You may remember this hand-me-down desk that I brought home about a month ago. It’s the typical wooden desk that you would see in an office, heavy sturdy, and full of drawers. I was originally planning on painting it white or some other soft color.
But I changed my mind and instead of painting, I stripped and sanded it for a whole month…
until I had the result I wanted: beautiful raw wood.
It was not easy to sand every little part of the the beaded drawers and the side panels.
I replaced all the knobs with some others that I already had (except for the tiny ones on the slide out shelves). The new ones are very similar to the old ones, only a little flatter so that they won’t remind me of a bathroom cupboard. I spray painted all the hardware (drawer lock included) with a primer and gold spray paint.
I lined the drawers with some map wrapping paper cut to size.
I temporarily accessorized the desk with items that I brought in from other rooms, just to show you how beautifully it turned out, especially when decorated with some stylish little pieces.
The Christmas lights and the large glass vessel filled with pearl balls and wooden ornaments are perfect for the holidays.
The bamboo stool is originally a side table which I’ve been using (reversed) as a hamper. It will be replaced by the faux bamboo cane armchair that I recently got.
The only items seen on these photos that truly belong in the room are the two canvas paintings made by my mother. I now have to think of a very special way to frame them.
Caring for a raw wood surface is not as easy as caring for a sealed one as it will be very sensitive to water and ink. Any stains will have to be sanded down in order to be removed. This desk will definitely need extra caution and it’s certainly not ideal for heavy use, but it’s so beautiful that it is totally worth it!
Materials used:
- Klean Strip Premium Stripper (15 minutes)
- Plastic Scraper to remove stripper
- Palm Sander
- Sanding Paper
- Zinsser Cover Stain Primer Spray & Design Master Brilliant Gold Spray Paint for the knobs and locks
- Americana Chalky Finish in Primitive Color to slightly distress very few small spots on the drawers
- Map Wrapping Paper from Paper Source
Angelica, You really threw me here. I was expecting to see it painted and instead what I got was pure heaven! It looks amazing. I love the natural wood color, it is so soft and light. But are you really going to leave it like that? Nothing at all to seal and protect? Maybe some wax? Here I am worrying about your beautiful desk. Nevertheless, nothing can take away from the beauty that you have uncovered. I want to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas. I think you’ve already got your present in this precious desk..
όλα είναι υπέροχα! φιλάκια πολλά!
Ευχαριστώ Κυρία Ντορίτσα μου!