Our Office Makeover: Ikea Fjälkinge Shelves and a Fresh Layout

We’ve just made one of the biggest functional improvements to our office since we first started planning the space back in March. Two tall storage units now flank the desk, providing six roomy shelves and six extra-long drawers. The result is balanced, highly functional, and far more organized than the previously bare wall. And yes—the soft-close drawers feel like the icing on the office cake.

Although the room isn’t completely finished—we still want window treatments, a rug, some wall art, and a ceiling fixture—it already feels much closer to what we’d imagined. Surprisingly, welcoming our new dog Teddy into our lives helped us move past a long-running furniture placement rut. Some rooms are easy to plan, while others make you change your mind repeatedly; this was definitely the latter.

Previously, our idea was to convert a free curbside secretary’s desk into a double-sided floating desk so both of us could work opposite each other. At the time that felt like the most efficient way to pack functionality into the room. Over time, however, our goals evolved. We realized that a multi-use craft and photography studio plus two full-time desks would be overkill for the way we actually work. What mattered most was giving each of us a dedicated desk to spread out on and adding substantial storage so the office wouldn’t be a dumping ground for work gear and files.

With those clearer priorities, we stopped trying to cram in four or five separate zones. We rotated the main desk 90 degrees so it sits centered in the bay window, and that small adjustment immediately felt right. We’d resisted that orientation initially because we thought the long-wise placement would better serve two people, and we worried about crowding the adjacent wall. But once the desk was centered, the plan clicked.

Instead of forcing multiple uses onto the side wall, our simplified goal became clear: one desk area and plenty of storage. I’ve been working at that West Elm desk in that position for over a year and actually prefer facing the wall—it’s my favorite spot—so I claimed it. Sherry was happy to keep the big desk in the window, and we agreed to flank it with two storage systems to balance the composition and increase function.

After shopping around, we chose two Ikea Fjälkinge shelves with drawers for the storage flanking the desk. These all-metal units are durable—the shelves hold up to 110 lbs each—and they’re highly flexible because you can add as many soft-close drawers as needed. Their wider-than-average profile fit our wall well, so the decision was an easy one.

We made a special Ikea run for the shelves (Teddy’s first trip was part of the adventure), and after bringing everything home we began assembly. The frames came together fairly easily, though we needed an extra pair of hands to hold posts steady while attaching the base and top. The metal construction makes each unit robust but heavy, so we anchored them to the wall and used the adjustable feet to level them precisely.

The units come with six shelves each (including top and bottom) and you can add more if desired, but we liked the evenly spaced configuration. We left the shelves open at first so we could choose which levels would receive drawers for concealed storage. The drawers were the most time-consuming part of the build—screw-heavy and fiddly—but it was worth it for the finished functionality and the delightfully quiet soft-close action.

Once everything was assembled and cleaned up, we both felt relieved and excited—the room finally felt like a proper office tuned to how we actually work. Letting go of the need to reserve a large zone for photography or crafts cleared the way for a symmetrical, calm design. The two tall units echo the two tall windows on the opposite side of the room, creating a pleasing visual balance.

We did shift the file and printer cabinet to the opposite side of the main doorway so it wouldn’t crowd the bookcases. It’s back where it lived when we first moved in, and it still gives us a convenient place for files and a wireless printer. The large white shelves initially felt a little stark, but styling them made a big difference—accessorizing instantly warmed the space. Now we just need a rug, window treatments, a few pieces of art, a ceiling fixture, and a floor outlet for the desk to make the room complete.

We’ll share more about how we organized the shelves and drawers later in the week. With six shelves and twelve drawers (eight in the bookcases and four in the desk), plus our filing cabinet, we went a little organizing-crazy—and in a good way. There may even be a few animated GIFs of the process coming soon. In the meantime, we’re enjoying the lighter, more flexible solution that gives us both beautiful open shelving and the concealed storage we badly needed.

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