A little over a year ago, I set up the Uppeal Floor-Sit-Stand Desk and disassembled my Japanese-inspired floor desk. It was not economical to maintain two different workstations for computers, and I thought the fully adjustable desk would allow enough variation to do creative work at my work desk.
I was mistaken.
I don’t mind creative writing at my work desk if I’m typing on my computer, but I found myself avoiding the desk in all other uses. So if I wanted to write in a journal, Hobonichi, draw, or any other physical thing… I simply didn’t do it. And it eventually became clear that omitting these activities from my life was not to my benefit.
The floor desk was a refuge for me to decompress, and I missed having a dedicated space to spend time with myself. So I decided to set it up again, but smaller.
This time, I decided to make my own floor desk in the simplest DIY fashion I could manage. Links to the products I used are at the end of the post.
Making the desk
The desk was pretty simple. It was just a matter of finding the two major parts.
Desk top
I already knew what size desk would work for me because I have a foldable laptop tray that I used to use for this purpose before I upgraded to a real desk. I found several sellers who would cut a custom board and other sellers who sold butcher block counter tops, but I stumbled on a 24″ x 18″ cutting board, so I went with that instead.
Legs
Depending on what height you need your desk, you may have trouble finding legs. I knew what height I wanted the desk to be because of the aforementioned laptop tray, but finding legs that were the right height with the cutting board was a little tricky.
At first I opted for cheap, short adjustable legs, but I had a major issue with wobble. The higher I adjusted these legs, the more rickety the desk was. Using an eraser was super annoying on these legs!
So I sent those back and managed to find similarly adjustable legs with a higher maximum height. The base plate was also the same size, so I placed the order, betting that the screw holes were in the same spots.
I was right! I attached the new legs without drilling additional holes, and the desk is much more stable.
I would’ve prefer a single piece for the legs rather than these adjustable ones, but nothing was quite the right height, so these will do for now.
One important note is these legs needed a little patience to install. The mounting holes on the base plate were too close to the leg to drill the screws straight in. My husband had to place the leg, mark the holes, then pre-drill pilot holes into the wood. Once that was done, we attached the legs manually with hand screwdrivers.
Overall, this was a pretty simple DIY project to create a Japanese-inspired floor desk. Ta da! ♥️
The cutting board is beautiful. I’m super happy with my selection! Obviously, this is off-label use for this cutting board, so your mileage may vary.
If you’re interested in what kind of seats to use for a floor desk, check out this post:
Setting up storage
Finding storage for this spot was tricky. We have a cat tree by the window for Tiberius, so I have about half the space I did when I set up my desk the first time.
Most of the storage furniture I found were too large, but tabletop storage was too small. I felt a bit like Goldilocks since I needed it to be exactly right. I also checked out shoe benches, but those tend to have slatted shelves and I wanted to avoid having things fall through or get stuck.
As I’ve found in the past, thinking outside the box served me well: This shower bench with a lower shelf was perfect. It is solid teak wood, looks lovely, and is exactly the right size.
I’m happy with this purchase and definitely recommend it (link below). The bench is beautiful and was super easy to put together (only 8 screws).
I didn’t put anything on the top shelf yet because Tiberius may or may not want to sleep there. If he does, I’ll leave it clear for him and get a little cushion. The window is prime kitty real estate, after all.
In closing
I tried to live without this space to more efficiently use my space, and it turned out life is better with a dedicated spot for creativity. The moral of the story is that it doesn’t make sense to be “efficient” with the space if it doesn’t serve me — that’s not efficient at all.
Even though I do want more empty space in my apartment, cutting out the things that bring me joy is not the way to go about it.
And since I knew this space was here to stay, I chose solid wood this time instead of the inexpensive options I had last time. I wanted to invest in quality piece items that would bring me joy. And does it ever! Since setting this up, I feel called to spend time there, and just knowing it’s there when I need it brings me a lot of comfort.
It’s wonderful to have a dedicated space just for me again.
Products from this post
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Thirteen Chefs Cutting Board
This butcher block cutting board is beautiful! It has handles on the sides so you can pick it up easily, and the wood is lovely. It was inexpensive and the perfect size for my space.
Adjustable height support legs
These adjustable-height support legs were exactly what I needed. They aren’t perfect since they have a bit of wobble depending on the height and require a 2-step installation process (see above for details). But if you’re using these legs for a lower height, I don’t hate them.
EcoDecors 2-Tier Teak Shower Bench
This shower bench is beautiful. It’s the perfect size for my space, solid wood, and super easy to put together. I definitely recommend this and will probably buy more from this company.
Teena Merlan 