Designating particular areas in a room is a great way to maximize the functionality of a space. We wanted to do just that and create a study nook for a kids bedroom. Our dinosaur wallpaper sitting on the shelf created the inspiration behind the space and the color palette we were going to use.
We painted old beer crates to use as book shelves with APCO paints. Green was APCO Lily pad place, Orange- APCO Haley's comet and Blue- APCO Puerto Mio. I sourced the vintage desk from my child's school and the chair off trade me.
I wanted to keep the character of the desk but at the same time, remove the yucky yellow/orange shellac finish off the desk. Using 80grit sandpaper on an orbital sander, I was able to remove all the shellac and some imperfections. I didn't fill in any of the engraved lines that were on top of the desk as I would with any piece of furniture. Classic pen engraving of "josh was here 2003" and "sarah is the bomb" was under the desk lid. That made me chuckle a little as it took me back to primary school days- thank goodness i didn't find any old chewing gum. I finished the desk in 180grit sand paper for a smooth finish. Wiping with a damp cloth I removed all the dust off. I clear coated with Colourtrend water based clear in satin finish as I don't really dig a ultra shiny finish.
The metal parts of the desk and chair were lightly sanded, etch primed with Colourpak etch primer and top coated in Rustoleum 2x cover in sun yellow spray cans.
I later realized after I had finished spraying the legs that I could have detached them from the desk as they are held on by a screw (palm to the forehead emoji). This would have saved me a huge amount of time not having to mask up.
This is a roarsome and functional space for kids to create in and have unlimed imagination. If i was sent to this room for timeout I would not be complaining!
