Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Graphite and Old Ochre Desk


A couple that took one of our Chalk Paint workshops at Loot asked if I would redo their desk and  try to sell it.  The desk is a great size and shape, so I gave it a little Chalk Paint makeover.  They could have painted the desk themselves, after taking our workshop, but they said they were too busy painting everything else in their house.


This is what the desk looked like before with an old, dark wood finish.


I painted the top of the desk with Graphite Chalk Paint and the base and legs with Old Ochre.

Check out the amazing, woodblock art of the owls. I found them at an estate sale and they are both originals with the certificates on the backs.  The small one sold, but the large one is still available at Loot.

Before Dark Wax

I applied dark wax over the Old Ochre and Graphite.  Before I dark waxed the desk, it looked kind of bland, but the wax really finished the look.  I love the way both colors deepened with the dark wax over top of them.  
After Dark Wax


I painted the drawers with the hardware on and then went back and dry brushed Graphite over the Old Ochre on the hardware.  I also dark waxed the pulls when I waxed the drawers.


The dark wax really enriches the color of the Graphite Chalk Paint. 




I paired the desk with my favorite, old, office chair, built circa 1923.



This post is linked to the parties on my sidebar.


13 comments:

Charm Bracelet Diva said...

It's beautiful! Love the color combo. I'm sure it'll sell fast.

Cassie @ Primitive & Proper said...

i love this piece! it's so strong and masculine! if that makes sense...

Linda said...

Nice desk. Love your finish! I much prefer the muted creams to the boring white that's so popular. I'd change the hardware, but that's my taste. Have the same exact chair!

Decor & Harmony said...

I love this combination of colors! Graphite is my favorite color I have only bought 4 colors so far its so rich. NICE!!

Lisa said...

Very nice. I have such a hard time dark waxing flat/large surfaces. You did a perfect job of it. Some day I hope to 'get it'.

A Cottage Muse said...

What a beautiful makeover!

Mrs. Sutton said...

That looks INCREDIBLE! I stumbled across your blog while searching Google for 'chunky wooden candlesticks' to buy and it came up with a post you wrote in 2010! I love it when this happens - you start off searching for one thing, and come across something even better - SO glad I found you (am now following) - your talent for transformation is inspirational - can't wait to see more - my chunky candlesticks can wait! x

Marjorie (Insouciant1) said...

The piece looks fabulous. I have this EXACT same desk, purchased years ago for my husband's study, now reclaimed by me, and have been thinking about giving it a makeover...you just might have been the push that I needed. So inspiring! Great job with the color combination and dark wax application: end result is well worth all the obvious effort!

Deb @Lake Girl Paints said...

Such a beautiful classic look. It caught my eye out of the many entries. Keep up the good work! Deb

Danielle said...

I haven't seen this combination before and I absolutely love it. Haven't worked with Old Ochre yet, but it is lovely. Great job!

The Shabby Chicas said...

Love this! Your work is so inspiring! Can't wait to work on my next Annie Sloan Chalk Paint project. Just had to share a link to your post! --The Shabby Chicas

Teri said...

Beautiful!! Did you apply clear wax over the graphite before the dark wax? I love the look you achieved!!

gardenknitter4 said...

I love your desk makeover- the graphite top reminds of the soapstone tops in the science labs in my old high school--love it!!!

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