I can't believe it's week 4 of the One Room Challenge! I also can't believe we finally have a floating desk! But first, if you're new here, let me catch you up. We've been working to make an empty nook in our kitchen into a homework spot for the kids, a place for a family computer, and a place for me to work. I shared my vision in week 1, our conundrum with the shelves in week 2, and a bit more about our plan for the shelves, a round-up of brackets, and my secret weapon for shelf styling in week 3. Getting this floating desk installed was months in the making. Months of going back and forth to the lumber yard. Months of tweaking (and usually simplifying) our plans, and weeks of waiting for the wood to be joined and installed. I'm thrilled that it's finally happened! Keep reading to see it in all its glory, and for a description of how the contractor installed it because it was A LOT more simple than I anticipated!
So first, here she is!  Oh and I should say, it was installed at about 5:30 pm; this area doesn't get great light anyway, but it was extra cloudy/dark so the lighting isn't amazing. The reveal photos will be much better, I promise! Also, I will share a video in my stories tomorrow so stay tuned.

Here are the specs. It's 8/4 (that's how the lumber yard refers to 2 inches thick. I don't know why but that's just how it is. ha) white oak and it's gorgeous!

How it's Made

We first had it joined. Jason of Fox Will Fix It, used thick dowels and wood glue to join it. He trimmed one end of the desk since the nook was a bit more narrow on the inside than it was on the outside. He planed off the rough edges and sanded it down. We plan to use this exact same method for the shelves so expect a more detailed tutorial soon!
To install it, Jason used three 1x4s. One was the length of the desk- 103," the other two were the depth- 17," cut at a 45-degree angle so they wouldn't be seen from the front. I suppose it's not technically a floating desk since you can see a bit fo the 'hardware' used to hold it up but with three little ones, I'd rather have the stability.

First, he marked the height to install the 1x4s. He deducted the 2 inches to account for the desk. Then he found the studs (he basically did this from experience- knocking, looking for the nail pops, etc) but Joe uses this stud finder. He drilled the wood pieces into the studs.


Lastly, he dry fitted the desk before gluing it down. Once he saw that it fit, he used gorilla wood glue along all of the 1x4 pieces. The oak is so heavy, it didn't need clamping. And that was it!

Next, I have to poly it and paint the 1x4 the same color as the wall. It's not very obvious but painting it will make it even less noticeable.

Here's an updated look at our to-do list!

Install Paneling

Pick a paint color and Paint

Choose Wood for a Floating Desk

Install Floating Desk

Figure out outlets/install

Install shelves
     -choose shelf brackets

Choose Chairs

Add a runner - I got this one and I LOVE it and it's $40 less than I paid for it right now!

Purchase Office Accessories

Style the shelves

And things I forgot to add in the first list (uh oh):

Poly the shelves

Poly the desk

Join the shelves

Paint the supports the desk rests on

Make sure to check out all the wonderful projects over on the One Room Challenge blog link-up page!

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