I recently got an IKEA FREDRICK work station desk as part of my new furniture ensemble after moving into a new apartment and though I liked it a lot for its clean, open approach, I wished it had some sort of keyboard shelf. I didn’t use to be a fan of keyboard shelves, but after four years of university with an $80 Wal-Mart desk that had a surprisingly good keyboard shelf, I’ve been somewhat hooked. (As hooked as one can get to a particular furniture feature)

IKEA has their own SUMMERA keyboard shelf, which is meant to be used with this desk. However, it wasn’t wide enough to accommodate my keyboard and mouse, something I believe is necessary for good ergonomics. Additionally, it didn’t feel too sturdy when I checked it out in-store. So, I had to resort to an online search to find the keyboard shelf I needed.

Big problems

The keyboard I’ve been using for well over a year has been the excellent Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard. Though I’m not a huge gamer, I like the keyboard for its traditional layout, backlighting and the LCD screen, which can run not only Logitech apps, but also some excellent third-party apps developed with Logitech’s SDK. While I don’t use the extra macro keys, they’re nice to have in case I need them. As I’m very picky about keyboards - once I find one I like, Hell will freeze over before I switch to another - this has some unfortunate downsides. The G15, with all its extra features, is a very wide keyboard - about 55 cm at its widest. Couple that with a mouse, and most keyboard shelves weren’t large enough for me.

Looking around

I figured that I’d need a keyboard shelf around 75 cm (close to 30″) wide to accommodate both keyboard and mouse. Checking out some local retailers, I was disappointed to find that most weren’t this big. At best, I could hope to find one that would hold the G15, but not a mouse. Since the whole point of getting a keyboard shelf was for ergonomics - I find it most comfortable to have the keyboard lower than the desk height to keep my elbows close to a 90-degree angle - putting the mouse at a different height away from the keyboard was just not an option. The CDC guide to ergonomics seems to agree with me on this.

I did more searching on the Internet and was finally able to locate the Bush Universal Keyboard Shelf. While looking somewhat plain, it fit the bill - it was around 29-30″ wide, and so would be able to hold everything I needed. Finding it from a Canadian supplier was a little bit harder, but I was able to get it from Office Depot for a fair price with free shipping. They even shipped it using a local courier who was able to deliver it after-hours, when I’d be home from work.

Installation

Installation took about one and a half hours, mainly because I have little to no workmanship skills when it comes to this sort of stuff and wanted to make sure I did it right the first time. The installation guide included all the proper measurements and drill locations, so all I had to do was measure it out and drill. Measuring and marking the correct locations took longer than expected, since I only had a tape measure and a small ruler. But in the end, things were fairly straight. Drilling itself only took a few minutes with the cordless drill I borrowed from my helpful superintendent. After that, I just needed to screw the rails onto the underside of the desk, and then attach the shelf to the rails.

Overall, I’m happy with the results. The keyboard shelf is feels sturdy and quality-made; it’s covered in a nice grippy-texture that prevents things from slipping, but this means you must use a mousepad with it. No problems - I’ve always used one. It might have been a bit pricey, but getting things just the way you want them often does cost a bit.

I recently moved into a new apartment and ordered a bunch of furniture from IKEA to get started. Despite a few setbacks during the order, I eventually got everything and it took me about four evenings plus a weekend to put everything together and subsequently clean out and setup my apartment. Here’s a list of what I got, plus a few tips and my opinions on the furniture.

Living Room

• Sofa: EKTORP

  

  This is a great, comfortable and low-cost fabric sofa and I wholly recommend it. Of course, you’ll want to visit an IKEA to try it out yourself. The sofa itself should be used with a washable cover, and the covers come in many different colours. Different coloured-covers cost different prices, so this explains the price differences. I went with white because it was the cheapest - the sofa and cover end up costing only $500 CAD. Also, white looks decent and matches my apartment anyways.

  There are also lumbar cushions that go with this sofa, and I got two of them. Not necessary, but great for sitting purposes.

