DIY Modern Farmhouse Desk (Plans and video)

This DIY Modern Farmhouse desk with storage is a great beginner build! The simple plans will help you build your own desk in no time.

I built a modern farmhouse desk! I am so excited to share it with you!

I had been using a basic table from Ikea… NO storage and barely enough space for my laptop and a notebook.

Now, look at this –

RELATED: 20 Stylish and affordable desks for your home office

Pssst: Like that footrest? See how I made it using scrap wood.

I partnered with PureBond® Plywood to bring you this DIY modern farmhouse desk with lots of storage – three drawers and 2 shelves!

*Even though this is a sponsored post, all opinions are my own.*

PureBond plywood is my go-to plywood for building furniture because it is formaldehyde free so I don’t have to worry about it off-gassing in my home and around children. Especially, since I will be spending more than half a day at this desk! It comes in gorgeous finishes and is exclusively available at Home Depot. The best part, PureBond project panels are available online and I can get them shipped right to my door! For my desk, I chose red oak.

DIY Modern Farmhouse desk

Let’s get started on building that desk! You can grab the printable plans by clicking below.

The desk is 55″ wide and 28″ deep with 3 drawers. I almost put doors and created a covered cabinet on the bottom but decided that knowing me, it would just end up as a dark deep dungeon of unknown crap. So open shelves it was!

Plus, these plans are flexible, you can easily switch the side you want the shelves to be on when you build it or even build the shelves on both sides!!

Here is a quick 2-minute video showing you the basic steps to building it –

Check out all my favorite tools here!

***This post contains affiliate or referral links. It is a way for this site to earn advertising fees by advertising or linking to certain products and/or services. Please read my full disclosure here ***

How to build a desk –

Step 1 – Start by building the leg frames using 2″ x 2″ lumber.

Step 2- Put the shelves together by first adding the 14″ short shelf trim on the two sides using pocket holes and screws.

See a detailed video tutorial on how to use a Kreg Jig here!

Step 3 – Attach the shelves to the leg frames and create the shelving part of the desk.

Step 4- Attach the long aprons to join the left leg frame and shelf structure and form the desk structure. 

Step 5 – Add the side spacers and ensure everything is square.

Step 6 – Build the drawers and install them.

Step 7 – Put the plywood table top on, align and attach using finish nails.

Step 8 – Attach the drawer faces and knobs or pulls! For the drawer faces, you could also use 1 x 4 boards. I decided to use plywood because I wanted the stain to look uniform all around. I am in love with these rectangular pulls. 

Sand, prime and finish the desk as desired. For a dual tone finish like mine, the boards need to be stained or whitewash separately before attaching them.

That’s it! It really is quite a simple build. Don’t let the drawers intimidate you! The only thing in the entire project that affects the drawer function are the spacers and the drawers themselves. If you can make sure to keep the spacers perfectly parallel to each other and the drawers square, the entire thing will be a breeze!
Now I have 3 large drawers with more space than I have stuff… but that won’t be the case for too long… right?!! haha..

And how gorgeous is that plywood table top!! I used a special staining technique to get the gray-brown weathered look! Look out for a tutorial on that soon. 

I am totally in love with my new workspace! Lots and lots of posts are going to be coming to you from this very spot! Before I go, here is my Mini-me showing you the desk in action 🙂

RELATED: 19 stylish and comfortable office chairs

I can’t wait to see what you build!

If you loved this build, you might also like this upholstered bench made from 2×4 boards. It is perfect for any spot in the house! 

Or you might also want to check out how to build this West Elm inspired Emerson buffet.

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Anika Gandhi

Anika's goal is to inspire and empower beginners with woodworking, DIY, home improvement, and home decor ideas.
She wants everyone to unlock their creative potential and experience the feeling that comes with making something. Nothing feels better better than seeing something and saying "I can make that!"

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