French Provincial Writing Desk
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Doesn’t this cute little writing desk make you want to just sit down and accomplish something? Lol! I actually feel that way when I look at it, believe it or not. This was a quick, simple project and at the time, was just what I needed. I seem to always pick pieces that need a lot of work or I decide to do a complex finish that takes me weeks to finish. My goal for this desk was to keep it simple but elegant! I hope I accomplished that.
Before:
Made of solid Cherry, this desk was in perfect condition…..well almost. In the picture at right, you can see one of the handles was falling off. That is all that is wrong with this desk.
As I do with most of my pieces, I wanted to leave the top stained. Why, you ask? I feel that a stained top stands up to wear and tear better than paint and I also love showing off a beautiful grain. Therefore, if a piece of furniture has a top that is in good condition, I typically sand it and stain it. Of course, there are times when I do paint the top, so I just put on a good top coat, and it will be fine.
As always, I cleaned this piece thoroughly with Krud Kutter, vacuumed it all over, sanded the top completely and did a scuff sand on the rest of it to prepare for paint.
I don’t have very many progress pictures of this desk. I think I was just trying to get it finished quickly and so I got carried away with just working. I used Wise Owl Chalk paint in Black and painted two coats and then applied Wise Owl Wax in clear.
I replaced the hardware with these gold knobs and added Gilding Wax in gold to some of the curves and details to tie it all together.
As a final touch, I always do something with the inside of the drawers. I love using Wise Owl’s Hemp Salve in different scents on the inside of drawers. It renews the wood and makes it smell wonderful. However, with this piece, I decided to use wrapping paper to line the drawers. I used decoupage paste to attach the paper. I thought about leaving it loose so that it would be easy to change but it just wouldn’t lay down and be still. It would be possible to lay down another layer of paper down the road, if necessary.
I look for different types of paper on sale and I just collect for use later on. I measured the drawers and cut the paper to size. I brushed on a layer of decoupage paste and gently laid down the paper. I then applied another layer of paste and let it dry. If it feels a little rough after drying, sand it with a 220 grit or higher sand paper, clean it off and apply another layer of the paste. I usually do several layers when I decoupage.
I decided to stage this desk outside by the pool with my “Take a Break” sign….hopefully everyone understands my point.
Supplies used:
