Wall-to-Wall Desk Build: Clean Lines, No Legs, Lessons Learned

Background 

I’ve had the privilege of working from home for quite a few years now. I’ve been using a traditional computer desk with desktop tower slot, slide-out keyboard tray, a hutch above with some narrow shelves on one side and a full-length shelf above the monitor cutout. It’s served me well for many years, but it’s become a bit retro and tired.

The study it sits in is quite large (for a study) and is approximately 3.5m x 2.5m, with a window at one end, a large void opening into the loungeroom, and another void opening into the hall. This leaves one 3.5m wall to work with.

I searched and searched for desks, corner nooks, sit-stand, executive, and many modern interpretations of the classic desk and hutch. Officeworks, Harvey Norman, Fantastic Furniture, IKEA, Amart, they all had various models with varying price tags. None of them quite peaked my interest.

So instead, I decided to build a wall-to-wall office/study desk.

Designing the Desk

The initial requirement was a sturdy floating desk with a timber look. It needed to span the full 3.5 metres at a height and depth suitable for office work. Multiple chairs were to be spaced along it, each with a single monitor and room for a keyboard and mouse. The ability to slide all the chairs in neatly at the end of the day was also important (particularly to others in the household).

I did some research and identified the correct height and depth for ergonomics. There was a lot of variation in “best practice”, so I decided on 72cm height and 600mm depth. It sat comfortably within most of the recommendations I found, and when I mocked it up using some scrap timber clamped to the old desk, it felt right.

The next challenge was figuring out how to make it float. I envisioned a piece of timber suspended mid-air with no visible brackets, no legs, just clean air underneath. I found a couple of possible solutions: steel rods bolted to the wall and inserted into the desk, or a timber sill screwed the full length of the wall. But once I started looking into desk materials and plugged the setup into the Sagulator, I quickly realised those wouldn't cut it.

In the end, I settled for wall brackets that I wouldn’t bump my knees on—and built the desk wall to wall.

The Build

Materials Used:

• Timber Benchtop x2
• Brackets x5
  
• 20mm Screws packet of 100
• Mending Plate x2
• Coach Screws box of 25
• Washers x 30
  

Total Cost = $361

Learnings and Challenges

Brackets

I spent a good chunk of time figuring out how to mount the desk without noticeable sag. I toyed with the idea of mounting a board along the wall and a steel plate across the full front edge. But when that started feeling a bit risky, I shifted to brackets—and then went down the rabbit hole of figuring out how many I’d need and which size to go for.

I landed on one bracket per stud, and the biggest, baddest bracket I could find. Then I hit Bunnings… only to discover the one I’d planned on getting wasn’t in stock. That left me with the classic decision: find an alternative, or drive to another store and hope they had it on the shelf. I ended up grabbing an aluminium bracket, still unsure if it would be strong enough.

In the end, like most of my DIY projects, I had over-engineered it. It worked out fine. Could probably stand on it if I wanted to (though I wouldn’t risk bouncing on it!).

Joining the Timber

Since I had used two lengths of engineered timber, they butted up partway along the span. I expected a perfect match (engineered timber and all), but realised too late there was a slight difference in thickness and a minor twist side to side. If I’d known, I could’ve paired two matching ends for better alignment.

Instead, I added a mending plate underneath and shimmed where needed. It’s held up well, but run your hand over the join and you’ll definitely feel the slight mismatch.

Cable Organisation

Still a work in progress. Right now, there’s a whole lot of mess under the table. I’ve got a double power point centered below the desk, which is a good start, but with a couple of monitors and laptops on the desk, and two desktop towers on the floor, I’ve ended up with two chunky powerboards and a wild tangle of cables.

I used a holesaw to drill three cable holes along the back of the desk, which have worked well. After routing the cables through, the monitors slide back to mostly cover the gaps and effectively hide and hold the cables in place. The final step is figuring out how to hide the rest or mount everything neatly under the desk.

Wrapping It Up  

All up, I’m pretty happy with how the desk turned out. It’s sturdy, clean, and fits the space exactly how I imagined, without costing a fortune or compromising on function. Sure, there were some hiccups along the way (aren’t there always?), but I learned a lot in the process and ended up with a custom setup that actually suits how I work. 

There’s still a bit to do—especially tidying up the cable jungle underneath—but it feels good walking into the room and seeing a workspace that’s genuinely mine. If you’re considering doing something similar, don’t be put off by the details. There’s always a workaround, and there’s a certain satisfaction in building something from scratch, even if it’s not picture perfect.

If you’ve done a DIY desk or have tips for hiding cable spaghetti, drop a comment below, always keen to hear how others tackle their setups!