ESTIMATED READING TIME: 3 MINUTES
If you have a home office, the aesthetics are just as important as functionality — it’s not easy to be productive in a space that doesn’t look as good as it works. We know that your bulky all-in-one printer isn’t exactly easy on the eyes and takes up a fair amount of your work space, so we started searching for a solution. And we found one courtesy of Ikea Hackers!
Widened Ikea RAST Nightstand
Finding a piece that can contain your printer and still give you some surface space in your office can be tricky. So why not make your own? Or at least alter a piece of furniture to meet your needs? We found a clever hack of the simple and affordable Ikea RAST Nightstand to create your very own custom office furniture.
What you need
- RAST Nightstand
- Appropriate length of 18mm section straight extruded copper pipe
- 12 x 14G 100mm long bugle head screws (gold passivated or galvanized is fine)
- Copper pipe cutter (make sure it can go up to 18mm section pipe) – do not use a saw for this, it is too inaccurate
- Cordless Drill
- Alan key fittings or Phillips head fittings relevant to the screws you purchased
- Spirit Level
- 30cm Metal Ruler or tape measure
- Iron File
- Pocket Knife
How to Create Your Custom Furniture
Figure out the width necessary to fit your printer and how much you have to add to the RAST. The creator this hack recommends you do add more than 100 mm to the nightstand to keep the the nightstand structurally sound. Divide the additional width by 2 and cut your copper pipe appropriately.
You will then assemble the nightstand almost to the specifications by Ikea. There are already 3 pre-drilled holes on the included pieces, and that is where you will attach your copper pipe lengths. Once you have loosely assembled your new furniture, tighten the screws at the top and bottom and make sure all of your copper pipes are nice and even.
Obviously, these are simplified instructions. For full instructions, visit Ikea Hackers Widened RAST Bedside Table.
Customize it
Once you have completed your new printer stand, feel free to get creative. Paint the furniture to match or complement you work space to make it fit seamlessly into your office. Once you have made your office just a little more appealing and functional, let the productivity begin!
