric back wash. Especially the red that matches the window draping. You made use of your small space by making a desk that looks so nicely constructed and has enough room for all your things and then some! Thanks for sharing your step-by-step process. You’re very talented and creative!

    Reply

  16. Everything turned out adorable! What were your plywood measurements of the desk part you put the monitor on if you dont mind me asking?

    Reply

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