Vintage Desk makeover

If you know me you know that I love a good deal and I love vintage furniture and home decor. This summer I was on the hunt for the perfect vintage desk to easily upgrade. I came across this mid-century modern desk for $15 on Kijiji and couldn't refuse. After a little makeover this desk now looks a hundred times better and is a piece that I'm sure I will keep for years to come. 

before

The before of this desk wasn't bad, but it also wasn't good! This desk was in amazing condition for the age and it is a really sturdy and well-made piece of furniture. When shopping for vintage furniture I like to consider the quality, construction, and overall look to determine if the piece is worth it to buy or DIY (you can read this blog post for my best tips on vintage furniture shopping). 

There were also a few things that I didn't like about this desk, but I knew that it could be easily fixed. I really despised the finish, it was way too orange for my taste and I knew it needed to be changed. I also liked the clean look of no hardware on the drawers, but thought it could use something extra to elevate this piece. 

What i did

Varathane Kona Gel Stain

Mid-Century Knobs from Etsy

The first thing I did to give this desk a mini makeover was stain it in a different wood tone. I chose to go with a gel stain from Varathane. This was actually my first time using a gel stain and it worked really well! I loved that is was not messy to use and was a fast staining process. I chose to go with the colour Kona from Varathane's Gel Stain since I wanted to get a rich walnut look that is a little more true to the mid-century modern style. I don't usually gravitate towards rich wood tones, since I love a more bright and airy look, but I just loved how this stain turned out!

This desk needed some hardware for functionality, but to also add that extra detail. I chose to go with these very minimal, mid-century inspired knobs. I knew that this desk didn't need any bold hardware, and these were just dainty enought to provide function, but to also match the style. My go-to for hardware, especially with DIY projects, it Etsy. There are so many options and the hardest part of this project was narrowing down which hardware to use! 

After

I am obsessed with how this desk turned out! It was so easy to do and I love that it looks like an expensive mid-century modern piece. Since this is a piece of furntiure that gets a ton of use everyday it was really important that it was something that I loved too! I think it's also the perfect accent to my otherwise traditional and classic workspace. Make sure to stay tuned on Instagram as I share how I'm going to be styling this workspace and to watch the highlight on the DIY process of this desk. 

If you would be interested in transforming an area within your home, you can inquire here about design services for your next project.