Evolution of a Desk...

We have shared various DIY projects with you- some that were an immediate (and easy) success, and others that were a little more of a challenge.  Generally they have turned out well, without too much stress and heartache.  But lest you think they are all so easy...

Enter this off-white desk/ vanity.  I purchased it with the intention of painting it to use in my bedroom.  It also came with a little upholstered stool.  I loved the "louis" lines of it- a striking contrast from the parsons desks you see so often (I love them as well!). 

I had been inspired by this Roche Bobois coffee table I had seen a while back.  It had similar lines to my vanity (and a much higher price tag), and I loved their use of a fun color on such a formal piece of furniture.

I have green and blue in my bedroom, and I thought coral would provide a fun pop of color.  I was wrong.  I really think that for bedrooms in particular, too many colors can make the room feel schitzophrenic and not so soothing.  More on that later.

I went to Home Depot and picked out what I thought was the perfect coral color.  This was my first time painting a piece of furniture with a brush rather than with spray paint.  Let the record show that spray paint is 10000000 times easier.  If you can find a spray paint color you like, definitely definitely choose spray paint over using a paintbrush, for furniture at least. 

 For whatever reason, the Behr Youthful Coral I purchased showed up as bubblegum pink.  Awful.  I truly cannot imagine how this could be called coral, but it was.  I honestly wonder if it was not mixed correctly, because there is nothing coral about it. 

So, back to the paint store.  This time I headed to Sherwin Williams, where I have had better success in the past with choosing colors.  They usually have a "designer" (?) on staff who can direct you.  The color I chose at Sherwin Williams was Coral Bells, which ended up being a much truer "coral."

I cannot emphasize how much more work it is to paint furniture with a brush.  Just to get the color even, not have any drippage, etc, is so much more difficult than with spray paint.  I had to do about 4 coats to get it even, which involved yet another trip back to the paint store.

Of course it started to rain, so I had to bring everything inside to finish it in my kitchen.

And the finished product.  I thought I was happy with it.  I recovered the bench in my drapery fabric- green Bamboo Garden from P.Kaufman.  You can see my wall color and the bench fabric to get an idea of the colors in my bedroom.  After about a week of the coral vanity, I realized that I hated it.  I think a pop of color is great in certain rooms, but not really in a bedroom.  Sure there are exceptions, but coral just did not work in my room.  Of course painting the desk had been so much more work than I ever expected that I really really put off doing it again.

But this weekend, I decided I couldn't live with that coral any longer.  I thought that without the bench, the vanity could definitely work as a desk in my living room.  I have always loved this Amy Fine Collins desk- it is more ornate than mine, but it still is similar.

So I decided to paint the desk black and use it in my living room instead of in my bedroom. 

First step was to put primer all over that lacquery coral.

Next- to paint it black.  I used a basic black gloss spray paint.  It could not have been easier.

And the finished product- so far I am quite happy with how it turned out.  I may end up using some gold paint around the edges so it is more ornate like the Amy Fine Collins desk above.  But for now, this fits into my home and my life alot better than the shiny coral.

Here is the whole view.  It's funny how seeing a photograph puts things in perspective- I know I need to lower that birdcage a bit. 

I am trying to decide if I like the ghost chair as the desk chair, or if the styles are just way too different.  What do you think?

So three paint jobs later, I finally have a piece of furniture I am happy with.  Have you had a similar experience?  Tell us about it!  DIY projects can be a challenge- sometimes it takes a few tries to get it just right!