An Old Secretary With a Modern Twist

Secretary desks are one of my favorite pieces of furniture to repurpose and reimagine. They're so versatile - you can put them in a living room, family room, kitchen, bedroom - even a bathroom!

I had previously refinished a tall Queen Anne secretary in black milk paint (The Secretary That Caused a Traffic Jam), so I wanted to change things up a little bit on the next one. This secretary was in excellent condition, and just had a few spots that needed to be filled and sanded before painting. My vision for this piece was to add a funky fabric in the back for a little pop of color and the body painted in French Linen by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

There was a lot of disassembling that I had to do to achieve this vision. I had to take the back board off, the mahogany insert out, and the upper doors off. I wanted the lattice to be painted on the reverse side as well, so I carefully popped the molding off, pulled out the lattice and painted both sides. I have to say this was such an easier way to paint the lattice. It sure beat taping off each diamond, and then having to painstakingly scrape any residual paint off the glass when I was done!

The fabric backing was really easy to do. First I primed the back piece because my fabric had a white background and I didn't want a shadow from the mahogany finish. And then I measured and leveled the design so it was straight, and sprayed the back with fabric adhesive spray. And very quickly (it sets up really fast), used a ruler to smooth out the fabric and eliminate any air bubbles.

After it was all put back together, she was a stunner!

I love the curved front of these drawers! I painted the existing hardware the same color because I wanted the fabric to be the focal point.

I left the original mahogany insert alone - it was gorgeous and I liked the contrast of the paint and wood finish.

The fabric covered the entire back of the unit. Don't you just love how it peeks through the slots? I also painted the entire inside of the desk in French Linen in case the future owner would want to take out the insert.

Love the lines at the top and the finial!

A close up of the fabric backing. So pretty!

I cried a little bit when I sold her....but it went to a really good home. I gave the leftover fabric to my client in case she wanted to make a coordinating pillow. I'm working on a china cabinet with similar lines right now and I'm sure I'll cry when this one is sold, too!

Have a fantastic week and thanks for stopping by!

I'm Sharing at:

DIY Sunday Showcase, Silver Pennies Sundays, Amaze Me Monday, Metamorphosis Monday, Inspire Me Tuesday, The Scoop, Wow Us Wednesday, Be Inspired, Before and After Wednesday, Furniture Feature Friday, Re-Loved Fridays