Alex “Cavour” Desk

colsey·
IKEA Desk HacksIKEA HACKSWork Station
··29 Comments
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The plan
Alex

The Alex drawer unit
alex drawer unit

Desk frame and legs
desk frame
desk frame

Cutting down Alex to align with frame
Cutting down Alex to align with frame

Frame attached to Alex with modified towel rail
Frame attached to Alex with modified towel rail

Ikea cord tidy
Ikea cord tidy

Drawer bracket
Drawer bracket

Top drawer from Alex, chopped to 2/3 depth, with frame
Top drawer from Alex, chopped to 2/3 depth, with frame.

The Desk
Alex Desk

Alex

colsey
Latest posts by colsey (see all)

29 Responses

  1. Colsey,
    did you ever hear anything about the CNC for the legs. I for one am still highly interested in getting a set. If they are cost prohibitive, Is there any chance you could send out a high res version of your original draft so that we could fabricate them ourselves.

    Reply

    1. CNC turned out to be cost prohibitive due to set-up costs. I have a hi-res scan of the plans, but not sure how to add it to the post.

      Reply

    2. Jules kindly added the hi-res draft/plans. If you fabricate them, use the strongest hardwood you can work with, the glass top is very heavy! Good luck!

      Reply

  2. I was at my local IKEA and saw an ALEX with a filing cabinet. I was wondering if it would work on this hack. I can’t seem to find the filing cabinet on IKEA’s website so can someone please tell me what happened. Thanks

    Reply

  3. Colsey,
    Any update on the legs . Also would it be possible for you to email me a copy of the plans for the legs? The photo up top isn’t very clear Thanks.

    Reply

  5. Hi I love the design and the concept. What do i look for in the home depot for the legs? Also do you have more pics of making them?

    Reply

    1. I have a few more pics, but not sure how to add them to the post. Anyway, in the hardwood section of Home Depot, look for Poplar, but I had to glue pieces together to get the right thickness. Even better, go to a hardwood specialist and get 1″ x 1 3/8″ poplar, that will save a lot of work. You’ll need around 12 foot of material per leg. Use Gorilla Glue and biscuit joints, legs need to be strong due to the weight of the glass.

      Reply

    1. for that matter, any other details/plans/info would be appreciated. I’m trying to make this same table but with different dimensions.

      Which towel rails?

      Reply

    1. Kevin, the drawer support is custom, I could not find anything on Ikea or the web that was remotely suitable. It is solid aluminum rod, bent to shape, with threaded holes tapped at each end for the leg screws, then polished on a buffing wheel to look like chrome.

      Reply

  9. I’d be interested in purchasing legs too ! my DIY skills aren’t that go but if I had the legs I reckon I could put the rest together- please consider it:)

    Reply

  11. Thanks for all your comments. Yes, the organizer is SUMMERA, which is really for MALM drawers but can be hacked to fit most drawers. Desk is 28″ high, which suits me. A Cavour desk, apart from costing $15K for a modern reproduction, is enormous, far too big for my home office. While keeping the general proportions and balance of the 1949 original, my desk is scaled down to fit my room (and budget 🙂 ). The legs are poplar from Home Depot, each one made from about 10 individual pieces glued together then sanded and painted. 3/8″ glass top weighs a ton and the legs are stressed with the cantilever shape, but seem to be holding up well. The floating drawer and sliders are 5″ shorter than the others and it has a symmetrical finished back, giving it a clean look under the glass top.

    Reply

  13. Hi, does anybody knows if the organiser used in the seperated drawer is from Ikea ? If yes, what’s its name ? thanks

    Reply

  15. I dunno, Mr. Carlos. Cutting the drawer set and making the leftover into the “floating” drawer puts it into the Hack category instead of the simple Idea category.

    Reply

  18. Nice desk! I think it is an excellent hack, especially like cutting down the Alex unit and re-using the drawer on the right. I find desks are too tall for long hours of computer keyboarding. What height is the desktop?

    Reply

  22. Not much of a hack, more like DIY Mollinos Cavour desk and use Alex as a drawer. Nice craftsmanship though.

    Reply

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