Mary Beth's Place

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.