I have been searching for quite sometime for a smaller desk for my bedroom. I was beginning to think I was not going to find what I was looking for at a price that was affordable. I was just about to put that project on the back burner for a while, and then by chance one day my husband and I went to explore a new antique mall that had just opened a few weeks earlier and I spotted the perfect desk ( I am sure it was a vanity at one time) but it was the right size and style that I wanted, but the catch was it was from an estate sale and it was not going to be offered for sale until the next week, I went home thinking to myself I was probably not going to be able to get it as I am sure the price would be unaffordable and my chances of being there at just the right time was a slim chance. I went home feeling a little sad that I had found what I was looking for but with little hope of getting it. My husband said to me we will be there first thing when the estate sale opens on that Friday so I was starting to feel a little more positive, As the next few days went by, I was looking forward to the sale. Then we had an unexpected surprise happen in our lives ,God intervened and we were given a miracle and we had to take care of some very important business that would keep us from attending the estate sale. Saddened as I was, I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason every thing is part of God’s Master Plan for our lives, I once again said Lord if it is meant for me to have that piece of furniture it would still be there when we returned from our personal business trip out of town on Friday, Sept 5th. On Saturday I got up late then started cleaning the house and was just thinking to myself that I am not going to go by the Estate Sale because I am sure the desk is not still there so I continued on with my housework, I had stop anyway for a break and take my granddaughter, Amber, to work at 12:00. After I dropped her off I grabbed some lunch, and just thought to myself why not run by the estate sale so I could finally put to rest my anxieties about the desk, and to my amazement I spotted out of the corner of my eye that it was still there, suddenly my heart skipped a beat. I quickly went to inquire about the price and if prices were negotiable, and the salesperson said “Honey everything is negotiable I gotta move it”, not only was it still available, it was at a very affordable price so I was able to also purchase the desk, bench, and night stand for what I would have paid for the desk alone had I gone the first day of the sale. God had His hand in the matter all along!!! Isn’t He Wonderful!!!!!
Needless to say, I was super anxious to get started refinishing the pieces “Shabby Chic Style”, using the most wonderful paint out there on the market today, of course this is just my opinion, Annie Sloan paint, I used Old White for my base coat and second coat, then I used Pure White for my top coat. I then lightly sanded the pieces all over and then distressed the edges and then used a very watered down application of Fresh Linen as to highlight the corners and into the grooves of the decorative edges, I then allowed it to dry overnight, next day I applied a clear soft wax coat all over the entire pieces and applied a second coat after a few hours, I allowed that to dry and then buffed the entire pieces. I am so happy with the way they turned out. This is the exact same technique I did several months ago to another piece I refinished for my bedroom that I am using as my dresser, I am sure it was once used as a sideboard, amazingly enough the pieces are so similar even the hardware almost identical.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Now I am in search of a vintage style lamp for my new bedside end table. I will now be on the lookout for an old wooden file cabinet to house all my files that won’t fit in the desk since it has much smaller drawers and not the traditional file sized drawers. Oh well, that is the trade-off for not purchasing a newer more modern desk, but I wouldn’t trade it!!! I count it a gift from God!!!
I also have to do the make over on my sleigh bed, but that will be a huge project , I will have to wait till next summer to tackle this job.
Below is a photo of the “dresser” I refinished several months earlier,
BEFORE:
This picture was taken at the store where I purchased it.
AFTER:
Not an exact match, but same style and the hardware is very similar so I pretty much think it is from the same era in time.
* The lighting doesn’t do this piece justice the bottom of the dresser is more antiqued than appears the bright light from my lamp on my night stand makes it appear too white and uneven on the left side. but I wanted to show the comparison of the before and after. I need to take a better photo and upload at a later time. *
