Customize your storage with this DIY adjustable desktop organizer! Expands from 12″ to 24″ long, or fits into a corner with the 90 degree configuration.
School starts today (yay!) and I’m preparing for another year of homework and projects! Lately, the cabinet in our living room has become a magnet for clutter. I want the most used school supplies easily accessible, while still keeping them neat. This adjustable desktop organizer is just what our family needs to contain the chaos!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission for purchases made through links in this post.
This area has become a dumping ground over the summer! Art supplies and paper mingle with camera equipment and power cables to create an eyesore in our living room.
I organized inside the cabinet and created a designated spot for my camera gear. A few things got relocated to the playroom. Now I need the right storage for the rest!
Since this space always on display, I wanted a desktop organizer that’s just as decorative as it is functional. The living room doubles as my office, so I was looking for something that allowed me to keep my supplies on hand while still looking pretty. I turned to Amazon for ideas and stumbled upon this.
But the price tag was way too high for what is really $5 worth of wood (if it’s even real wood!) Why buy it when I can make it myself!
Materials Needed for Desktop Organizer
- One 1 x 6 board
- Kreg pocket hole jig
- Check out my post on how to use a Kreg Jig to help you decide which one is right for you.
- 1 1/4″ pocket hole screws
- Right angle drill attachment (optional, but helpful!)
- 1 1/4″ brad nails
- Brad nailer
- Wood glue
- Wood stain or paint
- I used General Finishes gray gel stain for all but the interior of the rectangular shelf.
Don’t forget your safety gear when woodworking! Here are my recommendations for safety glasses and ear protection. No excuses!
Click here to download the plan!
Instructions for Building a Desktop Organizer
The best part about this desktop organizer is that it only requires one 1 x 6 board! Cut it down into three 12″ pieces, two 11 1/4″ pieces and two 3″ pieces. You can also change these dimensions to fit your space perfectly!
Drill pocket holes into one end of each of the 12″ pieces. These will be the horizontal shelves.
Attach one of the 12″ pieces three inches up from the bottom of a 11 1/4″ piece, using wood glue and 1 1/4″ pocket hole screws.
Attach one of the 3″ pieces under the other end of the 12″ shelf with wood glue and brad nails.
The second half of the desktop organizer will rest on top of the first, so getting the right height is crucial. On the other 11 1/4″ piece, attach one shelf 3 3/4″ up from the bottom, and the other 3″ above that.
Click here to download the plan!
The space is pretty tight between the two shelves, so I used my right angle drill attachment to insert the pocket hole screws.
Glue up both ends of the remaining 3″ piece and insert it between the two shelves. Nail it into place from above and below.
How easy was that! Now you can customize your desktop organizer with whatever stain or paint matches your decor. I went with my favorite gray stain for almost the entire piece, but brightened up the interior of the rectangular shelf with white paint. This two-toned effect is the same one I used on my hexagon side table, so now the color scheme is repeated throughout the living room.
The versatility of this desktop organizer is perfect for our multi-purpose living room. I can stretch it out almost two feet long when we need lots of storage.
Or keep it compact to make room for things like Christmas decorations on top of the cabinet.
I can also rotate one side 90 degrees so it becomes a corner desktop organizer instead!
It’s been wonderful having all my supplies in one spot, instead of rummaging through multiple junk drawers to find what I need. And of course, the Sonos speaker and Echo Dot are crucial for productivity! 🙂
I’m thinking of making another of these for the kitchen counter. You could fit a lot of spices in this small space! How would you use this desktop organizer, and in what configuration?
Click here to download the plan!
If you would like to keep up to date with my latest posts about woodworking, home decor and more, you can follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram. You can also sign up for my email list below and get access the plans for this project and many others in my woodworking plans library!
Want more DIY projects?
Subscribe to get project ideas, home improvement tips, woodworking plans and more delivered straight to your inbox!
SHARE IT!
Jessica says
September 7, 2017 at 10:46 amGreat tutorial! This looks so easy, and so useful
Susan says
September 7, 2017 at 5:34 pmHi Vineta,
I am reviewing the Desktop Organizer plans, and maybe this is something I should automatically know, but I don’t, so I have to ask.
I’ll be buying my 1 x 6 board tomorrow. I am guessing that these boards come in widths? I’ve never purchased one before. If so, what width should I buy? The pictures look like maybe it is a 8″ width?
Also, what type of wood do you suggest? Did you use pine?
Thank you for your help.
I so enjoy your site.
Best wishes,
Susan.
Vineta says
September 7, 2017 at 8:54 pmA 1 x 6 board is actually 3/4″ thick and 5 1/2″ wide, but should be listed as 1 x 6 at the home improvement store. That’s the size I used, although you could use a wider one if that works better for your space. Pine is the cheapest option, and that’s what I used for this project. Good luck with your project!
Sky says
September 17, 2017 at 9:36 pmThis is perfect! I’ve been needing to fill in a blank spot next to my monitor where mail just piles up and knew this is what I needed when I saw it pop up on my Pinterest today! I didn’t have any 1×6’s lying around but I did have a 1×12 so used it and cut it in 6″ strips. Love how it turned out and fits perfectly, thank you so much for these plans!
Vineta says
September 18, 2017 at 10:40 amIt makes me so happy to hear when people build things with my plans! I’d love to see how it turned out!
Marissa | Squirrels of a Feather says
June 4, 2018 at 5:15 amWow, it rotates! Now that is a cool organizer!
Linda on Poinsettia Drive says
June 6, 2018 at 7:00 pmYou are so clever. I would like to invite you to come share on the NEW Classy Flamingos Blog Party . Wednesday thru Friday. poinsettiadr.com
Donna @ Modern on Monticello says
June 11, 2018 at 2:16 pmThis is a really good idea and awesome design. I have pinned it so I can show it to my husband for my desk. Thanks for sharing at #HomeMattersParty
Jann Olson says
June 12, 2018 at 3:21 pmWhat a great desk! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
Audrey says
June 13, 2018 at 1:48 pmCongratulations on the feature on To Grandma’s House We Go. I love your website. There are so many projects there that I would have done when I was a little bit younger. Your website reminds me of me, (except that I would have had to put “thehandywomansdaughter”. My mother was so adept at making anything and my dad could not put much of anything together. I grew up on a farm and my father was very good at tending to the livestock, but my mother ended up fixing most anything that my dad didn’t hire out to get fixed. I do have an office and love the shelf. I am going to put one together. Thanks for sharing and I am going to point my nieces and nephews to your website.