snapshots: new desk

i started this blog with the promise that i would post all about our new house.  

ummmm, yep, that never happened.

i am so, so proud of the (tons of) work we've done to make this house us.  but i hestitate because i in no way want to seem (or feel) braggy or that i am showing off.  and i completely understand that not everyone gets excited about clearance curtains from anthropologie or desks made out of scraps.  but man, i sure do.

so i have decided to share snapshots of my favorite parts of this house, one room at a time. 

up first: our new desk.

somewhere in bloggy-land or in a magazine, god knows how long ago, i saw a picture of a farmhouse style table with metal legs.  i took a mental snapshot and filed it away in my brain next to that print of a tupac quote i want to hang in the boys' bathroom.

oneday, as i often do, was perusing etsy and searched "metal table legs".  my search results determined my immediate need for a new desk.  so i began planting seeds: in chris' head first.  i was just throwing my idea out into the universe and letting it digest and settle.  i mentioned it to my dad and next my pawpaw, then i waited.  soon, i heard the glorious words, "pawpaw found some wood scraps in the back of the shop to use for the top of your desk".  BINGO!  my plan worked.

back to etsy i went to order (very affordable) table legs, and within a week, my 88-year-old pawpaw had built and finished my dream desk.

my requirements were: no drawers, large surface area, a light/distressed paint finish.

because i wanted this piece to lighten up the other heavy, dark furniture in the room, they (and by they, i mean the professional painters in the family) decided to bleach the wood.  pawpaw bleached it several times and then treated it with vinegar.  he acheived the distressed look by drybrushing the desk lightly (which means applying very little paint to a dry brush and lightly grazing the surface), splattering it (with a toothbrsuh) and beating it with a chain.  in another genius move, chris painted a panel of wood to match our wall and baseboards, then installed it behind the desk to hide all of the computer cords.  you don't even know it's there until you are up close.

thus my perfect desk was born.

i bought a sunburst mirror at target with a giftcard, an upholstered desk chair (also with the help of a gift card) from marshall's, grabbed a lamp from the garage, and viola!

what do you think?

i think i am in love.  with a desk.  and that i should be committed.  to the looney bin, of course.