DIY Writing Desk Revamp
I was searching for an inexpensive yet unique writing desk. I finally found one listed for sale online in my area. When I went to look at it, I was a tad disappointed by it's size-- much smaller than I had in mind. The price tag was a bit high for my liking, but I went ahead and bought it anyway.
DiSTRESSED and covered in chalk white, I could tell this piece needed some love and new coat of paint. It needed a little Agent J style. Though I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do with it when it was done, I was leaning more towards selling it.
The first task was sanding, which proved to be quite a challenge as under that chalk white paint were two or three other colors. Had I known that, I might have opted to paint-strip prior. Several hours later though, I declared the sanding to be good enough.
[Authors note - I find perfection within imperfections. I feel I have a good understanding when something, such as a DIY project, must be flawless but also when flaws are acceptable.]
After sanding was complete, it was time to paint. I purchase all my paint from Home Depot because I have an excellent rapport with one of their paint specialists. I had settled on two colors for the desk itself: Lagoon in Behr Ultra Satin finish for the outside, and for the inside, Fruit Shake in Behr Ultra Semi-Gloss finish. [The colors were from Martha Stewart's color pallet, but we used the Behr for the base]
A fresh coat of paint would have sufficed, but I am a "more is more" type of girl. I don't just buy plain notebooks and stationary; I love color, patterns and prints! So that being said, I kicked it up a notch by adding new hardware: black ring pulls with ornate back plates, a cream colored rose shaped knob. I also laid fuchsia colored lattice print contact paper inside the drawer and attached a writing themed decal set that I purchased from Etsy. I also received a freebie butterfly decal I added to the interior for a much needed POP!.
By the time I was adhering the decals, I already knew where this stylin' desk was going to go. A dear friend told me her daughter loves to write and I immediately offered to gift her this desk. Her parents reupholstered a thrift store chair in a black and white Houndstooth pattern, similar to my chair. Their daughter was ecstatic and loved it.
She and I have become pen pals and that young lady is now Writing in Style.
Content by: Agent J
