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    Home » Woodworking » DIY Furniture Plans

    DIY Storage Desk For Home Office

    April 3, 2025 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

    In this post, I’m sharing how to build a DIY storage desk with drawers. This would be a perfect addition to your home office!

    This desk is packed full of storage with 9 drawers–four on each side and a shallow center drawer to store things like USB drives, writing utensils, glasses, and more.

    Large white storage desk with 9 drawers with text overlay "build your own storage desk"

    This desk is simple in design, but the trim details make all the difference to give it a “dressed up” traditional style.

    The great thing about trim and molding is that you can customize it however you wish to change the overall vibe or style of the piece.  Keep it simpler for a more modern feel or go more ornate for a fancier feel.

    White home office desk with trim detail and black knobs

    Because it’s trimmed on all sides (even the front!), it can sit in the middle of an office with the front visible, but it also works well against a wall, too. 

    If your desk could use an upgrade, I’ll show you how to build this one in the steps below.

    *This post contains affiliate links. See website policies.

    **This project was built and this post was originally published April 2019. This post was updated April 2025.

    What to know before building

    This DIY storage desk is not difficult to build, but with all the trim detail and the different size drawers, I’d consider it an intermediate level DIY project.

    The overall dimensions of this storage desk are approximately 22″ deep x 30 ½″ tall x 72″ wide.

    overall dimensional diagram of DIY storage desk

    You might find these resources helpful throughout the build:

    • How to cut plywood
    • How to use a pocket hole jig
    • How to install drawer slides
    • How to build a drawer box
    • How to apply edge banding
    • How to cut angles on a miter saw

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    How to build a Storage Desk with Drawers

    If you prefer to watch, I’ve shared the full build video with tons of tips, behind the scenes, and additional details on my YouTube Channel here.

    Love watching how-to videos? Subscribe to my YouTube channel for plenty more where that came from!

    Prefer to print? Grab the printable storage desk building plans here:

    Tools & Materials

    Tools:

    • Circular Saw
    • Miter Saw
    • Pocket Hole Jig
    • Drill
    • Nail Gun
    • Table Saw (optional)
    • Kreg Rip Cut and AccuCut

    Materials:

    • (2 ½) 4’x8′ sheets ¾″ Plywood
    • (1) 4’x8′ sheet ¼″ Plywood
    • (5) 1x3x8 boards
    • (4) 1x2x8 boards
    • (1) ¾″ square dowel 4′ long
    • (8) Cabinet Feet (Osborne Part Number #4115)
    • (9) 16″ Drawer Slides
    • Base Cap, Casement, Cove, Half Round Molding
    • Brad Nails
    • Wood Glue
    • Edge Banding (optional)
    • 1 ¼″ pocket hole screws
    • 1 ¼″ wood screws
    • 2″ wood screws

    Not sure what type of lumber to use for this project?

    1x LUMBER & TRIM: If painting, preprimed pine, spruce, or poplar are great budget friendly options. And if staining, usually, you want to use the same wood type as your plywood so that they match once stained. Check out this post to learn how to shop for and purchase lumber for your project.

    PLYWOOD: I recommend using cabinet grade hardwood plywood (like birch, maple, oak, etc). Check out this post to learn how to choose the right plywood for your project.

    Step 1: Assemble Desk Cabinets

    This desk is essentially made of two cabinets. Of course, it has a front and a top as well, but everything is kind of built on and around these two cabinets. So that’s what I built first.

    The two desk cabinets are made from ¾″ plywood. So, first, I began cutting down my plywood sheets. I needed two side panels, a bottom panel and two support strips for each cabinet.

    Learn how to cut plywood here.

    Shara Woodshop Diaries cutting plywood for DIY storage desk

    You can find the full cut list and plywood cut diagrams with dimensions in the printable storage desk plans here.

    Once my plywood was cut down, I drilled ¾” pocket holes along the bottom and back edges of my side panels.

    RELATED: How to drill pocket holes

    It’s important to note here that the holes on the two side panels for each cabinet should be mirrored. That way, once assembled, all pocket holes will be on the INSIDE of the cabinet.

