Floating Storage Desk

I'm sorry I didn't take more pictures during the actual process of building this desk, but I kind of picked up this project on a whim on a Saturday afternoon, knowing that I needed to work heavily with my desktop computer soon, so I decided that productive procrastination is better than the other varieties. And now I have a new computer desk.

After getting some inspiration from this desk online, I decided to try to replicate the process myself. The original desk at that site uses a 1 foot deep model, which I find to be far too narrow for the kind of work that I do (writing, graphic design, some occasional audio work, etc.), so I went with a desk that is 16" deep. This allows me sufficient room have my computer monitor, keyboard, and plenty of space to rest my wrists. The desk itself is 4 feet wide, which gives me a significant amount more space for extra things that I could never have while working before (see photo of my old desk, if you dare), such as a graphics pad, books, beverages, and other ordinary items that a desk should logically be able to have on it.

Suffice to say I was about fed up. I also live in a relatively small cabin in Fairbanks, AK, so utilizing my minimal amount of space as best as I can was a must. Thus, the floating option. In my opinion, the wall mounted desk makes this room appear more open despite the fact that this new desk is significantly larger than the old one. I also have a lot of random stuff that I use with my computer that was sort of piled up around the old desk and on top of my computer tower, so the fact that this desk has a sizable amount of storage space is a plus as well.

TL;DR: I needed a new desk because my old one was tiny. Also a self-deprecating detour to discuss my slobish habits of leaving things on the floor.

Moving on to more important things: The construction itself is incredibly basic. You need the following components.

(2) 4' long x 16" piece of wood (I used oak) - thickness can vary. You could also rip down a piece of plywood to keep this on the cheap.
(2) 16" lengths of 2x6 for side pieces.
(2 or 3) L-brackets, 10" variety.
Stain (I used it to get a consistent coloring between the 2x6 and the desktop wood)

You'll also need the following tools:

Drill with a couple of drill bits
Level
(4) 1/4" screws
(12) 2" screws
Stud-finder (applicable for some, but as you can tell my whole wall is a stud)

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Step 1: Stain (if you want to)

I chose to stain because the colors of the 2x6 and the oak that I got were incredibly far off from one another. You can do this step if you want. Be sure to paint the stain, let it settle for 10-15 minutes, then wipe away the excess with a rag. This will significantly help your drying time and help with consistency in the actual stain color. I let mine sit outside for about two hours and finished the construction when the stain was still a little tacky, but that's because I was being incredibly impatient. You should probably just wait until its done drying.