My short term memory is terrible. Hence, I can’t remember the thought process behind buying a small vintage desk to paint in Feb. 2020. I don’t know when, or why, I decided to look on Facebook Marketplace, or exactly why I decided to reach out to a seller and ask to buy a vintage children’s desk. I guess it doesn’t really matter because I did reach out, and I did buy a desk with the intention of painting it.
I google mapped the location and found myself among the twisted streets of Arlington one Saturday to pick up the desk for $40..I may have driven past the house a few times to make sure it looked legit with no signs of serial killers. The seller (not a serial killer) told me he found the desk in a detached garage when he and is wife moved in, and they weren’t getting around to painting it, so they decided to sell.
It sat, unpainted, in our front room (which we call the art room, although now it’s a virtual school room). Who knew that painting a desk was not only going to inspire a decor update in that room, but also inspire a home business.
The Art Room
Can I just say, if you have a room, or a space of any kind, in your house that you are unsure what to do with, let me suggest making it a creative space. We chose to use our dining room table as a place to have markers, crayons, model airplanes, paper, etc. out for the kids to access at any time. We don’t have #allthethings, just #someofthethings.
Alright, back to the desk. So here’s where it sat, sad and brown, ready for some love. When coronavirus buzz became a thing in March 2020, I did three things – two, back to back $300 grocery shopping trips, and I went to Sherwin Williams to pick out paint for this room, “just in case we were going to be home for a while.” Ahhh, yes.
First the Room, then the Desk
On March 13th the “art room” became the “home school” room, and later “virtual classroom.” I never expected any of us to spend SO much time in this room, funny how things work. I painted the room in Sherwin Williams’ beautiful Sea Salt color, and hung our wall maps.
I couldn’t focus on ANYTHING except working/schooling/cooking, until the summer when I decided it was time to paint the boys’ bathroom cabinets. After I completed that project and I still had so much leftover paint, I decided it was finally time to paint the desk.
The Process and Materials
When I tell you anyone can paint with chalk paint, I mean anyone. I was SO clueless about furniture paint it didn’t occur to me that I should: 1. Fill in holes with wood filler, 2. Sand or 3. Prime before painting. It’s kind of unbelievable that I didn’t do any of these things! Unfortunately, I didn’t document my process, since I had no Instagram account or blog, but I followed three steps:
- Mixed Jolie Gentleman’s Blue and Classic Navy in a 1:1 ratio.
- Paint.
- Sealed with Jolie Varnish
I didn’t set out to start a business, but after completing two paint projects to revamp furniture that was still functional (bathroom cabinets) and had cool bones (desk) I started to think, what if I started a sustainable furniture business? What if I bought furniture to refinish, or refinished pieces as custom projects, only sourced from small and/or local businesses AND completed the projects using ecofriendly products? Those questions started me down a rabbit hole of Instagram inspiration, and business development.
P.S. Love what you read? I’d love if you shared with a friend! And don’t forget to follow @the.restored.dogwood on IG to see what we’re up to!
