April 18, 2023
The details you’ve been waiting for… here is how we created this multi-functional office space on a budget with an IKEA desk hack AND IKEA Billy Bookcase hack (we threw in an IKEA wardrobe as well for a secret office cabinet!).
Of course, we have to start by showing you the Before of this room, which was meant to be a home office (it still functions as an office, but we’ve squeezed EVERY ounce of functionality out of this space to make a multi-functional room for the whole family!).
We didn’t want to spend a ton of money on this space or purchase anything that we didn’t feel comfortable having our 4 young children actually use, so we got creative with IKEA products and put together, not only a home office, but a dream kids’ workstation and plenty of storage.
I have a secret to tell you: even though the desks look built-in, they aren’t! There is actually a small space in between the desks and wall on both sides (which actually gives me a place to store my white board and a few other large, flat objects). The desk top is make with an IKEA pre-cut Karlby countertop (We used 2 of them to make 4 desks, but they come in different lengths, so you can customize this for your own space). The color we used is the Oak Veneer.
The countertops are supported by both the Alex drawers, as well as the Hilver table legs. If you are doing a smaller desk, the table legs might not be necessary – you could put a set of drawers on each side to support a single desk!
The pegboards you see above each desk are the SKADIS pegboard – these are very customizable, and you don’t even need to screw the into the wall! Each one comes with attachment hardware that you can mount the pegboard directly onto the desk top (this is what we did).
Storage
In order to keep the desks simple and clean, we needed to add more storage into the room. Moving over the other opposite wall, take a look at all of the storage! Both cabinet sets are also from IKEA.
(continued below for details)
We really maximized the wall space in this office by customizing the Billy Bookcase with glass doors, which is both a functional and aesthetically pleasing option.
We elevated these cabinets with alternative handles that we purchased at the hardware store. Having the glass-top doors really allows us to create some added beauty and organization in this room by styling the shelves inside for a more designer look.
The corner closed cabinet adds a TON of deep storage to this space (the biggest downside to the Billy bookcase cabinet is that the shelves are only 11.5″ deep). The cabinet is a fully-customized PAX Wardrobe with doors. Ours is the 29.5 in wide version, but it comes in three different width options. We also added different pulls to this cabinet that we purchased at the hardware store.
If you want to see more pictures of this office transformation, head on over to this post here, which shows the real “before” when we purchased the home, as well as more of the “after” images of the entire space (you’ll see we’ve added some things since then)!
Listing of products:
Counter: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/karlby-countertop-oak-veneer-70335207/
Drawers: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/alex-drawer-unit-drop-file-storage-white-50508176/
Table Legs: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/hilver-cone-shaped-leg-bamboo-80278273/
Bookcase with glass doors: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/billy-oxberg-bookcase-with-panel-glass-doors-white-s69281776/
Wardrobe Cabinet: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/pax-fardal-wardrobe-combination-white-high-gloss-white-s09481900/
Pegboard: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/skadis-pegboard-white-10321618/
Other Products seen in room:
Wooden Chairs (similar)
Play Table (similar)
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To learn more about Larkin Living Spaces Interior Design Studio, check out our main website here.
Have a great day!
Tierney
*P.S. Affiliate links may be used in my blog posts, but I promise I never recommend anything unless I truly love it!*
