She is finished! And ready for her moment of fame, my old desk has received her makeover:
Isn’t she pretty?! I used Annie Sloan chalk paint, White Linen over Paris Grey and some heavy distressing.
Let’s do a close-up of the before and after:
Quite the metamorphosis, from ugly duckling to beautiful swan.
It was an intensive process let me tell you that. Removing the veneer off the top to start with was not an easy job. It took me the better part of a day. But then I had this:
A ruined iron, a raw, veneerless desk top, very tired and badly bruised and slightly burned hands and an enormous sense of accomplishment.
Next up was removing the glue remains and lots of sanding. Than I had this:
A desk with a ‘smooth’ surface. Still old, roughed up and naturally distressed but looking so much better and ready to be painted.
Enter my paint:
I gave her one good layer of the grey and then a two layers of the white (except the drawer fronts). Then I did the distressing and finally a good coat of clear wax. The drawer fronts also got some dark wax to tie them in and they got some new drawer pulls that hide the non-functioning key holes and make them much more functional.
The whole painting process again was not a joy. I am delighted with the final outcome, but I still struggle with the chalk paint. I’ll give you a more in-depth review of my experiences with AS chalk paint tomorrow, because today I want to forget about the troubles and rejoice in the outcome!
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The careful observer will have recognized which of my inspiration desks turned out to be my most important inspiration.
Miss Mustard Seeds Painted Desk
So in honor of the wonderful Marian I tried to channel my “inner Miss Mustard Seed” and style the desk in her style as well.
The vintage typewriter has a story to tell that I will tell you another time soon.
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Another project in my big Craft Room Makeover project finished!!
Only 1385 more to go
Isn’t she pretty!?!
Beautiful desk makeover! Lovely colors and styling.
Thank you! After so much work giving her the makeover I thought she deserved some proper styling too, before I bury her under paperwork and junk
Oh Marianne, your desk looks so beautiful- I love it!!! Ohhhh I want one of those! What a labour of love! Well done! My old dark stain oak bureau is looking at me now and it looks very sad… I think I have just decided what make-over to give it
Looking forward to your thoughts on the chalk paint; I keep hearing about it but have not tried it myself.
A sad looking oak bureau. Now we can’t have that. Go slap some paint on that baby and make her happy again….
yes ma’am
The project will have to go to the back of the queue, but I will show you a picture once completed…could be a while though 
Yes! Please do. I love seeing happily painted oak bureau’s. Looking forward to the makeover reveal.
Your desk looks great! It sure doesn’t look like it used to
Debbie
It’s lovely. I especially love the color combo….
Looking forward to hearing what you think about the chalk paint, I have only done a few pieces, and do like it, with some reservations.
Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams
Yes, I think the color combo makes the desk. I am preparing my post for tonight. Curious to know if my reservations are the same as yours.
You deserve to be very proud of yourself. It was a lot of work and turned out beautifully!
I like yours better than MMS’s believe it or not. It’s beautiful!
Wow that is one big compliment! I love MMS’s one too, but the starker color combination wouldn’t have worked in my room. I am grateful for her inspiration though.
It is so beautiful! All that hard work and physical pain definitely paid off in the end!
Physical pain is true all right. But she was worth it. I guess the life of a home decorator blogger comes with physical hardship
Lovely!!!
Thank you! And thank you for the FB love too!!!
There was a gasp of envy from here when I caught sight of that old black typewriter!
Brenda
Sorry there is personal history attached to that one. It is not leaving my house
Oh, she is a beauty! A true work of art.
Thank you! And art or not this baby has got to work too, she will be used hard
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. I really appreciate it.
So glad I found you. I’m about to try the chalk paint and I need to know all about it before I spend the $’s on it. I’m wanting to paint my bathroom vanity cabinets.
I am working on my review for tonights post. Hopefully it will be helpful. And good luck with your vanity cabinets.
Het burootje is erg mooi geworden! Wat een werk!
Prettig weekend!
Marianne.
Dank je wel! Ja het was zeker een hoop werk, maar ik ben hardstikke blij dat ik doorgezet heb en dat het precies zo geworden is als in mijn fantasie.
Absolutely stunning – I love these 2 colours together. CJ
Amazing transformation!! I love how you made it look like something close to a original. You didn’t take the soul from it instead you gave it even more!
Ow! That is such a sweet comment. Thank you! I love the idea that I gave it more soul.
Hi Marianne, you were brave to take off all the veneer on top. You did a great job and it turned out well worth the trouble. Love the technique with the gray on the drawer fronts, thanks so much for coming to the party and linking up to VIF!!
Love it, Marianne! It’s a gorgeous outcome!
Hello Marianne,
First of all; I love this make-over. Great job!!
I have worked a lot with AS Paint (and all other brands of chalk paint) in the past, but the ‘no-sanding and no priming’ story is nonsense. It is always better to degrease thoroughly, remove old layers of wax and sand glossy surfaces lightly. I understand that the ‘no prep’ part is tempting, but use your common sense. For example; when you’re working on an old piece of furniture that has been French polished, you can’t just paint over it. And some types of wood, like oak, contain tannin, which causes these yellow or brownish stains. If this occurs, you really should prime the wood with a special primer.
I compared AS paint with our own Chalk Paint (Abbondanza) and did a lot of tests on ‘difficult surfaces’ like melamine, waxed and glossy surfaces etc. and AS did not stick better. To be honest; our paint was more durable, even without primer
Oh – she is pretty! Love every last detail! It sounds like it was a ton of work, but so worth it. The typewriter looks like it has been on that desk since back in the day. Just wonderful!
Your desk is beautiful! What a great job. I really like how you have it styled with the old typewriter and other accessories. The chair looks so pretty with the desk.
I’m a new follower and hope you’ll stop by and follow back on GFC.
Mary Alice
Wow! What an incredible makeover! I REALLY REALLY like it! Don’t you love it when all your hard work pays off! What an incredible accomplishment! I’m your newest follower…
The desk is a beauty-love that ascp!! Following you from TDC-stop by for a visit!
Just found you over at Hometalk! Love this desk and the vignettes you added on top. Now a follower!
Ah welcome! I hope we will get to know each other.
Hi Marianne! I popped over from your HomeTalk post to get the low-down on this piece… love the way it turned out! I’m tackling a secretary this weekend and have been on the fence about using a 2 tone approach. I think this sealed the deal!
Enjoy your weekend ~ Heidi @ Decor & More