20 IKEA Desk Hacks for a Customized Look

An IKEA desk made from two white dressers and a butcher block countertop — Emily Lex

Browse some of the sleekest home offices on the internet and you’ll spot IKEA desk after IKEA desk. What’s remarkable isn’t their popularity, but that many of these so-called desks aren't actually desks.

Enterprising decorators use IKEA desk hacks to transform kitchen cabinets, dressers, and countertops into office decor.

You may scoff at the idea of filling your home office with kitchen essentials but decorators do all the time. Mixing and matching IKEA pieces gives design enthusiasts custom-crafted desks to suit their spaces perfectly—without the astronomical price tags of personalized pieces.

“I love the affordability and versatility of IKEA furniture,” says Medina Grillo, the blogger behind Grillo Designs. “So if I was going to attempt to build a more custom desk myself, it just made sense to hack IKEA furniture to do that.”

Crafty decorators have tackled IKEA desk hacks, and thanks to the internet, these hacks give us plenty of inspiration. We’ve rounded up some of the best IKEA desk hacks worth trying at home—and we’re sure any one of them would spruce up your workspace.

01 of 20

Upgrade Your Desktop

A home office furnished with an extra-wide IKEA desk topped with shiplap, two upholstered chairs, and a cozy printed rug — Pennies for a Fortune

One easy way to spruce up your desk? Update your desktop. If your desk’s surface is weathered, damaged, or simply outdated, swap it with a butcher block countertop. Or take a page out of Pennies for a Fortune blogger Fariha Nasir’s playbook, and top your desk with shiplap, instead.

02 of 20

Craft a Base From Kitchen Cabinets

A DIY IKEA desk made from black kitchen cabinets, leather drawer pulls, and a wooden surface — IKEA Hackers

If you’re desperate for storage space, use kitchen cabinets as your desk base. It may sound like an odd IKEA desk hack, but the kitchen section is a great place to start when designing a desk. Snag the combination of cabinets, drawers, and shelves that best meets your needs. Then, finish off your desk with an appropriately sized countertop.

03 of 20

Tuck a Floating Desk Into a Narrow Space

A floating desk tucked inside a wallpaper-lined cubby — Grillo Designs

Your desk doesn’t necessarily need a base. If you’re navigating a narrow space, mount an IKEA shelf on your wall, and use that as your desk. Just be sure to sprinkle in some finishing touches—like printed wallpaper and a sleek office chair—to make the cubby feel more like a workspace.

04 of 20

Cut Your Desk to Fit Your Space

An IKEA desk that's been cut to fit precisely inside a home office — Grillo Designs

A truly great custom piece shouldn’t just look good in your space—it should perfectly fit into it. So don’t be afraid to carve up your desk until it sits snugly against any corners, trim, or outlets that might otherwise be in its way.

This may sound like an intimidating IKEA desk hack, but it’s super budget-friendly. So, if things go awry on your first attempt, you can reorder your pieces and try again.

05 of 20

Paint Every Drawer a Different Color

A white IKEA desk with four drawers, all of which have been lined with colorful peel-and-stick vinyl — Lovely Indeed

Your IKEA desk hack doesn’t have to involve construction. Paint your desk drawers in different colors to customize your desk without picking up a screwdriver. And if paint sounds like an overwhelming commitment, line your drawers with peel-and-stick vinyl.

06 of 20

Turn a Traditional Desk Into a Flip-Top

An IKEA desk, which has been modified to become a flip-top workspace for two — Lemon Thistle for Remodelaholic

If you don’t mind putting forth a little effort, you can take one of IKEA’s traditional desks and transform it into a flip-top desk. By cutting up the desk, reconfiguring its pieces, and installing brand-new hinges, you can take a design and turn it into something new. Sure, this IKEA desk hack is a little involved, but a little elbow grease is worth it when you end up with a desk that meets all your needs.

07 of 20

Pair Trestle Legs With a Desktop of Your Choice

A custom desk made with IKEA trestle legs and a custom live-edge wood slab — Lemon Thistle for Remodelaholic

If you want to design a desk from scratch, IKEA has you covered. The store has an entire section dedicated to table legs and trestles, which you can pair with a desktop to create a custom desk.

08 of 20

Make the Most of an Office Corner

A home office furnished with two white IKEA desks and a matching white IKEA cabinet — Paper Chic Plans

The great thing about IKEA storage solutions is that they abound. You can piece together a sleek workspace with minimal effort. Pair a couple of IKEA desks with a matching storage unit to outfit your office corner in a sleek, space-efficient, and incredibly storage-friendly way.

