I have a garage full of furniture waiting to be transformed into something amazing. But when a friend sent me pictures of this desk that one of her clients was selling, I had to jump on it. This trestle desk is so cool, has plenty of workspace and tons of storage. The finish and hardware, however, was making it look dated. But when the bones are this great, you know it can be something really special.
I took cues from the rounding back of the drawer corners and decided to make this a feminine-style desk. I chose a palette of white with a slight pink undertone, the “perfect” gray-green, and a mixture of charcoal and greige for the lettering to create a complete vintage look.
First I sanded the desk down and filled in any damage–being careful to preserve some of the dings that give it character. I painted the body and legs this gorgeous gray-green, and the desktop and shelf in a pink-based white. Once I had the base color painted, I got to work on the lettering by layering and dry-brushing to create a weathered effect. I loved how the chipped paint made the desktop look authentically old and blended with the soft, almost romantic feel of the piece.
I stripped and sanded all of the drawer faces, and restained them in “Sunbleached” by Varathane.
Finally, I sealed the entire desk with a matte poly. Fresh hardware in silver balances the soft, vintage colors. The original desk came with optional glass for the desktop allowing for more protection with heavy use.
I can see this desk in a softly lit sunroom or a beautiful home office. This may be one of my very favorite makeovers.
