This morning we checked out the house tour of Naseem Alizadeh of The Bureau for Architecture and Urbanism and were psyched to see that Naseem works at the same desk as we do. The Ikea Melltorp was originally designed to be a dining table, but we've noticed more and more people using it as their home office workspace. We're not surprised since it's a pretty wicked desktop.
What makes it so special? It's simple. The white on white design means it's unobtrusive to the eyes, it's width (if you're working on the 49-inch version; Naseem seems to be on the 68-inch version) is just wide enough to fit your legs and install a small drawer system underneath. We installed Ikea's Helmer underneath our table. Also, the depth is just deep enough to fit all your home office peripherals, plus any tchotchke you insist on having at your disposal (guilty!).
The best part? It's cheap! The 49-inch version goes for $60, while the 68-inch goes for $70. We've had ours for about three years now and it still looks great -- despite the 18 hours a day 7 days a week of use it gets.
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Comments (13)
I've always wanted to use the long one as a desk, but alas, no room for anything but the tiny square version. It really is a desk in its absolute simplest form.
It truly is the one of the best bargains on the planet. Cheap, minimal, elegant and built like a tank. I bought the long on one first as a dining table and again for a desk. They sit about 4 feet apart in my studio apartment.
This table is hillarious, i use it as dining table. I am not sure if it is stable enough for use as office table. Especially the long one.
Yep, I use it as a desk, too, for all the reasons mentioned above. It's simple, blends in well with most any decor, durable, and cheap. And if I ever decide to upgrade to a different desk, I'm sure I can find another use for the Melltorp somewhere else in my house. Originally I wanted to by a Parsons desk from West Elm, but this was just so much cheaper.
I use the long one as our desk, and the shorter (4 person) one as our kitchen table! I LOVE it!
What kind of file cabinet is that green one in the photos?
I bought this specifically to use as a craft table in my bedroom. It's long enough to work on two projects at once and have storage underneath (I have the 68-inch). It's sturdy and very easy to clean - if something hardens on the surface, a plastic palette knife and some clorox wipes get it right up. Best $70 I ever spent!!!!!
How's the height for typing? Can you mount a pull-out drawer beneath?
We have it for both our dining room table and our office desk! It's really versatile + is the perfect height/width/depth for spreading your work and studying etc.
It is very similar to a Parsons' table fits everywhere if you have the space. You can use the shorter version and use 2 billys bookshelves on each side, and a cork board over it. Thanks for reminding me of this very cool table.
quiltmaster, the height for typing is perfect. We use it as a dining table in the kitchen, and I work there, too. And it does look good. But it's not very stable - really sad because it could be, considering it has a steel frame. It gets wobbly after a very short time, the way the parts are joined is not very clever. Fairly typical for IKEA - the design is ok, but the details are crappy...
It's absolutely true! In my home office I have both a Melltorp and a Mikael against the wall. The Melltorp serves as the perfect art desk - the table top has a smooth texture which is important for when I'm drawing, and has a lot of space for my tools. The Mikael serves as my computer desk.
Melltorp is sturdy but easy for one person to move around when needed. I love it!
melltorp! why are you so wobbly!