Free DIY Furniture Plans to Build a Pottery Barn Inspired Portland Desk
Showcase: Built From These PlansI am so honored each and every time one of you fine friends builds from these very plans! If you have built this piece, please take a moment and showcase your build! We are dying to see your fabulous hard work!
$100-$150
- Tape Measure
- Saw – Jig, Circular, or Miter
- Drill
- Square
- Sander
- Kreg Jig
- Brad Nailer
- One full sheet of ¾” plywood
- One half sheet of ¾” plywood
- 2 – 1×2 at 8’
- 1 – 1×2 at 4’
- Scrap of 1×4 at 6”
- One half sheet of ¼” plywood, lauan, or hardboard
- One full sheet of ½” plywood
- 1-1/4” pocket hole screws
- 1-1/4” brad nails
- One set of hinges
- Magnetic catch for the door
- One drawer knob
- Seven drawer pulls
- Stick-on or nail on furniture glides
- Wood filler
- Sandpaper
- Wood glue
- Finishing Supplies
- 3 – ¾” plywood at 19” x 39-1/4” – Sides, Inner Side
- 4 – ¾” plywood at 6” x 19” – Right Drawer Dividers
- 3 – 1×2 at 6” – Shorter Aprons
- 1 – 1×4 at 6” – Kick Plate
- 3 – 1×2 at 30” – Longer Stretchers
- 2 – ¾” plywood at 4-1/4” x 19” – Left Dividers
- 1 – ¾” plywood at 14” x 19” – Inner Divider
- 1 – ¾” plywood at 19” x 25” – Drawer Shelf
- 1 – ¾” plywood at 6-3/4” x 19” – Upper Divider
- 1 – ¼” plywood at 37-1/4” x 38-1/4” – Back
- 1 – 1×2 at 38-3/4” – Top Trim
- 2 – 1×2 at 20-1/4” – Top Trim
- 1 – ¾” plywood at 20-1/4” x 40-1/4” – Top
- 1 – ¾” plywood at 4” x 5-1/2” – Drawer Box 1
- 2 – ½” plywood at 5-1/2” x 18” – Drawer Box 1 Sides
- 1 – ½” plywood at 3” x 5-1/2” – Drawer Box 1 Back
- 1 – ½” plywood at 3” x 17-1/2” – Drawer Box 1 Bottom
- 1 – ¾” plywood at 4” x 5” – Drawer Box 2
- 2 – ½” plywood at 5” x 18” – Drawer Box 2 Sides
- 1 – ½” plywood at 3” x 5” – Drawer Box 2 Back
- 1 – ½” plywood at 3” x 17-1/2” – Drawer Box 2 Bottom
- 1 – ¾” plywood at 5” x 17” – Drawer Box 3
- 2 – ½” plywood at 5” x 18” – Drawer Box 3 Sides
- 1 – ½” plywood at 5” x 16” – Drawer Box 3 Back
- 1 – ½” plywood at 16” x 17-1/2” – Drawer Box 3 Bottom
- 1 – ¾” plywood at 5” x 6-3/4” – Drawer Box 4
- 2 – ½” plywood at 5” x 18” – Drawer Box 4 Sides
- 1 – ½” plywood at 5” x 5-3/4” – Drawer Box 4 Back
- 1 – ½” plywood at 5-3/4” x 17-1/2” – Drawer Box 4 Bottom
- 1 – ¾” plywood at 5” x 5-3/4” – Drawer Box 5
- 2 – ½” plywood at 5” x 18” – Drawer Box 5 Sides
- 1 – ½” plywood at 5” x 4-3/4” – Drawer Box 5 Back
- 1 – ½” plywood at 4-3/4” x 17-1/2” – Drawer Box 5 Bottom
- 2 – ¾” plywood at 5-1/2” x 5-3/4” – Drawer Box 6 & 7
- 4 – ½” plywood at 5-1/2” x 18” – Drawer Box 6 & 7 Sides
- 2 – ½” plywood at 5-1/2” x 4-3/4” – Drawer Box 6 & 7 Back
- 2 – ½” plywood at 4-3/4” x 17-1/2” – Drawer Box 6 & 7 Bottom
- 1 – ¾” plywood at 5-3/4” x 14-1/4” – Door
Before beginning to build, always check in on my site to make sure you have the most up to date set of plans, I occasionally update and change the plans to make the building process easier or to allow for less expensive purchasing of materials! Read through the entire set of instructions and all comments before beginning this project. If you print out or save plans, be sure to check in on my site to be sure you have the most up to date set of plans, as I occasionally update things for ease of building or buying. If you are new to building, read through the GETTING STARTED section and other articles found under the BUILD tab in the menu on my site, it has valuable information about how to get started, tools and techniques. If you are unfamiliar with the finishing process, visit my Finishing school for some tips and tricks for painting like a pro and for special finishing practices. Use glue to secure your joints and Consider Painting or Staining individual sections prior to assembling. This makes the paint application virtually flawless. Coat with a spray on Poly or Wipe on Poly to protect your finish and your piece and it will last for ages. Adhere to all safety standards and guidelines, and be sure you follow safety protocol throughout your build. If you are unsure about whether you are building safely, run a quick online search for the tool or technique you are using, or contact me via email or post to the forum before you move ahead. My contact info can be found in the menu of my site.
