Around the Web
enter your email


powered by FeedBlitz

Around the Web
Design Sponge
April 23rd, 2008
diy project: maggi’s minimalist oak desk


today’s first diy project (of 4!) belongs to brooklynite maggi pattillo. she created this simple but stunning desk with a few boards from lowes and a whole lot of crafty-ness. her instructions are easy-to-follow and make for a fantastic weekend project if you’re looking to create a custom desk area. click here for maggi’s instructions or just click “read more” below. [thanks, maggi!]

Maggi’s Minimalist Oak Desk

Materials:

* two 6-ft. oak boards cut into two 5-ft. long sections and two 5-in. long sections
* three 4-inch metal L brackets
* stud finder
* electric drill with drill bits and screwdriver bit
* twelve 2 in. long wood screws
* (optional) tung oil

Instructions:

1. I bought oak boards from Lowe’s and had them cut them to size and cut smaller pieces for the sides.

2. I drilled pilot holes for the screws in the top and bottom board (see picture below) and then screwed each side to the bottom.

3. I mounted the top to the wall using the L brackets brackets screwed into three studs (see picture below).

4. I then screwed the bottom and sides to the top and it was finished.

5. Afterwards, I rubbed it down with tung oil to protect it, which darkened the wood slightly but retained the matte finish.

Blog Widget by LinkWithin
35 comments
April 23rd, 2008 - 10:12 am

Oh, it’s gorgeous :) I had a bolted in cupboard fall on me once…. probably had it too full of canned goods though…. but I don’t imagine you’ll have any problems with this delicate piece of work!

Connie Collins said:
April 23rd, 2008 - 10:12 am

I love the desk! But how wide are the boards?

jen said:
April 23rd, 2008 - 10:17 am

very cool idea! the final result is fab, and i love the artwork maggi has.

Lauren said:
April 23rd, 2008 - 10:20 am

that’s so cool. thanks for posting this!

maeve said:
April 23rd, 2008 - 10:22 am

oh, this is lovely. maybe if i made a desk like this it would force me to be neater!

jenny said:
April 23rd, 2008 - 10:22 am

wonderful!

April 23rd, 2008 - 10:31 am

that’s beautiful! i’d love to have something like this in our bedroom or something. i wish my studio area could have one of these, but all the stuff i work on takes up a lot more space than something like this could offer. i’m going to keep this in mind for when we buy a house, though!

Brianna said:
April 23rd, 2008 - 10:48 am

This desk is fabulous! It is such a great idea for a small space. Which of course, since I live in LA, “small” is the only kind of space I have.

ellen said:
April 23rd, 2008 - 10:49 am

oh this is great! I’m definitely putting this on my to do list…thanks for sharing!

inca girl said:
April 23rd, 2008 - 10:52 am

I might well try this. I have a tiny office, this might well do the trick..

Tommy said:
April 23rd, 2008 - 10:53 am

Great project!

What is the width of the boards?

Casey said:
April 23rd, 2008 - 10:55 am

oh wow. this is fantastic–and what a great “small space” solution!

virginia said:
April 23rd, 2008 - 11:06 am

i love it! perfect for my fossil and shell collection. another product to use is: restor-a-finish. i use the maple “color” because it has minimal stain, but makes the grain more obvious.

April 23rd, 2008 - 11:08 am

Fantastic, fantastic! What a beautiful piece. I can see it working well in a makeshift entryway. Awesome project.

AMM said:
April 23rd, 2008 - 11:27 am

This is fabulous. I’m doing it! Possibly even *this* weekend.

How deep did you drill the pilot holes?

pam said:
April 23rd, 2008 - 11:38 am

i LOVE this idea, i’ve really been trying to think of a great desk! and i LOVE this!!

jane said:
April 23rd, 2008 - 12:57 pm

This is the best thing I have seen in a while…I love it. So simple and yet so beautiful and functional.

I think it would also make a great sideboard in a small dining room.

grace said:
April 23rd, 2008 - 5:01 pm

Sorry, we had a comment glitch so I’m posting a few comments that were mistakenly posted under the center advertisement:

OpenHouseRichmond: how cute! way to go Maggi! you’re so creative.

Colleeen: really, really great. great-looking and very space-efficient.

amelia said:
April 23rd, 2008 - 5:02 pm

this is so simple and beautiful.

Leah said:
April 23rd, 2008 - 5:04 pm

Great project. Bit small for a desk for me, but it would be great in an entryway too!

Courtney said:
April 23rd, 2008 - 6:47 pm

Great desk!

April 23rd, 2008 - 8:03 pm

What a delightfully simple and effective design!

cindy said:
April 23rd, 2008 - 10:09 pm

Wonderful desk!
I am thinking about moving my bedroom around. If I do it, this desk would work great in the area my bed is currently in!
Thanks
Cindy

maggi said:
April 24th, 2008 - 7:48 pm

Hi guys,

I was out of town until tonight and didn’t realize my desk was on the site! Thanks for all the great comments! To answer your questions:

The boards are 5 feet long and 10 inches wide. (The mid section pieces are 10″ x 5 “). I drilled the pilot holes about half an inch in. You just need to get the screws started so they don’t split the (fairly thin) board.

~Maggi

Kellis said:
April 24th, 2008 - 10:27 pm

I know I don’t need one of these, but I need one of these.

Caroline said:
April 25th, 2008 - 6:04 am

This is lovely – such a tidy spot. I can see so many possible uses. Very well done, indeed!

Cate said:
April 27th, 2008 - 8:25 pm

This is wonderful! My partner is alot taller than me and always finds desks too low so this would be a great idea!

razzberri said:
April 29th, 2008 - 12:26 am

I’m in the middle of a bathroom reno and had the idea to install a built-in make-up counter but was trying to decide what style I wanted and how I was going to go about building it. NOW I KNOW! This will work perfectly, and the best thing is, I only need to make it about 3 feet wide and have enough wood in my garage already!

selma said:
July 2nd, 2008 - 10:42 am

What a great idea! I love this look. I am going to do something similar and paint it black and add some wall-mural stickers in silver or white, or maybe some cool silver stamps on it and then line the inside with gift wrap paper in a stripped black/silver/white pattern. I’m very excited about this. Thanks loads for sharing!

Jack said:
August 18th, 2008 - 4:01 am

This is so nice, would it be possible to use a desktop computer on it such as an iMac? It weighs about 20 pounds. Thanks!

Jack said:
August 19th, 2008 - 5:52 am

Also, could the width be extended another 5 or 6 inches? Or will that send it flying to the ground?

noel said:
October 30th, 2008 - 1:22 pm

can this project be extended to 8 ft. long? I have four children! I woulsd lobe to make this 8 ft by 18 in.. is that possible?

Zach said:
January 13th, 2009 - 9:25 am

Does anyone have info on about how much weight this shelf/desk should hold because i’m wanting to use it as a small laptop desk in a small apartment to save space from a big bulky desk?

Maggi said:
January 26th, 2009 - 8:54 pm

I use it for my laptop computer but you could probably put an imac on it. Be sure to put it in at least 2 studs with screws. I used toggle or molly bolts on the other brace.

I think the boards should not be more than 15-17 inches.

RFS said:
February 24th, 2009 - 4:29 pm

To keep the underside from sagging in the future, you might want to add a center divider to hold the two long sides parallel. You could probably glue it in and it would hold, though pocket screws would be better. You just don’t want to screw down through the top.

Write a Comment:
Design*Sponge reserves the right to restrict comments that do not contribute constructively to the conversation at hand, contain profanity, personal attacks or seek to promote a personal or unrelated business.

Name (required)

Email (will not be published) (required)

Website