Rolltop Desk Makeover

Hello friends! I’m excited to share my latest studio makeover. I’ve had this rolltop desk since I was a kid. I remember my dad taking me to buy it when I was about eight. It was unfinished wood and we stained it together. I used it through high school and its been stashed in my parents’ basement for years. I decided to give it a makeover so it fits in with the colors in my studio. It was in solid shape but pretty plain.

I propped the desk up on my Tri-dollies so I could move it around easily. I started by laying down some base colors. I used so many different paint colors- I think around twenty, that I didn’t keep track of them all, but they were mostly Country Chic, Dixie Belle, and Glidden made into homemade chalk paint (2 tablespoons of powdered calcium carbonate per 8 ounces of paint), and Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint.

The lower sides got wide stripes in light yellow and dark gold. Then I mixed up some milk paint in black and used a sponge to swirl it around the middle like a cloud so that the stripes barely show through.

I used my favorite Iron Orchid Designs Painterly Roses Decor Stamp set to make a tangle of dark red roses on the black background.

The front got stripes to match the sides. Because of the dimensions these stripes are 1/4″ wider, but I don’t think it really shows.

For the rolltop, I put a light coat of Country Chic Crackle Medium (which I couldn’t find on their website so maybe isn’t available anymore) over the pink base, then laid down a coat of black making sure not to completely cover the pink. I lightly sanded to let a little more pink show through, and then gave it a wash of dark gold (paint mixed with water about fifty fifty).

The sides of the drawers got a beautiful skeleton key tissue paper decoupage with Matte Mod Podge. I used my handy Painters Pyramids to hold the drawers off the floor.

The long, skinny drawer got a piece of the Iron Orchid Designs Bohemian Border Transfer (discontinued). I used an old pull that came off of another piece I revamped recently.

I used a stamp from the IOD Bohemia Decor Stamp set and black paint to outline the smallest drawer. Masking tape cut at a 45 degree angle helped give the stamp mitered corners. I used a bronze cup pull with a little face on it-an eBay find. A dark gold flower on each side of the pull completed the look.

The middle drawer got yellow roses on a black background. A red pumpkin knob tied it in with the rest of the desk.

The biggest drawer was painted in red and pink stripes. More IOD stamps (I think they might be from a discontinued set because I couldn’t find them on their website) and black paint decorated the corners and the center, where I put a cup pull (this one is similar) that I sprayed with Rust-Oleum Hammered Gold spray paint.

The tops of the sides got thick coat of crackle medium and dark coral pink paint over the black. More Bohemian Borders Transfer jazzed up the top and bottom.

The top of the desk got dark yellow paint dry brushed over light yellow, and another stamp in red paint from the Bohemia set around the edges, mitered of course.

I added a strip from the IOD Prim and Trim Transfer and a couple more (discontinued) stamps on the inside sides.

This desk now looks like something you’d find inside a circus caravan. I just love that I was able to update something I’ve had for most of my life and make it feel brand new and just perfect for my new studio. This is my favorite piece I done yet!

Cheers,

Fiona