Desk/Hutch Re-Crafted

Here's a desk I picked up at the outdoor market...(pictures are not real clear due to them being copies of copies).

The blue paint had numerous brush hairs embedded in the paint from someone using an inexpensive brush. The contact paper that was on the top and drawer fronts was Snoopy paper. BUT....it had good bones! No loose joints, veneer, legs or drawers that were falling apart. Just ugly!

It was light enough for me to pick up myself and put in the trunk of my car. Here's how it looks now:



I sanded the blue paint in order to get the brush hairs off of it and painted that part black. After peeling the contact paper off, I stripped just the top of the desk and the drawer fronts, put on two coats of polyurethane, and re-attached the drawer pulls.

The hutch part came from a second hand store for about $15. I originally bought it to use as a shelving unit in my living room. While cleaning the carpet one day, I needed somewhere to put it to get it out of the way. Upon setting it on top of the desk....I realized it was a perfect fit! I then proceeded to paint the sides and cross bars on the front of it to match the desk.

No one has ever guessed that the two pieces didn't come as one unit! There's even a light on the hutch piece that still works and makes for a nice low night light.

Look around your neighborhood....people throw perfectly good furniture out all the time. Save our environment and your pocket book at the same time and make your own "one of a kind" piece of furniture that not only you'll treasure but perhaps your kids will consider an heirloom to keep.