• TV Stand: STORMARK

  A grey-coloured TV stand that goes well with both CRT TVs and newer flat-panels, STORMARK isn’t too big and so it doesn’t take up a lot of space. With the glass shelves, it also looks sleek. The cable holes at the back allow for neater wiring, and also allow you to attach a power bar/surge protector onto the unit using cable ties. The only setback is that it’s a bit more work to assemble than it looks.

• Coffee Table: LACK

  This one was a no-brainer for someone on a budget. It’s $30 CAD, and just looks great, especially in the black-brown veneer. It contrasts well with the white EKTORP sofa and was fairly simple to put together. The bottom shelf is also nice for storing away stuff you need, but don’t really want to see all the time.

• Side Tables: LACK

  Got two of these in the same black-brown colour scheme to match with the coffee table. In addition to being cheap, ($20 CAD each), they are also dead simple to put together, even for me. Each one took only about five minutes to assemble. While decidedly minimalistic, these side tables get the job done.

Dining

• Dining Table: JOKKMOKK

  What can I say? It’s the cheapest four-chair dining table package, and it’s also lightweight. (Perhaps the two go hand-in-hand…) It was also straightforward, but tedious, to put together. By the time you’ve put together the fourth chair, you’re ready to just quit. However, JOKKMOKK was the only product I got that wasn’t completely disassembled - the table top already had the sides and leg supports attached, so you just needed to secure the legs, simplifying things.

• Folding Chairs: JEFF

  While not necessarily for dining-purposes only, I didn’t want to create another section just for these. JEFF is a cheap ($10 CAD) plastic and metal-framed folding chair that doesn’t take up much room when you’re not using it. I plan on using them for when guests are over or for seating outside on the balcony. I picked up two of these cheap and effective chairs.

Workspace

• Desks: FREDRIK work station, FREDRIK desk and drawer

  So maybe this was a bit overboard in terms of workspace, but I spend a lot of time at my computer, and so I like to have the room. I even eat a meal every now-and-then at my desk, a spillover from my university days. The FREDRIK work station and desk both offer ample room, and more importantly, are easy to assemble and take apart, should the need ever arise. They also look nice, but I guess that’s just my attraction to minimalism. The extra drawer was quite pricey - $30 CAD - especially considering that the work station itself was only $170. However, it’s quite handy, and so I wouldn’t want to be without it.

• Drawer unit: MIKAEL

  Got this in the same birch-effect colour to match the desks. It’s quite the upgrade from the low-cost plastic drawers that I had used for the past four years. While it was a bit of work to put together, it’s a quality unit that has ample storage space. The bottom can even be used for hanging file-folders, though this requires you to leave off the bottom. This diminishes the utility somewhat. However, the casters make these drawers very easy to move from place to place.

• Deskpad: PRÖJS

  Another cheap item from IKEA, the PRÖJS deskpad costs only $7 CAD but protects your desktop from scratches and other damage. It’s quite large (65 x 45 cm) and thick as well, and the back is made of a grippy texture so that it doesn’t slip or slide on your desk. It’s also translucent. I think I’ll pick up another one to cover the rest of my desktop space.

About the only bad thing with IKEA furniture is are the small tools (namely, Allen keys) that they provide are almost useless unless you only have to put together one piece of furniture. But, you can’t expect them to provide real tools at these prices. Thus, it’s beneficial to have proper tools on hand; trust me, it makes the job much easier.

Keeping things neat

Another benefit of the new furniture was that it gave me a chance to clean up cabling for my various devices. Since most of the furniture had open legs, it gave me a chance to try out something I’ve been wanting to for a while. I decided to use cable ties to affix surge protectors to the sides of table legs to free up floor space. This also went well with the FREDRIK desks, since they have a cable organizer that runs horizontally under the desk - it basically allows you to run cables neatly along it. Here’s a few pictures:

So far, it’s worked out great, and the advantage of using cable ties is that the fixture is non-permanent.