Before and after: this DIY fluted desk costs less than £100

A savvy upcycler shares her on-trend hack for recreating a fluted desk

home office with a DIY desk with fluted legs and a pink desk chair and pampas grass
(Image credit: @lustliving)

As more of us than ever before are working from home, we’re carving out mini home offices left right and centre, but we don’t necessarily want to spend a fortune on them. 

Fluted shapes and curved edges are having a moment in the interiors sphere, so this genius DIY desk idea by Olivia Edwards-Silk (@lustliving) grabbed our attention.

This seriously chic, on-trend desk has a high-end look, but it’ll set you back less than £100! We’ve chatted to Olivia to share how she created this home office set-up of dreams.

Before

before shot of desk legs

(Image credit: @lustliving)

You'll need-

  • Table top
  • Heavy duty cardboard tubes or duct pipe (pictured)
  • Moulding strips (pictured)
  • Tape measure
  • Gorilla glue/ wood glue
  • Saw
  • Nail gun
  • Paint
  • Six angled brackets or corner brackets
  • Wood filler
  • Sandpaper

wooden moudling strips for a DIY project

(Image credit: @lustliving)

What to do: 

1 Take two heavy-duty cardboard tubes, with lids on the bottom, and cut to your perfect desk height. These are the legs.

2 Get enough moulding strips to cover the circumference of both tubes. Cut to the same length as the tubes.

3 Use a spirit level and attach the first moulding with wood glue and a
nail gun for extra security.

4 Repeat this until the two tubes are covered all the way around.

5 Tie string around each leg to keep in place and allow to dry overnight.

6 Fill any imperfections with wood filler and sand them down.

7 Paint in your colour of choice. Olivia used an eggshell paint so she can wipe the legs clean.

8 Secure three brackets/ braces to the inside of each leg, evenly spaced.

9 Fill the legs at least a third full of sand for a sturdy, less top-heavy desk.

10 Secure the tops of the brackets to the underside of the table top.

After

DIY desk with fluted legs and a pink desk chair

(Image credit: @lustliving)

home office with a DIY desk with fluted legs and a pink desk chair and pampas grass

(Image credit: @lustliving)
Amelia Smith
Content Editor

After joining Real Homes as content producer in 2016, Amelia has taken on several different roles and is now content editor. She specializes in style and decorating features and loves nothing more than finding the most beautiful new furniture, fabrics and accessories and sharing them with our readers. As a newbie London renter, Amelia’s loving exploring the big city and mooching around vintage markets to kit out her new home.