EXPEDIT Standing Desk under $200

Desk

Materials: 1 LINNMON table top (78 3/4″ x 23 5/8″), 2 EXPEDIT shelving units (31″x31″), 8 CAPITA legs (6″)

I looked around at many EXPEDIT standing-desk hacks but wasn’t satisfied with most of the arrangements. I wanted a place to store a stool under the desk, but since I live in a small space and every square-inch matters, I didn’t want too much dead space beneath the table top. Moreover, I can always use more space for books in my house, so incorporating some of that was a priority too.

Side Board Brackets

After much humming and hawing and measuring, I settled on the set-up I have now. The base is comprised of two 31″ EXPEDIT cubes propped up with CAPITA legs and topped with a LINNMON table top. Once I measured how far apart the shelves needed to be for the sake of the desktop, secured them together with a 1×3 board, which I screwed into to their backs. I then attached the desktop to this board with small L-brackets. The EXPEDIT cubes left just enough room in between (15″) for an adjustable stool I found at a local store, and the 6″ CAPITA legs provided the correct added height for me – I’m about 5’6″ and the desk is 39″ high. The legs are also adjustable to accommodate uneven floors. Although the EXPEDIT shelves aren’t as deep as the desktop, this worked well for me, since there’s a heater behind my desk: I don’t want my books to melt!

I’ve been using my desk for a number of months now and am very happy with it. I have lots of desktop space for my scanner, books, papers, or whatever I need to write. The only thing I haven’t quite finished is the height extension for my iMac. Right now, I’m using a wooden plinth but I neither like the look nor size of it. I’ll find the right thing eventually!