We are slowly plugging away on our office area, and the first project was this desk build. We added some shiplap style pine panelling to the wall (it comes pre-primed which is nice!) and repurposed a cabinet base we had from the cottage. Matt cut off the kick plate of the cabinet to bring it closer to desk height, and added a slim spacer underneath. Kitchen cabinets are typically about 36″ tall, and desk height should be between 28″-30″. This desk is a little taller than that, but it definitely works! We ordered an 8 foot piece of butcher block counter top from IKEA- and just like that we had the makings of a desk.
The desk is resting on a cleat on the wall side, and Matt cut down an MDF sheet to create an end gable on the right. To add stability and some strength we also put a ripped down 2×4 on the front of the gable.
We decided to just use flat panel doors on the upper cabinets, with the intention of adding a slim shaker profile to the fronts, similar to our IKEA wardrobe hack. These doors are really affordable at a little over $18 each. Two of the doors were damaged when they arrived, so keep in mind the centre cabinet will be getting doors as well. I am also planning to replace the base cabinet fronts, but in the short term I think I’ll just paint them. The cabinet itself is in good shape, and is 24 inches wide. Everything is going to get painted out in one color to give it a cohesive built in look: the upper cabinets, base and wall panelling.
We are on the hunt for new flooring, but until then I’ve stuck an old area rug down. It’s not my style, but it’s cozy for now! Plus it means less of this old stained tile to look at. Bonus- it hides dirt really well. Haha. Let’s just say one thing I have learned in the last year of farm life is that white sofas and light area rugs don’t hold up well to farm life. There is too much wood for my liking, but I think I am going to wait until we select our floors and get our new kitchen in before I do anything with it. I just feel like I need to pace myself when it comes to projects.
I’ve had my eye on a few different paint colors for the desk area, and yesterday I picked up some samples: Benjamin Moore Backwoods, Sherwin Williams Pewter Green, and Behr Creamy Mushroom. Here is a quick look on a very dark rainy day, with lots of counter clutter to ignore. 😉
These are all just one coat, but I definitely have a front runner. On the drawer base the colors from top to bottom are Backwoods, Pewter Green and Creamy Mushroom.
Hoping to get the baseboard in, nail holes filled and start painting soon!
-Miss Ash
Great idea! Desks are a necessity.