10cm lift Desk Shelf Monitor Stand

10 cm lift Desk Shelf Monitor Stand

IKEA items used:

  • 1 x EKBY JÄRPEN (Birch Veneer, 119x28x2.5cm);
  • 2 x packs CAPITA (White, 8-9 cm, 6 legs used) to match with
  • 1 x BEKANT Corner desk right (birch veneer, white)

This solution allows you to customise the leg configuration depending on how you need to distribute the weight and what you need to place underneath. It is also the first lower rise solution I’ve found available from IKEA so far. That said, the CAPITA range of legs provide two height options: 8-9cm & 16-17cm. There are other legs available from IKEA but their mounting plates are larger or more obvious.

My requirements and consideration for the desk shelf/monitor stand:

  • Lifting one or two monitors above the table top around 10-15cm
  • Storing keyboard, mouse and potentially a 15” laptop underneath
  • Matching with existing BEKANT desk unit (birch veneer/white)

With that in mind I went hunting for parts and found the EKBY JÄRPEN shelf and CAPITA 8-9cm legs. There was a solid timber option in the EKBY HEMNES but it had a lower load rating of 10kg, vs JÄRPEN’s 20kg.

Marking where the legs should go

I began by laying out legs into the four corners. I chose to put the mounting plate with their long edge parallel to the length of the shelf as it puts the leg 1cm closer to the front. The shortest distance between the centre of the leg and the edge of the mounting plate is 3cm, the longer being 4cm. I followed this layout for all mounting plates.

Before fixing the plate to the shelf with screws, I lay the plates down in position and marking where the 4 screw holes would be using a pencil.

IKEA Capita legs 9cm

Screw in the Capita legs

Once this was done for all 16 screw holes, I used one of the self tapping screws and a hammer just to punch a starting point for each screw. This makes screwing it in a little easier.

Once I had fixed all 16 screws. I moved on to working out how to mount supporting legs between the 4 external legs.
I chose to place them toward the back to conceal the 5th and 6th supporting leg. NOTE: the EKBY JÄRPEN has a rough edge at the back, if you are following my layout, make sure the 5th and 6th leg are closer to this than the finished edge.

Supporting legs

Leg bracket

I measured the middle point of the shelf’s long edge and ruled a line with pencil. 119cm/2 = 59.5cm. I then worked out how much space I needed for my keyboard to be hidden underneath. This worked out to be approximately 14cm in from the finished edge of the shelf. This gave me a cross [X marks the spot] to alight with the screw for the leg on the mounting plate. I then decided to play the 6th leg behind it for extra support – this mounting plate’s long edge would be flush with the long edge of the shelf, and the screw for the leg be in-line with the center line I drew earlier. What you will get is two plates close together with their leg screws in line. Before mounting the plates, I placed them where I wanted them and then traced the 4 screw holes with pencil. I then used the same process of punching a starting point before screwing them in place.

IKEA Capita Monitor Stand

Once all the plates are in, screw the legs on, flip it over and get organizing!

 10 cm Monitor Stand done

Desk shelf monitor stand

Store your keyboard underneath

 Monitor Stand

Some after thoughts: for the legs that were mounted at the front, I could have rotated them 90 degrees to place the short edge in line with the long edge of the self. This would have given me a cleaner look. Alternatively, you can place the mounting plates half a centimeter away from the edges.

Happy Making!

~ Imran Shamsul