My Vintage Desk Restoration

I have been talking about doing a Vintage Desk Restoration With Chalk Paint for so long. I was desperate to get my own little workspace. Somewhere I could store my things, my very own creative space. Just for me, with no football, homework and all those other distractions that put me off working.

Finding The Right Desk On Ebay For A Vintage Desk Restoration

I had been looking for ages when I spotted this vintage desk on eBay. Which was perfect exactly what I wanted. And was lucky enough to win with my bid and had the bureau sat in my lounge within a week.

I had spent some time scouring Pinterest for images of vintage inspired desks and had finally decided exactly how I wanted my desk to look. Thus decided on a vintage cream distressed exterior to match the rest of the furniture in our lounge. My only dilemma here was how to tie all the pieces in together.

How To Complete A Vintage Desk Restoration

Sanding And Painting The Desk

Choose your colours thinking of the final look you want to achieve, but also creating a contrast. For the interior  of the desk I wanted a super girly, feminine space so decided on duck egg blue and a vintage floral pattern, with a soft antique chalk effect white for the outside.

Start by sanding the whole cabinet to remove the veneer and make the surfaces porous, dont leave any shiny bits as the paint will peel off. Also ensure you get into all the corners as those are the areas that will be harder to paint if they aren’t porous.

Apply the wood base coat first, make sure they base coat covers well and you dont miss any areas, this is the most important step so take your time here and allow it to dry properly.

Now apply two coats of chalk paint, allowing each coat to dry in between coats. Initially the result looked patchy, however the key to a great chalk paint result is the wax finish.

Before applying the final wax we sanded areas to create the distressed effect I wanted to achieve, and then waxed. After two coats the wax seems to lift the paint and its appearance, thus making finished result looks almost to a professional standard, aged but modern.

Choosing Ceramic Door Knobs To Finnish The Look Of The Vintage Desk Restoration

The desk was finished off with Trinca Ferro ceramic door knobs. This was the biggest decision I had to make for the whole project.

Trinca Ferro offer a huge selection of absolutely gorgeous door knobs. I chose a mix of 3, to use on the existing furniture in my lounge, thus tying all the pieces together.

And lastly I chose a vintage floral oil cloth to decorate and finish the inside of the desk. The bright but delicate floral gives it such a light, bright and summery feel.

I am absolutely thrilled with the results of the vintage desk. Additionally I feel focused having a dedicated space to work, rather than working in the kitchen or on the sofa.

I love the fact that I have my own little oasis that no one in the house will commandeer as it is girly and pretty.

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