DIY Fold Down Kids Desk. Great for small spaces!

My daughter’s room is small and I wanted to keep the space tidy as well as make a small desk she can use for drawing and playing with her toys. I thought of installing a wall-mounted desk but we also needed storage for her small room.

As we already had the TROFAST unit, I decided to convert the IKEA TROFAST storage unit into a fold down desk. With this IKEA hack, we killed two birds with one stone.

With my daughter we personalized it with fun colors and chalkboard paint.

IKEA item used:

Other materials:

DIY Fold down Kids desk with storage. IKEA TROFAST desk hack
Homelifestyle.es | Photo: María Algara

How to DIY a fold down kids desk with storage

Firstly, I assembled the 2 IKEA TROFAST units. Ours was already used for toy storage in the room so we saved a step. I placed the TROFAST wall storage unit on top of the shelving unit to create a desk cubby. It also provides additional storage for stationery, craft materials, etc.

Step 1:

I got a pair of folding shelf brackets. Using a spare piece of wood with the same thickness as the desk, I marked the spots for the screws with a marker. This is to ensure the desk is flush with the surface of the TROFAST unit.

Step 2:

These are the spots to screw in the bracket. You may want to make pilot holes to minimise the risk of the wood splintering, as the TROFAST frame is not very thick.

Step 3:

Using a drill I screwed the bracket onto the side of the TROFAST frame with a Black & Decker screwdriver.

Step 4:

Once the brackets are done, I placed the wood plank over them and attached with screws to the bracket.

DIY Fold down Kids desk with storage. IKEA TROFAST desk hack
Homelifestyle.es | Photo: María Algara

Next, I sanded the wood plank with fine sandpaper and removed the sawdust with a damp rag. Now we can paint. We used a black chalkboard paint so my daughter can have an extra surface to draw. You can use any stain or paint that you like and suits your kids room decor.

We did another thing which was add a wallpaper along the side of another TROFAST unit next to the desk to provide a pop of color.

The girls helped me to paint and perform the different steps for this DIY. It’s simple and fun to work with little kids! The bins in the TROFAST can still be used normally.

For security, I recommend securing the TROFAST unit to the wall to minimise tip over risk.

To see more of this DIY kids fold down desk tutorial, view the HomeLifestyle magazine (go to pages 106-111).

by Homelifestyle.es


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