Solid oak desk/vanity how-to

Before
*Sold*

After

This is such a beautiful piece, it was a real pleasure to work on it! The condition of the structure of the desk was fantastic, it's solid oak and therefore in great shape. However, it was completely water marked and stained with plenty of scratches and a few dings. A great candidate for the Shabby Chic treatment! I started off by giving it one coat of a deep blue paint, the color I chose to show through with the distressing.

 After letting the first coat completely dry I followed it up with a warm grey. The purple underneath really lent it an almost lavender like glow. I gave it a heavy distressing with fine sandpaper as I just loved the dark coming through.

The whole look was a bit heavy, I wanted it to have that lovely shabby chic feel and it just wasn't quite there. To soften the whole look and bring a bit more femininity to the piece I added white trim to the top and the frame around the doors. In order to get the authentic antique look I finished it off with a mix of clear and dark waxes (not wanting it to lost it's ethereal feel) and beautiful new handles.

I also think this would make a fantastic ladies vanity, because of it's smaller size it would be great in a bedroom or dressing room. I have found a mirror that looks great and will be working on matching that to the desk next!