Billy Standing Desk

Materials: Ikea Materials (all wood products in black-brown): 2 - Billy bookcase (41 3/4" x 15 3/4" x 11") 1 - Vika Amon Table Top (47 1/4" x 23 5/8") 2 - Ekby Jarpen Shelf (1 - 31 1/8" x 7 1/2"; 1 - 46 7/8" x 11") 1 - 8" Capita Brackets 29" Franklin Barstool
Other Materials: 4 - L-brackets 16 - 1" wood screws 6 - 1/4 bolts, washers and nuts 25' Roll 3/4" Black Melamine tape

Description: I love the Expedit Standing Desk, but it's too big in all 3 directions for me to use comfortably and to fit in my available space. So I went to Ikea and looked for a way to use a similar design that would be a better fit for me. I decided on the Billy cases as legs, and then the smaller Vika Amon table top. Because the Billys are tall and narrow, I attached the larger Ekby Jarpen shelf (cut down to 43 1/4" x 7") to the back of the desk with 6 1/4" bolts to serve as a support brace.

Once I put everything in place to finish construction, I noticed that the unfinished edges really stood out from the black-brown finish, so I used iron on black melamine tape to finish off the edges. Makes a huge difference! Next, I used 4 L-brackets (1 on each corner of the Billys) to attach the table top to the base. Finally, I attached the 8" Capita brackets to the smaller Ekby shelf to raise my monitor up to eye level.

I originally bought the folding Franklin barstool to keep up against the wall next to the desk for when I need to take a break from standing, but once everything was constructed I found that it fits perfectly under the desk.

The desk provides a good amount of workspace and takes up relatively little floor space. It's a great fit for a small room. Plus, I've come to really enjoy standing while working not only for the health benefits, but standing helps keep me focused when I'm stuck spending long periods working on my laptop. The best part is that I was able to make this great desk for about $200 - about $400-600 less than comparably sized standing desks I found online!

~ Rob R., Boston, MA