Edge banding should be applied to all exposed edges of plywood before assembly.
Cut the pieces for the sides and the inner side. Cut a decorative notch as shown in the drawing or create your own.
Cut the pieces for the right drawer dividers. Set the Kreg jig for ¾” material and drill pocket holes in one long edge of each divider. Attach to the right side as shown using glue and 1-1/4” pocket hole screws.
Cut the pieces for the shorter stretchers. Drill pocket holes in one end only and attach to the right side as shown using glue and 1-1/4” pocket hole screws.
Cut the piece for the kick plate. Cut a decorative notch in the bottom and drill pocket holes in one shorter end. Attach as shown using glue and 1-1/4” pocket hole screws.
Attach the inner side piece as shown using glue and 1-1/4” brad nails through the side into the dividers, stretchers, and kick plate.
Cut the pieces for the longer stretchers and drill pocket holes in each end. Attach as shown to the inner side as well as the left side using glue and 1-1/4” pocket hole screws.
Cut the pieces for the left dividers and drill pocket holes in one long edge of each piece. Attach to the left side using glue and 1-1/4” pocket hole screws.
Cut the piece for the inner divider. Cut the notches with a jig saw and drill a pocket hole in each notch as shown. Attach as shown using glue and 1-1/4” pocket hole screws into the long stretchers and 1-1/4” brad nails into the dividers.
Cut the piece for the drawer shelf. Drill pocket holes in each end and attach as shown using glue and 1-1/4” pocket hole screws.
Cut the piece for the upper divider. Cut the notches with a jigsaw and drill a pocket hole in each notch. Drill pocket holes in the lower edge also. Attach as shown using glue and 1-1/4” pocket hole screws.
Cut the piece for the back and attach using glue and 1-1/4” brad nails.
Cut the pieces for the top trim. Drill pocket holes in each end of the back piece and a curve at the front edge of the side pieces. Attach the longer piece to the sides using glue and 1-1/4” pocket hole screws.
Cut the piece for the top and attach the trim using glue and 1-1/4” brad nails through the underside of the top into the trim.
Attach the top to the cabinet using glue and 1-1/4” brad nails through the top into the sides, dividers, and stretchers.
The drawer boxes are different sizes except #6 & #7 – they are the same size. They are all constructed in the same manner with glue, pocket hole screws, and brad nails.
Assembly for the drawer boxes is as follows: Cut the piece for the front from ¾” plywood and the sides, back, and bottom from ½” plywood. Set the Kreg jig for ½” material and drill pocket holes in one shorter end of each side piece. Attach the back to the sides using glue and 1-1/4” brad nails. Attach the bottom to the sides and back using glue and 1-1/4” brad nails. Attach the entire box assembly to the drawer front using glue and 1” pocket hole screws through the pocket holes in the sides into the front.
Attach stick-on or nail-on furniture glides to the bottom of each drawer to help them slide smoothly. Attach the drawer pulls.
Cut the piece for the door. There will be a 1/8” gap around all sides of the door. Shim in place and attach the hinges. Drill a hole for the knob and attach. Position and attach the magnetic catch.
Fill any Screw, Nail or Pocket Holes, Sand and Finish as Desired. For Finishing Tips and Tricks visit my Finishing School
**Disclaimer: Some rights reserved. Private use only. Feel Free to link to any of my plans so long as you provide an adequate link back to the appropriate post! Plans from this page are not to be used for commercial purposes or republished without the express written consent of Rayan Turner, The Design Confidential I hope to provide accurate plans, however, I cannot guarantee each plan for accuracy. Not every plan that I post has been built and tested, so you are building at your own risk. It is recommended that you have a clear understanding of how the project works before beginning any project. Please contact me if you find an error or inaccuracy so that I might fix it.
