Workspace Plus Storage

Materials: 3 x VIKA AMON tabletop - 78", 3 x EXPEDIT shelves - 2x4, flat braces, drawer pull, 10x1 board, white paint


Description: Our spare bedroom serves so many purposes - home office, sewing/knitting/craft room, guest room - too many to name. And until recently, it was also a catch-all for furniture that didn't fit anywhere else in the house. When we chose to reorganize this space, we knew we wanted lots of desk space and sufficient storage for odds and ends, without losing the floorspace we need for the pull-out bed.

We chose to build an enormous L-shaped desk that wrapped half way around the room using three 78" Vika tabletops supported by three 2x4 Expedit shelving units set on their sides. This allowed about 9 inches of the tabletop to hang over the shelves so every part of it works as usable desk space with room to tuck your legs in beneath it.

We cut one of the tabletops to fit it into the space, but we were able to hide that edge in a corner so you don't notice it. We used a few flat brackets to tie the tabletops to one another. Once the tabletops are tied together, the L shape of the unit supports the tabletops so they don't need to be tied to the shelves.


Because the tabletops are just a bit higher than was comfortable to type, we bought some heavy-duty drawer pulls from the hardware store and a 26 inch piece of 10x1 pine, painted it white to match the rest of the unit and built a pull-out keyboard tray. We used the insides of two of the cubbies to mount the keyboard tray at a comfortable height.


~ E.S.