D and His New Desk

With D on his way to 3rd grade we decided he needed a desk in his bedroom. Before summer break we asked him if he wanted to go out and buy one or he wanted to find an old desk in need of some love and fix it up. To our surprise he said he wanted to find a desk and give it some love.. :) I really thought he'd want to go with the easy way but his decision made my heart so happy.

This was going to be a summer project.. I made sure he understood just how time consuming the project would be.. His current desk was the little plastic Ikea desk.


So I spent the next few weeks finding the perfect desk.. and we found one. $15 and it came with a matching chair



 Disclaimer - This is in no way a how to guide.. it's just the way we did it. 

We started by taking out drawers, the drawer pulls removed.. the chair seat taken off. And then we cleaned everything with Lysol wipes.. 


Next we sanded everything.. I had bought an electric sander when we were working on our Formal Dining Room and it is one of my favorite tool purchases. I sanded everything for D and then we wiped it all down.

We then lay down a tarp in the garage to create a work space for ourselves. Since I was working with an 8 year old.. the project was broken down into many parts that we did over many many days.. didn't want to wear the child down.

Then he started to paint.. we had seen many pics on pinterest and we tried to pick something that was not too hard and something he could have for a long time but still be fun. Our first coat was white paint with built in primer.. We started with a small roller but it was creating a texture that I didn't like so we decided we would switch to a brush on the next coat.



The desk got three coats of white paint..we lightly sanded the desk between coats. The drawers got one coat of white primer and then two coats of another color..

We took off the legs and color blocked them white and gold.. the knobs where also painted gold. 



And then we went fabric shopping.. before he picked the colors that would go on the desk I wanted him to buy new fabric for the seat.. and it was while fabric shopping that I realized just how hard it is to shop for boys.. girls have it easier in this particular area.. they can go floral.. pastels.. or dark colors.. there is no pattern off limit for girls because we can do and be anything.. but unfortunately the same doesn't always apply so easily to boys. He could have gone pink if he wanted to.. he has a light purple room.. but he struggled with the choice.. now older they have already started to label things as too girly.. in the end we narrowed it down to two choices. We also bought some foam to make the seat a little comfier. 


and then we picked our paint colors accordingly.. it was a fun process to share with him.. though there were times when I thought he thought man this is soooo much work.. I don't think he had expected this many steps or coats of paint. 

But the finished desk was worth it.. he was so proud of his accomplishment.. as he rightfully should be.. proud mama moment.. 



I applied two coats of Minnawax sealer. We bought some red gift wrap to line the drawers and  bought a blue desk lamp.. 

H already wants to do one for his room too.. all in good time.. here's a glimpse of D's room
       
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Comments

  1. A big boy needs a big desk! Nice makeover!

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  2. WOW! It looks awesome, Hena! I love everything about it. The desk itself is such a cool style, very mid-century modern, and what you did with it is just so nice. He must have been so proud to help you with it, I bet he learned a lot. I agree with you that it's so hard to find good textiles for boys - even bedding seems limited compared to stuff for girls - but you did great with all of it!

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  3. I am so impressed!! What a great project and I love the end result. (glad he went with the stripes)

    Yes, everyone needs a desk in their room. (and a bookcase)

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  4. Wow! Incredible job on this desk! I adore the different colored drawers.

    https://www.kathrineeldridge.com

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  5. Wow impressive taking a plain desk and bringing it to another level beautifully done.

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  6. Oh wow, this is amazing! D will love doing his homework on his new desk. I don't think I could ever complete a project like this. You are right, textiles for boys are a bit more difficult than for girls. I tend to go with stripes, always good for boys and girls.

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  7. OMGosh, what an upcycle/makeover! It looks super awesome. I love how he helped and chose the colors.
    Thanks for the well wishes for my kid. She's doing better today. I hope your book is a good read for you.

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  8. Dang, you guys did a great job. I always love how you can repurpose items like this!!
    XOXO
    Jodie
    www.jtouchofstyle.com

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  9. The desk and chair turned out beautiful, Hena! I love how you always involve the boys with these DIYs:) Both fabric for the chair were great!