09 of 20

Turn Tall Cabinets Into a Standing Desk

A standing desk made from unfinished IKEA cabinets — Paper & Stitch

If you’re the kind of person who likes to stand while you work, snag a set of extra-tall cabinets to use as your desk base in this stylish IKEA desk hack. And if the tallest cabinets on offer still aren’t tall enough, add height by mounting feet onto the bottom of each cabinet.

10 of 20

Spray Paint Your Desk Legs

A white IKEA desk with hairpin legs that have been spray-painted mint — Ruth Eileen for Style Me Pretty

No rule says your IKEA desk hack has to be complicated. So if all your desk needs is a light makeover, consider spray-painting its legs a vibrant color. The low-maintenance refresh will make your desk more eye-catching without requiring much effort.

11 of 20

Build Your Desk Into the Wall

A home office built-in featuring two IKEA desks and an IKEA set of drawers — Hydrangea Treehouse

At the high end of interior design, you’ll find custom cabinets, shelves, and furniture built directly into the wall. If you’re willing to put in a little work, you can recreate this effect for the ultimate IKEA desk hack. Combine desks, drawers, and countertops to build a custom workspace that covers an entire wall. Finalize your built-in by attaching it to your wall.

12 of 20

Pair Two Desk Bases

A custom desk lined with trestle legs on one side and a cabinet on the other — IKEA Hackers

When piecing together an IKEA desk, it’s common to create a base from two matching kitchen cabinets or two matching trestle legs. But if you only need one set of drawers, why not mix and match? Use a cabinet on one side of your desk base and trestle legs on the other. This unconventional IKEA desk hack will leave you with furniture that looks even more custom.

13 of 20

Give Your Desk a Slight Overhang

An IKEA desk made from white cabinets and a wooden surface with a slight overhang — Shift Interiors

Your desktop doesn’t have to sit flush with your desk base. This can be an incredibly sleek approach, but if you’re craving something with a little more dimension, consider giving your desk an overhang. Let your desktop extend beyond your desk base a few inches in every direction.

14 of 20

Pair an Extra-Tall Desk With Comfy Barstools

A tall IKEA desk that comfortably fits two IKEA barstools — Huskverna

Your desk doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It needs a desk chair to be fully usable (unless you’re designing a standing desk). So factor seating into your design equation in this unique IKEA desk hack. Are your cabinets the right height to comfortably accommodate a chair? If they’re too short, use feet to elevate your desk. And if they’re too tall, well, you can pair your desk with a cozy barstool.

15 of 20

Make Your Base From Dressers

Looking for an IKEA desk hack that makes your space more storage-friendly? Use dressers as your desk base. The approach will give you all the drawer space you could ask for—though it might give your desk chair less room to move around.

16 of 20

Mount Pegboards Above Your Desk

A green home office furnished with an extra-wide IKEA desk, wall-mounted shelves, and an extra-wide IKEA pegboard — Jessica Welling Interiors

Your workspace doesn’t stop at your desk. And your IKEA desk hack doesn’t have to stop there, either. Once you’ve pieced together the desk of your dreams, consider mounting a couple of pegboards on your wall to enhance your storage set-up while making your workspace look more decorated.

17 of 20

Line Your Desk Top With Contact Paper

An IKEA desk with a white base and a top lined with marble contact paper — Pretty Providence

There’s more than one way to upgrade your desktop. One classic IKEA desk hack is to replace it with a brand-new material. But if you don’t feel like going through all that trouble, consider lining it with contact paper, instead. Snag peel-and-stick paper in a color, print, or texture you love. Or find shiny material that mimics the look of marble—just like Sarah Skaggs, of Pretty Providence, did here.

18 of 20

Make Custom Desk Legs From Scratch

An IKEA desk with a two-part base, made up of black IKEA cabinets and hand-crafted wooden legs — The Merrythought

Remember that all your pieces don’t have to come from IKEA. You can snag an IKEA countertop as your desktop, score an IKEA kitchen cabinet to use as part of your base, and find the rest of your base somewhere else. Merrythought's Manda McGrath chose to craft custom legs to finish her desk. But you could just as easily buy yours at a different store.

19 of 20

Line the Edges of Your Desk With Plywood

An IKEA desk lined with plywood along the top and side — Lemon Thistle

Your desk may be made up of a few different parts, but the right finishing touches can make it look like a single piece. By lining the edges of your desk with the same kind of plywood—or the same wood veneer—you can make it look like a standalone piece of furniture rather than a piecemeal DIY project.

20 of 20

Finish Your Desk With a Striking Stain

An unfinished IKEA desk finished with a natural stain — Abounding in Grace

Many IKEA wood pieces come unfinished, so it’s up to you to top them off with a coat of paint, a wood stain, or some other kind of finish for a simple IKEA desk hack. Look for something striking enough to tie your workspace together—and durable enough to withstand the wear and tear of everyday use.

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