Try A Simple IKEA Hack To DIY A Sleek Floating Desk To Transform Your Home Office

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Nobody wants to spend all their time working, but having a home office you love makes it a lot easier. One essential for almost every home office is a desk, but it can be tough to find one that fits your aesthetic and functional needs. Fortunately, with a little creativity you can make yourself a sleek floating desk from an IKEA SÄLJAN countertop and some hardware. Of all the modern home office ideas you never saw coming, this one might really surprise you with its combination of utility and sleek looks. The magic here literally rests on some steel pipes mounted to the wall with floor flanges. 

The 1 ½ inch thick laminate board sits atop the pipes and mounts, making them invisible so it appears like you're working on a floating surface. The SÄLJAN countertop is 25 ⅝ inches deep and comes in 74- and 98-inch lengths and four colors to suit any space. Looking for a desk large enough to share? Use the larger size to create a home office for two. 

If you prefer a shorter desk — or two separate ones — you can cut it to length, but you'll lose the smooth finished edges on what is essentially particle board. You could cover the edges with strips of molding or rubber trim, although that will take away from the invisibility factor. This is a simple project that can be completed in a day with easily found tools and supplies, some of which you might already have in your home.

The most important piece for this project is the IKEA SÄLJAN countertop we'll be using for the desktop, but you'll also need to visit a hardware store for six to eight pieces of ¾-inch black iron pipe and some other supplies. This VPC black steel schedule 40 pipe comes in a 2-foot length that works well for this project. For each piece of pipe, get a VPC's black iron FPT floor flange and at least two metal conduit straps to attach the pipe to the countertop. To put it all together you'll also need a stud finder, tape measure, level, and drill/driver along with some ¾ and 2-inch-long wood screws. If you're looking for home office desk ideas that will make remote work a whole lot easier, this one gives you plenty of space for a comfortable workstation.

Use the stud finder to find the vertical supports in your chosen wall and mark each one at a comfortable desk height with a pencil. Most people work well with a desk around 30 inches high, but see how high your hands are while sitting in a chair with your arms bent 90 degrees at the elbow. Screw the flanges into the wall with the 2-inch screws, insert the pipes, and rest the wood slab on top leaving an inch or two between the desktop and wall for cords to pass through. Next, crawl underneath and use the conduit straps and short screws to attach the wood piece to the pipes, checking with the level as you go along. It helps to have an assistant hold the countertop in place during this step so it doesn't slide out of place. 

You can adapt this DIY piece to any theme or decor by painting the desk and supports a vibrant color or covering the desktop in peel and stick wallpaper. This simple yet sleek floating desk isn't available in any store, but if you're not committed to the floating look, you can always add legs. One simple way to do so is by mounting one piece of iron pipe vertically at each corner using flanges on the underside of the countertop. If you go this route, get some furniture leg caps to protect your floors or carpeting.