DIY Custom Desk {Reveal}

It's funny how some things in our home just become standard, no matter how much we may despise them ... off the top of my head I can think of several little annoyances I first had about our home that I don't even see anymore. One thing is a scuff on the trim at the top of the stairs. It is only about a 1x1" square smudge that has been there since we moved in, but it drives me insane. Why haven't I just painted over it in about 30 seconds? Well, it's just one of those things I have yet to get to.

One thing I knew I NEEDED to fix {mostly because I was about to go absolutely insane and throw it out the office window} was my desk situation. As a teacher, grad student, crafter/DIYer, and now, I guess, blogger, I really needed a more functional workspace to be able to complete all of the projects that I CONSTANTLY have going on.

I knew that I wanted a desk that was going to be larger than normal with much more room than just a few drawers, as is standard in a typical desk. I also knew I wanted to have some space for my makeup area {just a little mirror and a basket of makeup} because I cannot, for the life of me, stand and do my makeup in the bathroom. I don't know why, but I just can't do it.

So, before we get into the steps on how I tackled this custom-built desk that I absolutely ADORE, lets take a look at the gem I have been using as a desk for the past TWELVE YEARS. TWELVE.

Yep, true story. This is the desk I've had since I was 12 years old. It came as a part of a BUNK BED SET I had in my bedroom. As you can see from the beautiful chipped paint, I had painted the desk bright purple at one point {great choice?} and then covered that up with black paint, which all eventually began to chip throughout the many moves that it was slammed into U-haul truck walls and the like. 

{Just FYI}: Over the past 12 years this desk has moved from Michigan to New York, from New York to Ohio, from my childhood home to my college apartment, from my college apartment to my grown-up apartment, all the way to our first home. It's been around the block, AND BACK. Needless to say, not only was this thing a complete eyesore, it was not functional for my needs in the slightest. At 12 years old, this was plenty of space for a couple "Teen People" magazines and some lipgloss, but girlfriend has some more serious needs for a desk at this stage in the game.

I found the PERFECT desk for the office based on what I thought I really would need {and use} for storage and organization purposes. The only problem was, the desk I had my eye on was $1200 ... not exactly the kind of money I was planning on spending on a desk, like, ever. {See desk here: Pottery Barn Project Table Desk}

Using this desk as inspiration, I knew we could tackle a DIY desk for WAY less cost, while still achieving the same amount of space and storage.

We started off by purchasing {2} Closetmaid Shelf Organizers. 

I purchased mine at Target for approx. $34/organizer, using a coupon off of the Cartwheel App.

Next, I assembled the shelves. We were expecting these to be a much more daunting task, but we were pleasantly surprised at how little effort they took to complete. At this point, I started playing around with how far apart I wanted the bases of the desk to be. 

Keep in mind, these shelves are about 3' tall, meaning this is one mega-desk.

The next step was to decide how we wanted to create the top of our table. I knew I wanted a dark top with a white base {similar to our dining room table}, but I wasn't sure which type of wood was going to work best or be most cost-effective. I love the Minwax stain: Dark Walnut {I feel like I use it for everything}, and figured I would just use that for the top since we already have a can in the garage.

Now, please keep in mind that while I try really hard at DIY projects, and typically get them to come out pretty great, I do have epic fails at least 1x during the project, where I later ask myself, "REALLY? What was I thinking?!" This was one of those moments.

After spending approx. 45 minutes on the floor of Lowes' lumberyard, arranging and re-arranging different types of wood/widths, etc, we collected the pieces we were going to use. We decided on the wood we wanted to make our top and started to leave the store {finally}. 

As we were hauling the lumber around Lowe's, we spotted some espresso-colored shelves in the home organization aisle. After examining them, we decided they would make the PERFECT top to our desk, if only they would be the right measurements. What are the chances that they added up to the exact length and width that we wanted for our desk top? {With us, that would be a 0% chance, on a good day}. So, again, we sprawled across the floor, laying out our boards to see how it would look. We loved it and decided to go this route. These boards were already stained & finished {their real purpose is to be used as shelving in a closet}, and were cheaper than the lumber we were originally going to use. SCORE! 

We got home and started putting the desk together! We worked from the front of the desk towards the back, which ended up being a great plan. There is a slight discrepancy of maybe 1/4" towards the back of the desk, but the only reason you would know is because I just told you. :)

 I LOVE the way the desk turned out! I have so much space to fill with my grad books, crafting supplies, school supplies, etc. As you can {sort of} see, I found a TON of super cute baskets in gray, white, and black in the Target Dollar Spot for $1 each to use in the cubes.

Sophie loves hanging out near her mommy's new desk! 

{Ps. ignore the overflowing garbage, full of wrappers from this project. Photos were taken as soon as we finished. I couldn't wait!}

Final cost breakdown for this custom 6x3' desk:

- {2} Closetmaid Shelving Units - 9 cubes: $34.00/piece, $68.00

(with the use of a Cartwheel App coupon, normally $39.99 at Target)

- {3} Blue Maid Shelves in Espresso: $11.48/shelf, $34.44

Shelves Available Here

- {1} Package of 1" screws to attach top of desk to the base: $5.00

Total cost: $107.44

*I will need to get a bar-stool height chair for this desk, which will be an additional cost, my chair is now too short, as you can see in the photos. I plan on getting a fun-patterned stool with a back from Target's Threshold line. I just have to decide which one I like best!

So, now you know how to create a custom DIY desk for $108, about $1,100 cheaper than the desk I had originally wanted! It is quite the mammoth desk, but I know that I will love having all of the extra space for my supplies/tasks and for organization purposes. :) Now I'm off to start filling my cubes!