Student Desk for My Niece

Ginny O
by Ginny O
This old desk was unsightly and unstable. I shored up all the joints and used paint to transform it into something cute and strong- just like my niece! Those who despise painted furniture may want to skip this post.
It's difficult to tell from the pictures, but the wood is very heavily grained.
The screws didn't want to hold the back rail in place. After a thorough sanding I reinforced all the joints and used a coat of primer. After that dried I applied grain filler to the top, the back rail and the drawer front- all the areas that I wanted a smooth surface with no grain showing through.
I used bone, coral and light green as the main colors per my niece's request. The top will be covered by books, papers and her computer most of the time, so I kept it pretty plain and simple.
She had a pet rabbit for many years who has passed away. I have never attempted to paint a rabbit before, but really wanted to incorporate him into the design. Yes, that's suppose to be a rabbit. :-) I first sketched his outline and then held my breath, crossed my fingers and went for it. He's certainly not great, but he's passable. I now want to practice painting animal fur for any future project that might call for an animal or two!
I kept the whole desk pretty simple, but wanted to have a little fun with the drawer. The polka dots were very easily made using a round sponge. Who says the inside of the drawer has to be plain?
These open shelves will each hold a cute basket for storage so I kept them plain.
A close up of the drawer front detail in gold.
The top with the drawer sticking out. I drew a circle around a paint can for the center of the flowers. The flower petals were simply formed using my paint filled brush. The shape and size of the petals changed many times as I kept deciding they needed to be longer or fatter. A few coats of satin poly finishes off the desk, until she decides she wants a different look. :-)
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Comments
Join the conversation
4 of 6 comments
  • Michele Eures Michele Eures on Sep 01, 2014
    I agree, it's amazing. And the rabbit is perfect!
    • Ginny O Ginny O on Sep 08, 2014
      @Michele Eures Thank you Michele! :-) I was really nervous to paint the rabbit, but I was pretty happy with how it turned out.
  • Karen Roth Karen Roth on Nov 09, 2015
    This is too cute and I love the Rabbit as it reminds me of the Velveteen Rabbit from my childhood. Looks great!
    • Ginny O Ginny O on Nov 10, 2015
      @Karen Roth Thank you Karen! I love the Velveteen Rabbit :-)
Next