Wentworth - An office desk with personality

First things first... no baby yet. We're expecting our little guy any day now. I think he just wants to keep us waiting a little longer. We're dying to meet him and know what his little face looks like! Does he have a lot of hair? Is he tan like my husband or fair-skinned like me? What about his personality? We'll soon find out. I must be patient! :)

In other news, I've been busy! Projects have been completed, but I've been slacking on writing about them. Honestly, I need to hold myself to a better schedule to keep up with things. I'm working on it :)

Let me introduce you to Wentworth. He has personality and a certain "cool" factor that I'm in love with.

This is what he looked like before his makeover:

Yes, I did start painting before remembering the 'before pic,' but you get the idea, right? Old 60s/70s wood grain-printed MDF. Lots of dings -- or what I like to call "character." :)  But I chose this piece because of its solid construction and the fact that I liked the straight lines. Despite the wood grain print, it's a surprisingly very heavy desk with wood side gliders on each of the drawers. Something to note, when shopping for pieces to paint, I always look for wooden gliders opposed to metal. Wooden gliders will stand the test of time and show the piece's overall quality.

Stripes are ever so popular in design lately and I've been waiting for just the right piece for a wide stripe landscape. I knew immediately that this was the one when noticing the vertical grooves that were already present on the drawer fronts.

I started out with two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (ASCP) in Graphite. Then using my trusty Frog Tape, the stripes were mapped out and ready to paint. I used two coats of ASCP in Old White to achieve the bold stripe design. When dry, the piece was lightly distressed with a medium-grade sanding block. I was able to use the original brass hardware, which was one of the reasons I loved this desk to begin with. The light distressing compliments the hardware to preserve the "vintage" feel of the piece -- something I always try to do if possible.

Wentworth was finished with a coat of Annie Sloan Clear Wax and buffed to a light shine. I really like how an element of sophistication was brought out in this piece. He is handsome and oh so trendy!

If I had the right place for him, I would soooooo keep him! But thus my rule, it has to serve a purpose in my home or it has to go (whimper). Only if my kids were older, this would be a perfect homework space. Nonetheless, I've posted Wentworth on Craigslist here. Hoping he finds a Went-worthy home!


Lots of love,
Mary



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