If you’ve ever had the opportunity to work from home, you know how influential your home office furniture can be with regard to your productivity. The desk, in particular, plays a critical role in any office space, particularly one at home. It should be functional and comfortable. Although having a customized desk built to fit your specific space can be expensive, the good news is that there are many DIY options out there for a DIY computer desk. These can be made into a corner desk, a closet desk, or really any size or shape your home office space requires. And, best of all, since you’ve made it yourself, the desk will be completely original. Here are some inspiring DIY office desks for you to check out:

1. Pottery Barn inspired desk transformation

For this project, you’ll simply need a corner desk (like Ikea’s Effective Desk) and a pair of wooden file cabinets. The first step is to paint the desk top and the cabinets in white. Remove the legs and hardware from the desk, then add some braces to the back corner that, in this case, have been fashioned out of metal plates and banister inserts. Now you have a brand new desk that looks better than ever.{found on ikeahackers}.

2. DIY Standing Desk.

Space-saving standing desks can be pretty expensive, which is why a DIY project like this one can be a wallet-loving alternative. This particular desk was made using some IKEA tech, as well as items from the hardware store. The owners didn’t give us many details on the process, but you can figure it out from the pictures. It’s an attractive, functional piece, and the best part is that it didn’t cost more than a few dollars.{found on Tom Borowski}.

3. Designing and Building a New Desk.

This is a more elaborate project, although it’s totally doable with some planning and careful construction. Building a solid and stable (and stylish!) desk from scratch is not difficult, but it’s not the easiest DIY, either. But it’s a great way to get exactly what you want. In this case, it all started with an old solid wood door.

The sawhorse legs were made using three pieces of pine glued together for each leg. Two of the legs have hollow centers for power cords and internet cable, which is a very clever solution for electrical requirements. For the table top, the door was cut down to its final size of 28″ x 62″ and then sanded. After a quick prime and paint job, the table is done.{found on thecheapgeek}.

4. How to Build a Mini Laptop Desk.

I’m personally a big fan of portable laptops. They’re smaller than regular laptops, but they’re more practical because of how easy they are to carry around. Here’s how you can build a desk for your own mini laptop. First you’ll want to cut the piece to the size you’re after. Use laminated pine for the top, and pine for the risers and legs. You’ll also be using a circular saw.

Once your pieces are cut, you’ll want to cut an alcove for the cable. Use a coin as a template and a jigsaw fitted with a scroll blade. Next, you’ll have to cut the angled edges. Use a compound miter saw to cut the leg tops and bases and the front of the risers, and use a circular saw to cut the front edge of the shelf. Now it’s time to assemble the desktop with adhesive and screws. Drill pilot holes to attach the legs at the top with four #8 x 1-1/4-in. wood screws each side, plug the screw holes and paint the desk.{found on freshhomeideas}.

5. Home studio desk.

For this DIY home studio desk, you’ll need a table top and four legs to make the main desk base. Then you can build another shelf for a keyboard and monitor. You can hide all the wire underneath the desk, and you’ll still have plenty of room the monitor, the keyboard, and the speakers…plus some spare space. This desk was made with only £45.99 ($72.86). {found on ikeahackers}.

6. Birch and Aluminum Desk.

This particular desk was designed to meet some specific needs. For example, it had to be large enough to spread out an open textbook, notebook computer, and writing notebook; it had to be durable; it had to be without nooks and crannies that would fill up with knick knacks; and, stylishly, it had to have modern, clean lines.

Here are all the materials that were used for this project: 1 4×8′ 3/4″ birch plywood, 1 3×6′ 0.118″ acrylic sheet, 1 12′ 4×4″ Douglas fir, 2 8′ 1″ aluminum angle, 12 8×12″ galvanized steel flashing in pre-cut sections, 10 3/4″ #8 stainless screws, 4 4″, 3/8″ hanger bolts, 4 3/8″ tee nuts, 1 can polyurethane finish, double stick tape, glue, Wide tape, aluminum polish, and car wax. Despite that rather lengthy list, you’d be surprised how non-difficult this desk is to make yourself. The key is to pay attention to details. {found on instructables}.

7. Build your own desk for less than $30.

When you think practically, there’s no need to pay hundreds of dollars for a desk when you can make your own one for under $30. Here’s how: Use (9 cm) wide CLS for the main frame (legs and one support) and some 60mm (6cm) CLS timber for the supports that will be visible. Use 18mm thick plywood to make the desktop. Cut it down into 4’’ planks, then place as the desktop, leaving a small gap between each plank. Use screws and glue to keep everything together. You can also choose to paint it. {found on instructables}.

