Sewing Desk Makeover

Around this time last year, I was busy scouring the vintage shops in town to find a little desk to makeover for my boyfriend. He was out of town and I wanted to finish it before he got back. I am pretty slow with finishing most projects, so I knew it would be a challenge. 

At the third or fourth store I went to, I found the perfect sized desk. I saw that it had a split in the top where it could open up, so I instantly identified it as an old sewing cabinet. Here it is sitting in the store:

I know the owner of the store I was visiting, so we talked about the "desk" for a minute. She agreed that she would remove the old sewing machine inside and give me a discount. I bought it for under $30. Here it is sitting in its new home (the old house):

I opened up the top to see what I had to work with, and I promptly decided that the top should be left closed.

If you're really extra super observant, you'll notice that the yellow chair below is now painted coral/salmon and is hanging out in the new condo. 

My first stop was Home Depot for a few $3 paint samples. I grabbed Martha Stewart's Sharkey Gray and Cornbread Yellow.  

And of course (no surprise here) I visited Anthropologie where I picked up a beautiful knob! (I couldn't find it on the website because that was nearly a year ago.) Next, I brought the solid wood "desk" outside (that thing is heavy) and set it out on the patio to be painted. 

My first task was to true everything up with a screwdriver because the desk was a bit lopsided. Then I painted the entire desk Sharkey Gray and the little drawer Cornbread. Then I affixed the knob. Under $40 later and here's the new desk, happily drying out on the patio:

I think my boyfriend was surprised when he drove up. Mission accomplished!