Vintage Waterfall Desk

This is the first waterfall piece of furniture I have painted and I was happy to find this desk at a yard sale recently.  

The old finish was in poor shape and because all the drawers had indented circles in the center, I got this one very cheap.  The woman told me that she had no idea how to fix the rings in the center of the drawers.  Her friend said the only way to fix it is to buy new veneer.  I did not let them know that my fix would be much simpler than this and I was happy to get a good deal.

I love the lines on this desk and the curved waterfall front.  

I painted the desk with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Provence.  I wanted to add some antiquing, so I mixed some Graphite Chalk Paint with water and made a wash to go over the bright blue Provence.  I made sure to really let the wash settle into all the grooves and used a cloth to wipe it back.  

Below is a comparison showing what the Provence looks like with and without the Graphite wash.

Mr. Rubbish drilled new holes for me, so I could use the same bin pulls that I used on this desk.  I was lucky to find thirteen of these vintage bin pulls on etsy for a great price!

I used wood filler to patch the rings on the front of the drawers and then sanded them smooth.  The only problem was that when I put the Graphite wash over the drawers the rings reappeared through the paint.  Shellac always works wonders at sealing in anything that needs to be concealed and it worked marvelously this time too.  I just painted one coat of shellac and then another coat of Provence followed by the Graphite wash again.

I finished the desk with a coat of Annie Sloan clear wax.  I like how the darkness of the Graphite wash antiques this desk, accentuates the lines, and ties in the oil-rubbed-bronze hardware.

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