Jonathan’s DIY Rain Gutter Cable Management Desk

Written by

Gregory Han
Gregory Han
A Los Angeles native, Gregory’s interests fall upon the relationship between design, nature, and technology. His resume includes art director, toy designer, and design writer. Co-author of Poketo's "Creative Spaces: People, Homes, and Studios to Inspire", you can find him…read more
updated Jul 17, 2020
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

Unplggd reader Jonathan Crossman sent us his DIY desk with a rain gutter cable management hidden underneath built with reclaimed table legs and a stained wood top. At 8’x2′, the expansive desk should serve Jonathan for years to come, with the satisfaction he built it himself and that visible cable mess won’t be much of a worry. He shared some details below…

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
I built this desk last year and decided to give it an overhaul for my new place. It’s 8 feet long and nearly 2 feet deep. The first time around I had an older MacBookPro on it that ran so hot it split the top. It seemed like it was time to refinish the top and improve the base.

The initial build was a bit too high to comfortably work at. So the legs have been trimmed down and had adjustable feet attached. I also have an extreme distaste for cables and wires. They aren’t very aesthetically pleasing and they are just a nuisance to deal with. This time there are notches in the back to provide several access points to cables that will be stowed in a gutter hidden at the back of the desk.

The complete description of Jonathan’s DIY rain gutter desk is available over at his blog, with some other hidden cable organization examples below:

  • Use Rain Gutters to Wrangle Under-Desk Wires
  • Cable “Gutter” From a $4.99 Ikea Hanger Rack
  • Five Solutions for Five Wire Conundrums
  • Wiremold Surface Raceways
  • IKEA SIGNUM Cord Management