Adding Space for Student (Ikea Wall Hinge Desk)

Stock photo: Ikea wall hinge desk.

Along with our renewed vow of "make do or do without", we had to figure out how to give daughter #3 a desk for her cramped room so she could study away from her other five sisters.  She is blessed with a giant princess castle bunk bed that any child would love to possess...only it takes up 2/3rds of her room.

So while shopping at Ikea a few weeks ago we noticed this handy wall desk.  It mounts to the wall somewhat like a locker and closes up nice and neat.  A keyed front keeps under age sisters from prying where they don't belong.  It also has some additional handy features like a built it hole for laptop cables and a strap to keep it in place when closed up.

Brace boards screwed
to wall studs.

I needed to anchor it well in case somebody decided to "accidentally" lean or hang from it.  I started by locating the wall studs with my handy stud locator from home depot.  I located two pieces of scrap wood from the backyard and cut them to size.  I anchored the boards to the studs with three inch wood screws.  These allow me to attach the desk anywhere along the length of the horizontal boards (pilot holes on things you want to attach to walls are NEVER the same distance apart as the studs in the walls).

Once the two braces were on the wall, I just screwed the desk to the boards with the included supplies.  I had #3 come sit in a chair and pretend she was typing to make an estimated guess at how high I needed to place the desk (it's a wall mount = no legs).

New desk, all closed up.

The final result is a desk she can use in the privacy of her own room that doesn't take up any floor space.  Priced at Ikea for $59.99 but we found one in the clearanced section of the store for $39.99.  We were told it had been a floor model and that is why is was discounted.  To my joy, it was already assembled.  I just had to screw it to the wall.

Daughter have saved up $62 from odd jobs and was happy to save $20 on this desk that she had been wanting for several weeks. She got a desk, I got to use my power tools...the world is right once again.

~OJD

Desk opened.