18 DIY Desk Ideas to Make Working from Home a Breeze

With so many of us working from home these days, a home office space has become a must. But if buying a brand-new desk keeps getting put on your budget backburner, there are tons of DIY desk ideas that can finally make your oft-imagined office space a reality. And the good news is, a desk is one of the easiest DIY projects out there – so many different pieces of furniture can be converted into a desk, and many can be found for next to nothing at antique shops or through online sites like Facebook marketplace. 

If you’re in search of a workspace to call your own, even if it’s just an office nook in your living room, there’s no time like the present to give an existing piece of furniture a fun facelift. Or, you can craft your very own simple desk using whatever materials speak to you. 

DIY desk ideas can involve IKEA hacks, plywood boards set on top of storage cabinets, an ingenious fold-down desk or simply a thrift find that needs a fresh paint job. Keep reading for some of our favorite DIY desk ideas for painting, constructing, and revamping yourself a desk to suit your space, no matter how big or small. 

There’s a reason those antique roll-top desks were so popular way back when; they’re perfect for hiding desk clutter! When her partner pined for such a desk, first-time DIYer Sarah snagged one from Facebook Marketplace for just $50. A coat of stormy-gray paint and updated drawer pulls transformed the desk into a living room staple. 

Tiny space? No problem! A fold-down desk may be just the solution for you. While this one was purchased from Etsy, we imagine it would be an incredibly simple DIY project. 

This awesome space brings new meaning to the words floating desk! Suspended from two thick ropes, this diminutive desk by @Alisha_Dobbie is just the right size for a school-aged kid, or as a household management station.

Anne Louise Marquis’ boyfriend DIYed this awesome plywood bookcase/desk combo for her Brooklyn condo one weekend. It may not be a project for beginners, but the results offer not only a workspace, but also a place to showcase books and house a TV.

Mary Weafer of Weafer Design found a $25 desk on Craigslist which she revamped for her daughter. She painted it white, added new gold drawer pulls, and used light teal as an accent color for a totally refreshed look.

A farmhouse-style table can easily be repurposed into a desk, as Laura Barthelmess of Refunked Junque did. It offers ample space for spreading out your materials, or for allowing two people to comfortably work at the same time.

Jodi Bond of House on a Sugar Hill put together this super sweet desk all with a few supplies from Home Depot. After assembling the table, the color came from a few coats of Rust-Oleum spray paint. Getting creative with your desk’s color and shape makes for the perfect accent piece.

This three-cubby, plywood desk built by home decor and DIY blogger Erin Spain is industrial and utilitarian chic. We love the addition of an acrylic chair and matching metal lamp.

Floating desks, like this dreamy minimalist version from Julie of Lavender Julep, save space without cramping your style. Keeping the desk simple and decorating around it allows you to make changes when you get bored of your current setup. All it takes is a piece of wood and brackets to create a wall-mounted desk that’ll bring you years of use.

Found the perfect desk, but can’t stand the color or finish? Well, that’s an easy fix. Stephanie from My Seattle Farmhouse upgraded this desk with chalky-finish paint and a wax finish to make it better suit her bedroom. If you’re not keen on building a desk from the ground up, simply give an old item a new life. 

 
Haley Jones converted a $40 thrifted console table into a sleek desk. She simply painted it a matte black and spent $240 on a marble top for it.

Sara’s wall-mounted desk is pulled together with a sconce lamp, ladder bookcase, and Eiffel-style chair.

To make an extra-long desk, add three sawhorses, as seen in a tour of Le Petite Studio’s office on The Everygirl.

This minimalist desk involves a sheet of glass or plexiglass resting on top of two slender wooden sawhorses. Add more functionality with a storage cabinet underneath.

To construct this tandem desk spotted on Coco Lapine Design, balance two wood boards on top of a combination of $15 IKEA ODDVALT trestles and one ALEX drawer unit.

For a cohesive look, pair vintage sawhorses with a salvaged wood top, à la the desk above from Vintage Piken for KK Living.

In this before and after, a dark, drab MCM desk gets a flirty teal facelift. Super-cool lion drawer pulls and a cleverly placed strip of gold make this desk a visual masterpiece.

When it became clear that her family really needed a workspace despite having no obvious place to put it, Tiffany DeLangie decided to turn an awkward alcove into a perfect place to get work done. Vertical paneling gives a farmhouse vibe, while the 17-inch-deep floating shelf functions as a spacious desk.

Additional reporting by Carolin Lehmann