Longed-for Home Office

Jules Yap·
Work Station
··12 Comments
Home
IKEA HACKS
Work Station

Photo: IKEA.com

Materials: Hemnes with add on unit plus one more add on unit

Description: Coveting a desk I’d found on-line five years ago and not being able to find it in my area nor probably afford it, the following was my solution.

We bought the Hemnes desk with add-on unit plus one more add-on unit to get the height I was looking for.

Hubby built the desk per the Ikea directions until he got to the add-on unit. We flipped it upside down — so the drawers were at the top and left the middle trim piece off of the top (which is really now the bottom). He did add the trim pieces on each of the columns and then placed a shelf over the opening — kind of makes hidden storage that no one knows about but us!

Inspiration photo

Hubby cut down the top piece to a little wider than the add-on unit and then stacked the second add-on unit on top.

I figure I got my longed-for office space for about a third of the price.

~ Carla

Jules Yap
Latest posts by Jules Yap (see all)

12 Responses

  1. I just ordered this desk (waiting for it). And am now suddenly panicking if my mac will fit in the hutch?
    These are the dimensions….

    Height: 20.3 inches (51.6 cm)
    Width: 25.6 inches (65.0 cm)

    I think you are saying it will right? (Fingers crossed)

    Reply

  2. Hi, what is your impression of the quality of the ikea desk? I really like your idea and the look. My daughter wants to do the same, just wondering if the quality is there in this desk – love ikea but some furniture is more durable than others. thanks for posting!

    Reply

    1. I have this and other Hemnes pieces in my home. I believe the Hemnes brand is made of solid wood. Soft woods, but solid. I’ve not been disappointed in this.

      Reply

  3. Re: “The opening on the hutch is 27-1/4″ wide and 24 inches tall. My iMac fits in there just nicely!” – Thanks Anonymous, that is exactly the information I required that Ikea could not find for me! That means you could fit a larger monitor than the 24″ Ikea advise, my 26″ will fit easily and there’s still room for a larger one for the future.
    Great Hack by Jules – very tempted to do this too.

    Reply

  4. Hey, this looks amazing. I was wondering, how width across is the leg well? I see the monitor area is 27″ across and the elg well below looks about the same. I’m thinking of getting the same one and doing something similar, but my partner is wheelchair bound, so trying to figure out if she’d be able to roll her wheelchair in without getting stuck or catching her knuckles on the sides of the cabinets.

    Reply

  5. Thinking of doing the same, only in white with a Hemnes glass door cabinet on each side – to make a wall desk piece. If I understand you right – the lower ‘add-on’ piece your hubby built upside down, then made its normal top a bit more narrow so the 2nd add-on piece stacked on nicely. Is that right? I’m not getting where the ‘secret’ compartment is….put it this way….we can put the furniture together – but other than that, we’re not very handy. How difficult is it to do what you hubby did

    Reply

  7. @ Ostracan C. E. — don’t think I didn’t realize I just let everyone in on that little secret and had to resist adding “and now all of you”. haha. Had he thought ahead, he would have put a hinge on it as right now it’s just a loose board sitting there.

    The opening on the hutch is 27-1/4″ wide and 24 inches tall. My iMac fits in there just nicely!

    And what you can’t see is the pre-drilled holes allow the USB cords for the camera to run into the polka-dot basket that also stores the camera! Handy but out of sight.
    Thanks all for your kind words! Carla

    Reply

  8. Brilliant! So neat! Just love the whole thing. Want to do the same for my husband office… and finally have it decluttered (hopefully!)

    Reply

  10. The work area is great, just needs some color on the wall. Maybe like a light beige or khaki?

    Reply

  11. “He did add the trim pieces on each of the columns and then placed a shelf over the opening — kind of makes hidden storage that no one knows about but us!”

    …and everyone who has read this post. 😉

    I really like the looks of this. And all kidding aside, the hidden storage is a bonus. Would it be possible to put the unused center trim piece on the bottom of the “top” hutch (on the same level as the top drawers) to cover the gap made between the two shelves to make additional hidden (and larger) storage just like your hubby did with the column shelf and trim?

    Also, what are the dimensions of the opening of the hutch? I’m wondering how wide of a monitor could be used in this.

    Good job!

    Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

© COPYRIGHT 2022 IKEAHACKERS.NET | IKEA® is a registered trademark of Inter-IKEA Systems B.V.
IKEAhackers.net is a fan-run website and is NOT related to IKEA®, IKEA.com or the IKEA Group.
Any and all links to IKEA.com are presented for reader convenience only and
do not imply IKEA's approval of this website and/or the modification of its products.
IKEA® and IKEAhackers.net are not liable for any product failure, injury or damage
resulting from the application of hacks featured on this site.