ᐅ How can Ikea Hemnes furniture be adapted for a home office?

Hello everyone,

I am currently looking into how to adapt Ikea Hemnes furniture for the home office to make the workspace more functional and ergonomic. The Hemnes series provides a solid foundation but is primarily designed for living spaces. I am interested in how Hemnes desks, shelves, or dressers can be modified with relatively little effort to better meet the needs of a home office—for example, by adding more storage for office supplies, improving cable management, or ergonomic aspects such as adjusting the working height.

Who has experience or ideas on how to redesign Hemnes furniture accordingly? Tips on material selection, tools, or clever DIY solutions would be very much appreciated. Perhaps there are practical tricks you have already tried? Thanks in advance!

tasan schrieb:
I’m interested in how Hemnes desks, shelves, or dressers can be modified with relatively little effort to better meet the needs of a home office – such as providing more storage for office supplies, improving cable management, or addressing ergonomic factors like adjusting the working height.

In this regard, I first recommend focusing on modular and extendable systems within the Hemnes range. A common modification is adding extra shelves or drawers, which can be easily installed using standard screws.

From an ergonomic perspective, it is advisable to equip the desk with an adjustable-height tabletop – for example, by mounting wooden slat supports that can be length-adjusted.

For cable management, attaching cable channels or flexible spiral wraps externally to the sides of the dressers is often very practical and can be installed discreetly. It is important to ensure that the furniture’s structural stability is not compromised by these modifications.

blagla schrieb:
From an ergonomic perspective, it makes sense to equip the desk with an adjustable-height tabletop – for example, you can install wooden slat overlays that can be adjusted in length.

Interesting approach, but my question is: Do we really need to cling to existing furniture? Ikea Hemnes is traditionally designed for living spaces, not for professional work.

Why not invest in a completely new system that meets true desk standards instead of modifying the Hemnes? I find it counterproductive to alter furniture in a way that compromises its original construction.

Of course, it’s a matter of budget – but I would rather use Hemnes as a starting point for furnishing the room, not as the centerpiece of a home office.

To complement the previous posts, I would like to mention specific adjustments that can be made with manageable effort and basic tools:

- Adjusting the working height: Hemnes tables can be raised by placing suitable blocks under the table legs to achieve ergonomic working heights (approximately 70-75 cm (28-30 inches) seat height + 20-25 cm (8-10 inches) desk height).
- Additional storage space: Placing Hemnes chests of drawers directly under the desk provides sophisticated storage for documents and work materials.
- Cable management: Simple installation of cable channels with mounting clips on the underside of Hemnes tables keeps cables organized.

These methods are reversible, do not damage the furniture structure, and can be implemented cost-effectively. Required skills: basic craftsmanship and a small toolkit (drill, screwdriver).

I agree that these are not perfect furniture pieces designed specifically for office work, but Hemnes provides a solid foundation that many can easily adapt.

Muso4 schrieb:
Why not invest in a completely new system that meets real desk standards instead of adapting Hemnes?

I believe you shouldn’t always throw everything away! With a bit of creativity and courage, you can get a lot out of Hemnes.

I equipped my Hemnes desk with some extra shelves and smart organizing boxes – and it made my workday much easier! Using self-adhesive cable clips and a simple keyboard drawer also made working much more comfortable.

Give it a try, it’s really fun and saves money! Bonus: Hemnes has a timeless design, so the home office doesn’t look like an industrial workspace but stays cozy.

So, who’s willing to give it a shot? I can say from experience: it’s definitely worth it!