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  10. What a bargain and how cool that D got to be part of the decorating process!

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  11. Wow, it turned out beautifully! And it's nice he helped in making it!

    Marie
    The Flower Duet

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  12. Love that he had a hand in making it his own!! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston

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  13. great transformation, a desk by a window is a wonderful thing, so good for creativity

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  14. Wow!
    What an awesome job!
    It looks wonderful, and the fact that he put so much into it must give him a sense of pride and ownership.
    Good for him!
    And for you too, Mom. : )

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  15. WOW! I love, love, love what you guys did!

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  16. Thanks a lot :D

    woooow, this is super cool :)

    NEW TIPS POST | MAKE-UP TRENDS TO ROCK IN THE FALL.
    InstagramFacebook Official PageMiguel Gouveia / Blog Pieces Of Me :D

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  17. So cute!

    http://www.iameleine.com/
    http://www.instagram.com/iameleineblog/

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  18. Aww thats so cute. Loving the pop of colors!
    Nistha
    https://www.fashionistha.com/when-in-singapore/

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  19. Anonymous10/23/2018

    Hi, i think that i saw you visited my blog so i came
    to “return the favor”.I am trying to find things to enhance my site!I suppose its ok
    to use a few of your ideas!!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Good job. I used a rescued desk for 35 years but didn't bring it across province to our smaller house. And not teaching anymore, I don't really need a big desk.

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  21. Awww, this turned out so AWESOME!

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  22. This is adorable! Great job!

    xx
    Lauren Elizabeth
    Petite in Pearls

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  23. Chair and desk look so great. Well done!
    Have a nice week!

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  24. Very impressed with the end result. Nice!

    https://www.missymayification.co.uk

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  25. I just love that he picked an older desk to give some love and that you all did this project together! It turned out so well!!

    Amy Ann
    Straight A Style

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  26. What an amazing transformation. I really liked the desk before you reworked it, but it looks so fitting for the little man now too. It is amazing how much "junk" there is for "girls". With everything, clothing, toys, yes even fabric. I've gone shopping with a friend of mine who always struggles when trying to find fabric for her sons room.

    Sxx
    daringcoco.com

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  27. Aww! My son wanted a desk when he was younger, too! I just love how colorful this desk is and it has a lot of storage. He will love it and get great use out of it!

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

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  28. Oh my gosh! It is darling! He worked so hard on it and will love it forever. So cool.

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  29. What a lovely transformation.
    You've worked your magic in that desk.

    Ann
    https://roomsofinspiration.blogspot.com/

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  30. Anonymous10/24/2018

    Hi my family member! I want to say that this post is amazing, great written and come with almost all
    important infos. I'd like to peer extra posts like this .

    ReplyDelete
  31. oh my goodness that redo is fabulous! I love the fabric and the drawer front bold colors also that he helped!!!

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  32. Wow! I am so impressed! That fact that your little one helped too is amazing! My fam and I are BIG FANS OF DIY projects so I will definitely save this post!
    xoxo, Vanessa
    www.WhatWouldVWear.com

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  33. It turned out beautifully and I think it's such a great thing that he was able to participate in making it his own!

    www.voguefauxreal.com

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  34. Woow!!!!!! everything look lovely. Great efforts. Must say he is very hard working.

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  35. Wow, so colorful! Great job!
    Kisses, Paola.

    Expressyourself

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  36. Looks amazing
    Great idea
    xx
    https://theonethattravels.wordpress.com/

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  37. Amazing! you guys re too cute and did such a great job. He must feel really proud <3 Have a lovely day!

    -PerlaGiselle | iamperlita.com

    Say hello and let’s follow each other <3 | INSTAGRAM

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  38. The result looks incredible, well done! :D

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  39. That is an amazing makeover, I love the bright colour choices and seat fabric, well done.

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  40. ¡Increíbles ideas! También un pisos de madera te aporta sofisticación, elegancia y sobre todo calidez.

    ReplyDelete

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