    Shara Woodshop Diaries drilling pocket holes in side panels of storage desk cabinets

    Once the pocket holes were drilled, I started assembling the cabinets using wood glue and pocket hole screws. I screwed the sides of the cabinet into the bottom piece of the cabinet like shown making sure the pocket holes were on the inside.

    Shara Woodshop Diaries attaching side panels to bottom panel to build storage desk cabinets

    Then, I cut attached two support strips between the side panels at the front and back corners using pocket holes and screws.  These will serve as support pieces and a place to screw through later to attach the top.

    Diagram showing how to assemble the two cabinets for the storage desk build

    Next, I glued and screwed these furniture feet to the bottom corners of each cabinet.  You could use another style of foot here if you wanted.

    Shara Woodshop Diaries installing furniture feet to the bottom of desk cabinets

    To finish up these desk cabinets, I assembled a face frame to cover the front side. I built this ¾″ WIDER than my cabinet boxes and I used 1x2s for the sides, 1x3s for the top and bottom, and a ¾″ square dowel for the drawer divider..

    I assembled the frame using wood glue and pocket hole screws.

     A standard size pocket hole jig can work if you’re careful, but I recommend using a Kreg Micro Jig for these thin pieces with pan head pocket hole screws. The smaller holes and screws are less likely to cause splits.

    Learn more about how, when, and why to use the Kreg Micro Jig here.

    Then, I glued and nailed the face frames onto the front of each cabinet box. I mentioned that I made the face frames ¾″ wider than the cabinets, so I installed these so that they overhung one side of the cabinet ¾″.

    Nailing face frame onto storage desk cabinets

    This is so that later, when I attach the trim onto the sides of the desk, it kind of “meshes” with the trim.  It will overhang OPPOSITE sides of each cabinet.  So the overhang will be on the left side of the left cabinet and the right side of the right cabinet.

    Close up showing face frame overhang on side of cabinet

    Step 2: Attach Desk Cabinets Together

    Now that the cabinets were built, I needed to attach them together to make the desk base.

    For the front side of the desk I cut a large piece of ¾″ plywood and laid it on the ground. Then, I laid both desk cabinets on top of it and secured them with pocket hole screws through the pocket holes I drilled along the back edge of each side panel.

    Shara Woodshop Diaries securing desk cabinets to front panel with pocket hole screws

    I made sure the sides of my cabinets where the face frame had the overhang were on the OUTSIDE of the desk, not the inside.

    Then, I cut a piece of 1×3 to attach between the cabinets at the front, top corners. I secured this using pocket holes and screws from the inside (so the pocket holes will be hidden).

    Shara Woodshop Diaries installing middle apron to assemble DIY storage desk

    Prefer to print? Grab the printable plans complete with cut list, dimensions, and diagrams here.

    Step 3: Trim Desk Sides and Front

    Now it was time to dress this desk up a bit. I glued and nailed 1x3s and 1x2s around the front and sides of the desk to give it some dimension.

    Remember that overhang on the face frames? When I added this trim along the front of the side panels, since these 1xs are ¾″ thick, it should come flush at the joint.

    Shara Woodshop Diaries nailing trim around sides of home office desk

    I glued and nailed 1x3s vertically at each corner and along the top and bottom around both sides and the front. Then, I glued and nailed 1x2s a few inches down from the top.

    Shara Woodshop Diaries nailing trim around front of DIY desk

    This trim just adds some extra detail to the desk. Feel free to customize however you’d like.

    Step 4: Attach Storage Desk Top

    Next, I cut a piece of ¾″ plywood for the top panel that was about 2″ wider than the depth of my desk base and about 2″ longer than the width of my desk base.

    That allows for a 1″ overhang on all sides of the desk. I applied iron on edge banding to all the edges of this panel to give it a cleaner look.

    RELATED: How to apply iron on edge banding

    Then I centered the top onto the desk base and used 1 ¼″ wood screws up through the top supports of the desk cabinets to attach.

    Shara Woodshop Diaries securing top of desk using screws from inside of cabinets in workshop

    Step 5: Build and Install Desk Drawers

    Because the face frame overhangs the inside edge of the desk cabinets on one side, in order for the slides to work there, I needed to install some spacer blocks so the slides could mount flush to the inside edge of the face frame. 

    So for the INSIDES of both cabinets, where the face frame wasn’t flush with the inside of the cabinet, I attached some 1x2s to mount the drawer slides on.

