The Desk That Took Some Taming
This desk glared at me for months before I decided to tackle it, I should have known it was going to give me a run for my money. I didn't have any firm plan and that was my first mistake.
I tried to sand the top first and it was more work than I wanted to undertake. Also, I wasn't sure what kind of paint had been used It could have been a lead-based, please always be careful when stripping furniture, wear a mask and do it in a well-ventilated area.
The paint was not flaking anywhere but it was very uneven, so I decided to go with the flow and create a textured surface using tissue paper. I wrapped the desk up like a parcel, covering every part of it with crumpled tissue paper stuck on with glue
The top got the same treatment.
And the drawers. The knobs were glued in so tight, so I decided to leave them in situ and work around them. Removing them would have made more work.
Once the tissue was dry I painted the desk in a stunning blue, reminiscent of the Tiffany blue. The perfect pairing for this colour was a bright gold.
I added a raised stencil to the top to create an embossed surface using drywall compound and a regular stencil from Royal Design Studio The link to the stencil is here https://royaldesignstudio.refersion.com/l/dfb.105056
You can see the texture here created with the tissue. The bright gold is a perfect pairing for Azure.
The top was sanded after the stencil was applied and after many coats of Minwax polycrylic feels like embossed leather
I added some gold pinstripes to the front details, creating a little bit of whimsy
And here she is in all her beautiful glory. From brown and drab to a stunning beauty, reminiscent of a Tiffany box. For more fun makeovers please visit my website and subscribe.
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Comments
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Katherine on Dec 01, 2018
I know what it looked like when you started and then I got to see what it looks like when you finishe. I can not believe the amazing transformation. This is truly a Cinderella story with this piece. ❤
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Julie McDowell - Design Artist on Dec 01, 2018
Thank you Miss Katherine! xo
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Julie McDowell - Design Artist on Nov 21, 2019
Thank you Gina xo
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Hi Julie, Was the tissue paper just regular thickness?
I LOVE the golden vase. did you make it? how?
Just curious. How many layers of tissue did u use on this project?