Build a desk

Photo: Shani Bar-On

“Ikea furniture looks great, but it’s wasteful to buy stuff that falls apart,” says Sam Kragiel, owner and lead designer of eco-friendly Brave Space Design (646-831-2470, bravespacedesign.com). The Brooklyn furniture company offers both good looks and good practices: It uses materials that are environmentally sustainable, a wood-cutting computer that helps minimize scraps, and the long-lasting final products look like they’re straight out of MoMA. Kragiel made this inventive desk in less than an hour and, he boasts, “the only thing that cost money was the paint.”

Step by step

Photograph: Shani Bar-on

1. Gather an assortment of wooden crates. Kragiel already had these lying around, but you can snag some on the cheap (an assortment of three costs $14.95 at woodthings.com), or even score free wine crates from your local vino store. Stack the crates into different shapes until you find a setup that works for you. Stack the inner top crates horizontally to help support the weight of your desktop. Remember to face the openings outwards so you can use them as shelves. You can use wood scraps or old books as spacers to level both sides, if necessary. The top of the crates should come up to the middle of your thigh.

Photograph: Shani Bar-on

2. Secure the crates. If you have a drill, you can use regular drywall screws. If not, a hammer and nails will work just fine. Use two screws or nails along each adjoining side.

Photograph: Shani Bar-on

3. Find an old door, piece of wood or drywall sheet (that’s what Kragiel used) for the desk’s surface. If you can’t find something small enough, Sid’s Hardware (345 Jay St between Tillary and Willoughby Sts, Downtown Brooklyn; 718-875-2259, sidshardware.com) will cut and deliver one for you starting at $30.

Photograph: Shani Bar-on

4. Paint the top of your desk surface with Rust-Oleum Specialty Chalk Board paint (visit rustoleum.com for retailers) to double its efficiency—it’s a desk and a notepad! Once dry, lay it over the crates so the edges are flush, and secure it into place with one nail or screw in each corner. Now start doodling!

Time Out New York / Issue 671 : Aug 7–13, 2008

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