    Shara Woodshop Diaries screwing spacer blocks into sides of desk cabinets

    Then, I installed 9 pair of ball bearing drawer slides–four in each cabinet and one in the middle, between the two cabinets.

    RELATED: How to install side mount drawer slides.

    Where there was a spacer block, I installed my slides on them.  Otherwise, I installed the slides directly onto the inside of the cabinet.

    Shara Woodshop Diaries installing drawer slides into storage desk

    Then, I built all 9 drawer boxes. Learn how to build a drawer box here.

    This drawer required three different sizes of drawers–6 larger drawers to go into the bottom sections of each cabinet, 2 smaller drawers to go into the top section of each cabinet, and a shallow, but wider drawer box to go in the middle.

    All drawer dimensions can be found in the printable plans.

    I assembled my drawer boxes using pocket holes and screws, then I installed them into the desk.

    Shara Woodshop Diaries installing drawer boxes onto slides in DIY storage desk

    RELATED: How to install drawer boxes

    All 9 drawers installed into storage desk

    Then, I cut my drawer fronts from ¾″ plywood and edge banded all sides. Edge banding is optional, but it makes it much cleaner looking and easier to paint.

    I tacked the drawer fronts onto my drawer boxes with a couple of brad nails, making sure to leave about ⅛″ gap around all sides.

    Shara Woodshop Diaries nailing drawer fronts onto drawer boxes of desk

    Then, I removed them from the desk, labeled each box (so I know where to put it back!), and secured the drawer fronts with a couple screws from the inside.

    Using wood screws from inside of drawer box to secure drawer fronts

    Step 6: Add Trim Detail and Finish

    This additional trim is totally optional, but it really gives a “fancy” look to the desk and adds a lot of detail and dimension.

    I cut to fit base cap molding around the top, and I used 2 ¼” door facing for the “baseboard” around the bottom.  Then, on the insides of all my trim pieces, I lined it with cove molding. I just glued and brad nailed all the molding in place.

    Shara Woodshop Diaries nailing cove molding around front of DIY storage desk project

    I also added some half round molding  along the ¾″ dowel piece on the face frame and around the sides and front.

    Close up of Shara Woodshop Diaries nailing half round molding around sides of home office desk project

    I used wood putty to cover all nail holes, and clean up any corners or joints that weren’t perfect. I also added a bead of caulk on the inside corners where needed.

    Once everything was dry, I sanded and smoothed out all the putty/filler, then primed and painted the desk and the drawer fronts. (TIP: Keep the drawers removed after step 5 and paint them separately.)

    RELATED: How to paint DIY furniture

    After the paint was dry, I attached knobs to the drawers and installed them back into the desk.

    Shara Woodshop Diaries installing drawers into desk

    And with that, this desk is ready for work! I loved the way this turned out and how the molding makes it pop.  And I also love that this desk has SO MUCH STORAGE.  ,

    DIY Storage Desk with 9 Drawers painted white with black knobs
    DIY Storage Desk Plywood Drawer open empty inside
    Completed DIY storage desk painted white with black knobs
    DIY Storage Desk with four drawers open

    So if your office could use a fancy, new desk, don’t forget to check out the plans and YouTube video.

    DIY Storage Desk with drawers and traditional trim

    Looking for more home office DIY projects?

    Here are a few of my favorite home office DIY projects you might also enjoy browsing and building. Click on the image(s) below to see how to build each one:

    DIY Corner Floating Desk
    DIY Home Office Built Ins
    Scrap Wood Desk Organizer
    DIY Computer Desk
    Easy DIY Desk
    Library Bookshelf with Desk
    Scrap Wood Key Holder Catch All

    If you’d like to save this post for later, be sure to pin it or share to your favorite social channel!

    Pinterest collage image showing completed DIY Storage Desk with 9 Drawers

    Until next time, friend, happy building!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Shara, Woodshop Diaries

      April 18, 2019 at 4:51 pm

      Sometimes I use it for drawer slides and sometimes I don’t. For this project, I opted not to use it because of the offset on the sides of the desk with the spacer blocks.

    2. Shara, Woodshop Diaries

      April 18, 2019 at 4:50 pm

      Thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂

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