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Before and After:  Desk Transformation

Before and After: Desk Transformation

I love to bring new life to old furniture.  Not only is it possible to get a great-quality piece for a song if it’s not in the best condition, but it’s also possible to create just exactly the right piece for your space – without endless shopping for the perfect pre-made look.  Check out one of my very favorite furniture make-over projects…

I found this desk/vanity at a garage sale for $20 – and it included a soon-to-be-cute little vanity stool!  It was painted in a creamy color, but had seen better days, so I knew a refinishing job was in order.  I actually hadn’t intended to strip the paint; my original thought had been that I could give it a light sanding and paint over it.  Unfortunately, the paint was peeling in some areas, so I knew that I’d better take the time to strip the paint for the best result.  Little did I know, this desk had once been a lovely shade of avocado green, too!  🙂

Desk before pic

This piece had some lovely details, including this carved scroll in the center.  The drawers also had some carved details, so I decided to add a bit of fun to the piece.

I’m not gonna lie; stripping the paint was a messy and time-consuming process.  But, I think it was worth doing.  The desk turned out to be maple, and of decent quality.  And, I always figure, if I’m going to take the time to create a cute furniture piece, I want it done right – and I’d rather the paint didn’t start to peel right away because I didn’t want to bother prepping the surface properly.

Desk before detail

Here are the drawers about halfway through the refinishing process.  I painted them all ivory as a base coat, then added pink and green details.  I created this desk for my daughter’s room, and wanted to paint it to match her newly-refinished bed.

Desk drawers during repainting

And, here is the finished product!  I’m just thrilled with the way it turned out.  The green and pink paint did take a little more time and a steady hand, but I just love the way it looks.  If you take the time to refinish a piece of furniture, you may as well create something unique and fun, right?  One of the knobs was missing when I bought the piece.  Luckily, I had some knobs left over from a previous dresser-refinishing project, and they were just the right size and color for this piece.  (They are the small ones on the top drawers; they work perfectly with the ring pulls below, don’t they?)

I painted the bench pink to match the legs on the desk, and reupholstered the seat in a super-cute paisley fabric from Greenhouse Design (they have some GREAT fabrics, including wonderful options for children’s spaces).

desk after repainting

My daughter loved her new desk, and it looks fantastic with her bed.  The pink and green details on the desk work perfectly with the scrolls I painted on her headboard.  For just a few bucks, I was able to create a brand-new piece for her bedroom – a piece full of character and created just for her.

Desk in bedroom

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2 Responses to Before and After: Desk Transformation

  1. […] it?  It do!  My daughter does, too – she wants it in her bedroom.  But, since I already custom-painted a piece for her bedroom, this one is heading to my shop to grace another girl’s room.  I hope she loves it, […]

  2. […] and painted it a lovely shade of pink.  The oil-based paint I used was left over from another furniture painting project for my daughter’s room, and I also used it on a vanity I recently refinished.  Two coats of […]

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