It is finally time to share my IKEA Hack Standing Desk! We talk a lot in our coaching program about creating a sanctuary. Having read so many reports on how staying seated all day simply is not good for you (Washington Post: The health hazards of sitting and LifeHacker: How Sitting All Day Is Damaging Your Body and How You Can Counteract It are just two examples), I decided that I wanted a standing desk. This is also a perfect fit for our 1300 sq foot bungalow built in 1920 – there simply aren’t a lot places in our house to put a full desk with a chair.
One Sunday, Mike & I headed off to the land of possibilities, err, I mean IKEA. Fortunately for me, he is a wonderful man who humors me when I’ve got a decorating whim, and we hunted for the perfect parts for my desk which I plant to put in the garden after I get my freestanding patio covers. After a few rounds of the store, this was what we came up with.
For the Desk:
- Linnmon Table Top (39 3/8″ x 23 5/8″)
- Gerton Legs (Not shown in photo, ours are no longer available) – 4 adjustable height legs. Important: Measure the height that YOU need. I’m only 5’5″ – you might need longer legs for yours.
- Expedit Shelf Unit – This ended up being a critical part of the foundation of mine.
- Expedit 2-Drawer insert
- Branas Basket
- Texas A&M Yearbooks (*Not available at Ikea)
For the Shelf:
- Ekby Jarpen Shelf (31 1/8″ x 7 1/2″)
- Capita legs (set of 4 – 8″)
We always use the Fixa Drill to put our IKEA purchases together. We own a full-size drill, but Mike swears by the Fixa making putting furniture together fast & easy.
I measured out the perfect height for a keyboard for me using boxes on the kitchen counter, and subtracted the thickness of the table top from that height to get the required leg height. I also measured from there the height that I prefer to have my monitor at. I know it is high for some people, but it is perfect for me – fortunately, the legs come in shorter heights as well.
The first few weeks I used the desk, I discovered it still wasn’t quite right, and I was flexing my wrists at an awkward angle. One day, I cleared the desk off, pulled out my old college yearbooks and two other thick books, and put them under the desk. It raised it up another inch or so, and it is perfectly flat and stable so it works for me. If it had not worked, I would have gone back, purchased two more sets of countertop legs in the right height, and made the top of the desk stand on the Expedit shelf below. As it is, it is super stable and doesn’t move at all.
I don’t normally need it, but I brought home one of the Franklin Bar Stools that I had up at my studio for when I want to sit down. It comes in handy if I need to watch a long video, and I am going to try to do my client calls there this week as well to see how it works for height and light.
I still write my blog posts on my laptop, mostly out of habit. My laptop keyboard is my “writing” place. For work? My desk is perfect now. I love it!
(PS – my custom wood USB drives with my logo? You can get them at Photo Flash Drives – no minimum order, no fee for adding custom art work, and a great company to work with! Check them out!)
Christine Tremoulet
Latest posts by Christine Tremoulet (see all)
- To the Thin Women of the World – I’m Sorry - October 26, 2015
- Black Teeth, White Smile! Smart Ash Review - August 9, 2015
- The Joys of Being Over 40 - April 19, 2015
Aren’t treadmills all the rage now?
Randall Murrow I don’t know — I know they were a few years ago. We tried this first to go over our old treadmill, using PVC pipe … and it was a hot mess. This one is far more stable! Standing is better than sitting either way.
Last year for Christmas I got embroidered blankets for everyone in the family. This year? I’m getting everyone personalized USB drives. Thanks for the idea!
I only mention it because I remember considering a standing desk for purchase a few years ago. Now I see treadmill desks on the market.
I just bought a Geekdesk and am awaiting delivery!
So creative!
Jeff Jochum what is a Geekdesk, and how does it fit in your Starship Command set-up?
Thanks Leslie!
http://geekdesk.com
The GeekDesk or something similar was what sparked me going to Ikea to look for parts. I was a little determined…
I have a GeekDesk at work – we just bought the base and stole the top off of one of the other desks. LOVE it. I like that I can go from sitting to standing throughout the day (be sure you’re taking “sitting” breaks).
Julie, I fortunately only work in 1 – 1.5 hour increments throughout the day, and still do some work on my laptop – so I’m sitting, standing and walking.
Nice! I play “Walk Away the Pounds” videos in the background at my desk to remind me to move my feet throughout the day.
I LOVE my standing desk… got it at costco and it’s perfect for me
Wow this is ingenious! So glad I found this it’s incredible.
This is a fantastic idea! I have been considering purchasing a standing desk but I think I may head to IKEA and attempt to recreate this instead.
I love this idea, primarily because I love office stuff and geek it out. I wonder though, I sit for 3-4 hours at a time…don’t know if I could stand that long?
[…] course there are many other types of DIY standing desks. Christine Tremoulet of Vivid & Brave created a standing desk from books and Ikea products. If you Google DIY standing desks you will […]
[…] IKEA Hack: My Standing Desk – A few IKEA parts and I created a lovely standing desk. […]