Small Desk For Home: IKEA Linnmon / Lerberg

A minimal office in the living room

Like many people these days, I recently decided to start shifting work to a home office set-up. And that lead me to rethink my working environment—I don’t have a spare room that could be used as an office, so my options were limited from the start.

I began by asking myself some questions: How would my homelife change when I start working from home? Would I prefer to work from the bedroom or the living room? How much natural light would I need while sitting at my new desk?

After some deliberation, the open living room turned out to be the best option for my new ‘office corner’, but that choice came with a compromise: the desk would have to sit in a rather awkward spot between the TV bench and the kitchen area.

So it began—my search for a small, light, minimalistic desk that would fit in a tight space (while matching the neutral tones of the apartment).

Modern simplicity for small spaces

A few days into my desk hunt, I started to feel discouraged by the lack of appealing options that wouldn’t break the bank.

That is, until I found the IKEA Linnmon / Lerberg desk combination. Not only super minimalistic and lightweight, but also an incredible bargain!

Search criteria:

• Modern style. Given the general look and feel of my home, I didn't want to bring in a complex piece of furniture that would compromise the balance of the space. Neutral, minimal and unassuming would work best. The Linnmon / Lerberg desk has a simple layout, clean lines, just the basics—and that’s exactly what makes it great.

• Compact size. The desk was to fit in a relatively tight and awkward space in the open living room, so anything big would be obtrusive. Linnmon / Lerberg is small and lightweight, and very easy to move around if necessary.

• White tabletop. I focused my search on neutral colours to match the pre-existing furniture and to keep in line with the calm tones of the room. The Linnmon tabletop comes in different styles and patterns, but you can’t go wrong with white.

• Good-looking. It’d have to look and feel great as it was going to be in a prominent area of the flat. The attractive, curvy design of the Lerberg trestle legs makes them a good option for a minimalist home office set-up.

• Flexible design. Uncomplicated and quick to assemble. If you wish, you could replace one of the legs for a storage unit doubling up as a supporting pillar for the desk—not something I need right now, but it’s good to know that it can be done.

• Great value. At the time of writing, prices for the white Linnmon tabletop start at £6 (US$8.99) for the 100x60 cm (39 3/8 '') size, up to £29 (US$47.99) for the 200x60 cm (78 3/4 '') version. The Lerberg trestle legs start at £5 (US$10) each. IKEA prices are hard to beat!

Linnmon tabletops can be combined with a storage unit and IKEA Oddvald trestle legs

To keep in mind

Not everything is great—here are the negative points:

• Relatively unstable. The tabletop rests on the trestle legs without having the legs attached to it. (But there’s a way to stabilise it! Check IKEA Hack: How To Attach Lerberg Legs To Linnmon Table if you want to see a simple DIY solution.)

• Limited legroom. Trestle legs may take considerable room. If you have the space, go for one of the bigger tabletop options—150 cm or longer—to allow a greater distance between the trestle legs, and consequently more room for your legs underneath the desk.

Specifications

• Tabletop length: Either 100 cm (39 3/8 "), 120 cm (47 1/4 "), 150 cm (59 ") or 200 cm (78 3/4 '')

• Tabletop width: Either 60 cm (23 5/8 '') or 75 cm (29 1/2 '')

• Desk height: 74 cm (29 1/8 '')

• Max. load: 50 kg (110 lb 4 oz)

• Lerberg trestle legs materials: Steel with epoxy/polyester powder coating—grey, white, red or blue

• Linnmon tabletop materials: Wood, particleboard or fibreboard and recycled paper filling—several colours

The 150 cm long version of the desk will allow for more room between the trestle legs

Final thoughts

For most people’s needs, the pros definitely outweigh the cons. If you’re looking for an inexpensive desk with clean lines, the Linnmon / Lerberg combination is a great pick.

There are stronger desks out there, sure. But for this price you’d be hard-pushed to find anything like this one. The simple, attractive design makes it a real contender against many high-priced minimalist options.

However, you may need to consider a way to stabilise the tabletop. See IKEA Hack: How To Attach Lerberg Legs To Linnmon Table for a DIY solution to this problem.

For a sturdier (and more premium) alternative—also from IKEA—, I would recommend checking the Melltorp white tabletop, that you can combine with black Lerberg trestle legs. IKEA Melltorp tabletops are stronger and heavier than Linnmon, and will provide a more stable desk overall—although there’s just one size that is suitable for a desk, the 125 cm option.

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