My Obsession with Secretary Desks (Part Two)

This is a continuation of the story of my obsession with secretary desks. I love taking unused and unloved vintage desks and turning them into functional and beautiful pieces of furniture for another generation to cherish. They are truly labors of love, because I can guarantee you that when I factor in my time, it's probably less than what the minimum wage was in the year it was built! But they get my creative juices bubbling and in the end it makes me so happy when they end up in great new homes.

If you're interested in Part One, you can read about it here.

My Obsession With Secretary Desks

After that one, I refinished a few more that have become Pinterest favorites.

This secretary and matching chair took forever to refinish because of the "bleed" problems associated with mahogany wood.

A Fresh New Look For a Secretary Desk

This next desk was Parisian-inspired in gray and duck egg with silver accents. I hand painted and used dark wax to create texture and color variation.

Paris Chic Secretary

So when it came to refinishing my next victim, I wanted to do something special and unique. And, in case it didn't sell, would fit in with my decor! It came from a very high-end estate sale where I ended up purchasing about six pieces. Very pretty, but it had significant damage on the inside and it was beyond my refinishing expertise to try to match.

I hand painted it in General Finishes Lamp Black with light, specific strokes to emphasize the wood grain underneath.  The entire piece was sprayed with General Finishes Flat Out Topcoat to seal for protection and durability.

I left the interior upper cabinet and insert in its natural state.

I fell in love with this Nate Berkus fabric that I used on the back of the upper cabinet!

But the absolute part of this makeover? It went to a repeat client and a lovely young family!

Have a fantastic week!

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What's New

Hello! Thought I'd share some pieces that I've refinished since the beginning of the year!

Some of these pieces are still with me waiting to find a new home, and some are distant memories because they flew out the door!

This was a large executive desk refinished in General Finishes Lamp Black. (Sold)

I had this sweet little antique dresser since I was a teenager and used a hodgepodge of leftover ASCP paint. (Sold)

I lined the drawers with paper I ordered from Spoonflower. Really love that pattern!

This navy buffet turned out gorgeous! It's in its new home now, but I think about her every day! (Sold)

Another antique dresser I decided to cycle out of our home and refinish. I used General Finishes Java Gel Stain and a custom mix of General Finishes Snow White and Antique White. (The perfect white in my opinion!) (Sold)

I've painted a lot of pieces lately in this jewelry-box blue by Benjamin Moore. Now this retro set is ready to tackle a new decade!  (Available - message me for details)

It has adorable matching side tables!

I've actually finished quite a few more pieces than this that I'll share later! Frankly, I'm so much better at updating my inventory through Facebook and Instagram - so you may want to check out those accounts! In the meantime, I'm on the hunt to find new exciting pieces, so I'll catch you later!

Have a wonderful week!

Navy is the New Black

Have you noticed that navy seems to be all the rage right now? This vintage buffet I refinished turned out so pretty! I created this color using General Finishes Lamp Black and Coastal Blue. This took about four light coats (with sanding in between) to get this gorgeous finish. And yes, it was sprayed.

The top was stripped and stained in General Finishes Java Gel Stain with several coats of their Top Coat to seal. Look at that lustrous finish!

I kept the original vintage hardware but refinished the pulls using a black matte finish.

No wonder it flew out the door!

I'm thinking that I should incorporate a little navy in my life as well!

I'm Sharing:

Something to Talk About, The Creative Gallery, Metamorphosis Monday, Show and Share,
The Scoop, Be Inspired, Inspire Me Tuesday, Wow Us Wednesdays,
Homemade & Handcrafted, Share Your Style, Creative Inspirations,
Feathered Nest Friday, The Painted Drawer, Furniture Fix
Sundays at Home, Silver Pennies Sundays