8. Custom desk project.

Here’s how you can make your own desk without paying tons of money and without sacrificing style or function. First decide on the dimensions you’re after, then buy the wood for the desktop. In this case, three planks of pine were used. Sand the wood and stain it. (This desk has a water-based walnut finish.) Use a foam brush to apply two to three coats. You’ll have to use some cabinets as a base (shown: three IKEA Besta Cabinets). Place the planks on top of them, line them up, and secure them together. Now you have a nice desk and plenty of storage space in the cabinets. {found on aubreyandlindsay}.

9. DIY Standing desk.

For this standing desk, you’ll need a table (upcycle one you already have, buy a new one altogether, or make one yourself) as well as a second table top and brackets. Place them one on top of the other, secure them together, and you’ll have a brand new and very functional standing desk for less than $30.{found on ikeahackers}.

10. Eclectic DIY desk.

This is a fantastic DIY desk-building project that resulted in a modern desk incorporating multiple finishes. It’s glamorous and chic. If you’re up for creating your own version, start by sanding the top and the sides of the desk (provided that you already have one).

Then use a blow torch and have fun with it. Lay the torch at such an angle that the flame licks across the surface as you move horizontally. After that, wipe it down with a wet cloth and start the staining process. Assemble the legs and the shelves, place a glass top over it, and you’re done. {found on ikeahackers}.

11. Murphy-Style Wall-Mounted Desk.

Grab a chunky wood remnant and attach some cables or hinges to the edges. Make sure you research your weight constraints to the support system you choose, but once you’ve got the thing mounted to the wall, you’ve got yourself a fantastically minimalist-modern hanging desk. Bonus: It can fold up onto the wall when not in use.{found on murraymitchell}.

12. Shelf-Supported DIY Desk.

If you have some old shelves lying around and you’re not quite sure what to do with them, look no further than this DIY computer desk design. Grab a top for your table (use wood cut to size then sand it), and lay the top on top of the two supporting shelves. Prime and paint everything to fit your taste. The benefit of something like this is that you can use what you already have, and it will be a completely unique home office desk – with plenty of storage or display area.

13. Mid-Century Modern Desk.

If you’re wanting to change up the look of your space, or if you only have one dresser available to mount a desktop onto, or if you love a mid-century modern vibe but your workspace doesn’t say that, consider this option. Pick up a pair of simple table legs that are similar in height to a modern-style dresser. (You can raise the height of the dresser with four short legs, if necessary.) Attach the dresser and the two legs to the underside of the desktop, and you have an absolutely original and fabulously stylish desk.{found on manhattan-nest}.

14. Upgraded Straight-Legged Table.

15. DIY Desk with Vintage Sewing Machine Table Legs.

Flea markets and yard or estate sales might be your new best friends, if you’re after some kind of gem like this. Find a vintage piece with cool legs, like an old sewing machine table. Even (especially?) if the piece itself isn’t your style, you can repurpose the legs by detaching them from their original top and attaching them to a simple desktop board, cut to size. This is an excellent way to upcycle vintage bits and showcase your personality.

16. Industrial Pipe-Leg Desk.

Great news for those of you with die-hard industrial style: your DIY desk doesn’t necessarily have to give you slivers or scrapes (from all that reclaimed rough-hewn wood you were bound to use) to have the edgy industrial vibe you love. Pipes! That’s the answer found in this complete (and awesome) tutorial. Galvanized pipes used as legs attach to a clean desktop for a totally inspiring, efficient, and stylish home office desk.{found on cafecartolina}.

17. Minimalist Floating Desk/Console Combo.

When you think of minimalism, you think of the least possible components to achieve maximum effect or function. This DIY floating desk is just that – with a few boards from a hardware store and some elbow grease (not even that much elbow grease, either!), you could create a similar desk in your own space. (Full tutorial available.) Modern, cool, and very very chic. Not to mention completely functional. And, bonus, when you remove the chair or set it aside, you’ve got a working console in your hallway. If that’s not a win-win, I don’t know what is.{found on designsponge}.

18. DIY Double Desk.

19. Sawed-Apart Table Desk.

For a potentially awkward and/or dreary corner office space, you’ll be able to brighten things up in no time by upcycling an old table. That’s right. An old, beat-up table that’s destined for the landfill. Cut off the end (or ends, if you need two), fill in any cracks or gaps on the top itself, and then prime and paint. Mount the table end (a.k.a., your new desk) to the wall, and viola! A beautiful customized desk. Do two of them if you have two people working at the same time, or even if you’re simply looking for symmetry.{found on migonishome}.

We hope you’ve been inspired by the infinite desk-making possibilities available to you. It can be something elaborate or something minimal – whatever speaks to you and your time and ability. But the point is, DIYing a home office desk is not only possible, but it’s often preferable to achieve the size, style, and price-point you want. Good luck, and enjoy the process!