Let me sum up my Fall for you:
October: Youth Retreat
November: Parker’s 1st Birthday
December: Major Writing Project Due
Yep, that’s where I’ve been. I’m done now and ready to focus on having Christmas fun with my family. I’m also setting my sights on some projects and goals for the new year. This is where I need your help. One of my first plans was to redo an old desk that was my great-great aunt’s. It was in her house forever and I’d love to keep it around in my family forever. It sits in our living area (for now). Currently, it holds our desk top tree that we put up as not to tempt the 13 month old too much. Most of the time, I sit there for writing, blogging, etc.
Meet the desk.
The plan was to take off the side “drop down” leaf that was attached. It wasn’t until I started taking pictures that I realized it has a piece that would leave a hole in the desk if removed. Hmmm, not sure I’ll take the side off now. So, my thought was to stain it a dark color like black or even to paint it black. What do you my crafty friends think?
I also want to update the handles… any suggestions about really great (and affordable) places to get new hardware?
I love the desk. My first thought would be to paint it a really fun/cheery color and make it an accent piece. You can find all kinds of inspiration for this on pinterest. But really it comes back to your preferences and what will inspire you when youre writing…so go for black or a dark stain if thats what you like. But I think you might have to sand it back down to the wood to restain it which would be alot of work. Anthropologie had some really cute hardware. They are a little bit more expensive than home depot, but they will really add some unique character to the desk and they usually have some on sale on the website. Have fun!!
Even if I paint it, I’ll have to sand it right? I thought about a cheery color but I don’t know what I’d choose. Our rental house has this “orange wall” that i loved when I moved in but I’m kind of sick of now. Maybe I should paint that and then I’d feel more free to paint the desk a cheery color. hmmm…
It reminds me of this desk project a college friend recently posted about: http://theturnerpage.blogspot.com/2011/11/paint-makes-ugly-things-pretty.html
LeAnn! Great desk! That little leaf on the end can be handy if you’re hosting a party. (or a messy writer like me)
I have sanded and stripped furniture before refinishing… Both are messy jobs. The chemicals are no fun, but I think if you want to stain it, stripping might be your best bet. But if you are going to paint it, then a good sanding would do.
If you don’t want to go overboard with your bright orange wall… (and you like an antiqued look) you could paint the desk a bright accent color, then coat with black and sand all over the edges until you see some color and some wood show through.
And I’ll second Jaime that Anthropologie has great hardware, but I’ve also seen cute knobs at World Market and Pier 1.
I’ll share a project I did last year when I moved to Atlanta… http://ameredithshaw.blogspot.com/2010/08/befores-and-afters.html
Have fun and post your results! And Merry Christmas!