Here's a piece I finished a few weeks ago. It belongs to a friend of mine. It was his grandmothers vanity and he wanted me to restore it so that he could use it as a desk. He lives in a small space so the size was just right for his needs.
His apartment is one of those converted lofts in downtown with the concrete floors, brick walls, and great view. I wish I would have taken the time to stage the desk up against one of the brick walls, it would have made for a better reveal photo.
The piece had last been used as desk by his son. It had water damage on the top and the finish had darkened and crackled in some areas. He initially wanted the whole thing stripped and re-stained but I told him I don't do that. ;) We compromised on just stripping the top and drawers and that I would paint the rest of the body. I showed him some inspiration photos and he was on board. To get down to bare wood I used chemical stripper on the top and drawer fronts. It took two applications which is pretty typical. I was actually surprised that all the issues came out and how pretty the wood was underneath.
I think the direction of the wood grain on the drawers is very interesting. For the paint finish I suggested Milk Paint and he chose Drift Wood by Old Fashion Milk Paint. The stain is Watco Danish oil in the color Walnut. I top coated everything with wipe on poly for durability and to give it a consistent sheen. I am really loving warm wood tones right now and I think the walnut color looks rich with Driftwood.
I replaced the original knobs with antique bronze bin cup pulls. I had to hunt for just the right size to cover the holes from the original knobs which were 4.25" apart. The solid brass casters are my favorite part, I'm obsessed with them. It's all about the details right? They also give a little more height so he can fit under the desk. Both the pulls and casters are from www.vandykes.com.
I think the two tone finish as well as the industrial hardware definitely gives the piece the more masculine feel that we were going for.
