A desk for Charles and Whyte

I've been obsessing over long, white desks since we moved into our house two years ago and last weekend, I finally got my hands on one. So keen was I, that in one weekend I picked it up in a trailor from the other side of Melbourne then sanded it and gave it three coats of white paint. We now have everything required for a project like this at home so the only outlay was the payment of $192.50 to the friendly eBay seller. Yee haa. Let's just say we have way too many sanders and tins of paint these days.

You may remember that I did up the below desk only 18 months ago (details here), and as much as I like it and its spacious drawers, it has never been long enough for both the Mister and I to sit at comfortably. Not sure whether to sell it or keep it in on the other side of the study as a sewing table.

The criteria for a desk this time was very similar to last: drawers along the top rather than down the side, less than $500 (preferably much less!), sleek but not too modern so it would suit our older Victorian style home and, most importantly, white. Length was the only difference this time around and I'm happy to say the new one is 180cm long compared to 110cm of the old. I used Pinterest to keep all my office and desk inspiration pictures together. You can view my board on Pinterest here - I'm still lusting over some of those office spaces.

And yes, I bought the Ikea Ingolf chairs in anticipation before I found the desk! Better storage options have had to wait until the desk was found so we can find something that fits around it. For now, we have a mix of old Ikea cupboards we bought for storage in previous houses but I'm hoping for something more coordinated to create symmetry around the desk and perhaps some over desk storage or shelving.

I'm getting a little ahead of myself though. For now, I need to appreciate the most recent updates to this room. A little 'before and after' of the desk should help.

Nothing like a little project with your own two hands to make your heart sing!

A study in whitewashing

A serene, fresh and uncluttered desk only seems possible if done in white, and so began my long hunt for a nicer surface to plonk a laptop and blog away. The criteria included: drawers along the top rather than down the side, less than $500, sleek but not space age to blend into an older home and, most importantly, white. Not one new desk was found that met all this criteria so the ebay search began. As is usually the case with auctions, items came, love blossomed and items were lost. Hope remained. If you're willing to pick up a paintbrush, there are greater options to be had, so the final criteria on colour was momentarily dropped in favour of a desk able to be painted (ie. wooden rather melamine). Eventually, the desk below was 'won'...

Then sanded... (thanks to the Mister and willing B-I-L, Quentin)

and a first coat applied...

and a second...

and finally, the third coat. Et voila!

Ever so slightly smaller than hoped, but so right in other ways. On the same weekend, the yellow chair got a third coat and the little chair got the full sand and paint treatment (see previous post for their before shots). It's starting to come together, no?

The final cost for the desk came in at around $90, including paint for just under $30 and the other necessary bits and pieces like sandpaper, brush and drop sheet. It's history and journey to whiteness cannot be priced :) Nor can the sound of my heart singing as I spy it from the doorway. So tell me, could I have got a better desk for my buck?