Friends, the weekend is so close I can taste it. I think we're gonna make it!!! Today's post is almost like a Golden Corral buffet - packed with a little bit of everything, (but unlike Golden Corral, I hope it doesn't leave you feeling unsettled and making a dash for the closest restroom. If that's the case I'm not sure it's going to work out between us). Last week I shared the awkward/embarrassing/comical evolution of our front entrance, but I've never shared what's on the other side of the wall...
Our front entrance is all, "Cheers, ya'll! Come on in, stay a while!"
And the other side was like, "Welcome to the rest of your lives, you forgotten misfit toys, muahahahahaha!"
But after the brilliant idea to use this space, this is what's rockin' the other side now:
There's a good chance I'm a little bias, but this is way cuter than it was before. And guess what? Between finding things around our home, the thrift store, and making the desk ourselves, the whole thing cost about $15, (and was a piece of cake to create)!
For anyone out there who may be interested in making a little built in desk themselves, here's the quick and easy low-down on this project, (skip down to the bottom if these details don't interest you):
--> Measure and mark how high you want your desk to be. Keep in mind the thickness of the wood you're using for the desk and subtract that to place the brackets at the proper height, (we used scrap pieces of 1x3 wood for our brackets - if you don't have scraps, ask for some at your local hardware store). Then you need to figure out if you've got any studs in the walls that you could use to screw your brackets into. The photo below was the first bracket we attached because there happened to be studs at just the right spots.
--> Use a level to make sure each bracket is...level. (did I really just explain that?) Keep checking because each time you screw one end of a bracket in, you may need to adjust the other a slight bit.
--> If you don't have studs, you're going to need to use anchors, (see third photo down). These will help keep your screws secure, and therefore your desk in place, (you can decide how important this is to you). SO, the first thing you need to do before you can tap in your anchors, is pre-drill your holes, To help make the anchors easier to find when you place the bracket over them is to just pre-drill your holes right through the bracket, that way you can line everything up when it's time to attach the screws.
Pre-drilled holes are ready for anchors!
(This is an anchor)
Tap the anchor in with a hammer until you get to the first ridge.
Then use a drill to screw it flush with the wall.
--> Then place your bracket over the anchors, lining up your pre-drilled holes with the anchors, and drill a screw right into each anchor.
-->Once your brackets are in place you can just slide your desk, (we used a pre-cut sheet of birch), right onto the brackets. The sheet of birch was around $9 at Home Depot. We measured the space it would occupy and cut it to fit with a circular saw. We did not screw it onto the brackets or attach it in anyway. It's simply resting on top, but it's a tight fit so we feel confident it's not going anywhere.
For a cleaner look I painted the brackets and the desk in the same white as our walls, (Ultra Bright White by Behr). Then I sealed the surface of the desk with water-based Polycrylic semi-gloss by Minwax, (always use a water based sealer when sealing anything painted a light color. This will prevent unwanted yellowing).
New built-in office!
I snagged a couple sheets of cork board at Walmart for just a few bucks and spray painted them gold for a touch of glam.
The wire basket was a planter I already had but wasn't using. Now it holds tapes and other crafting do-dads, (the clear plastic insert keeps everything from spilling out).
The tiny gold piece was part of a pack of baking tins, (found at Michaels), for baking Lord knows what, (something fancy I assume). They had various shapes and sizes which I've used for making stamped patterns on fabric, lamp shades, tea towels, and cards! I spray painted this one gold and it's perfect for gathering thumbtacks.
The wishbone is for good luck; luck that I will ever get anything done here. :)
Let's talk about this lamp really quick! It's my favorite thing about this new tiny office. Since there's very little room on the desk for even a small lamp, I wanted to make use of the wall space and hang something. This cutie was waiting just for me at our local Goodwill thrift store. The fixture and shade didn't come together but are a perfect mix n' match - together they cost $5.
I love how it stretches to a centered position on the desk when needed!
My Mom gave me this card over 5 years ago when I was pregnant with our twins. Just had to share. Isn't it sweet? (And so true?!)
So there you have it! The two sides of our very special nook!
This project belongs in the quickie category. Once the supplies were gathered, this thing was finished in about two and a half hours, (and it will go much quicker if you aren't stopping to take photos of each step). If you have questions about anything don't hesitate to ask in either a comment or email!
Thanks for stopping by!
~Chelsea
This post was published under Chelsea's Garage, now affectionately known as StyleMutt.