ALEX work table with flat files

Materials: 2 VIKA ALEX storage units ($50 each): 601.928.26; 1 ALEX flatfile drawer unit ($120): 401.962.41; 1 tabletop (I used VIKA BLECKET because of the sweet lightbox inlay - $100): 201.036.05; 2 sets CAPITA brackets ($15 each, $30 total): 400.511.96; 1 RATIONELL shelf (30x24, set of 2 for $16): 245.785.10

Description: We finished a basement renovation recently that yielded a small room that I could use for a design/music studio. The room is small (about 10'x10' with a 3' swath of space under stairs) and making the best possible use of the space is key - as is finding furniture that's a little undersized to keep from making the room feel cramped. A goal was also to give my girls a space where they could do art projects and leave them out to dry, or just have the freedom to leave the space a little messier than they could leave the dining room or kitchen counter.

Source: Readmade Magazine, Bauhaus Beauty

I saw an article in a recent issue of ReadyMade (pic, right) about a furniture designer who found a killer Bauhaus-designed house in the hills of St. Paul, MN... anyway, he had built a beautiful work table for his studio. While I lack the skills and time to make the same thing for myself, I was looking through the IKEA catalog and the ALEX components made me think, what the heck, I could probably do something similar.

additional materials/tools:
10 machine screws (pan or truss head) 1/4" x 1-1/2" (mine are #20) with nuts and washers
4, 3" casters (i used two locking ones for the front) with 1/2" wood screws
drill and 1/4" bit, 3/16" bit, philips-head driver bit
handsaw, circular saw or table saw
measuring tape
screwdrivers and crescent wrench

total time: about four hours (not including IKEA run)


Click to read more>>