Colonial Style Secretary Desk
I painted this secretary desk in Duck Egg blue. I use it everyday and really like it as my new office space. It is a Governor Winthrop style secretary desk with a slant front top, bat wing key holes & pulls, and four serpentine drawers. The top includes a hutch with glass doors.
Before:
There were a few relatively minor spots of damage to the desk, but otherwise it was in fine condition.
I used it to store painting supplies. Not a great interior design look for my living room, but hey it worked.
It had some missing pieces of veneer which I filled in with wood filler before painting.
I really wanted to use the desk as a mini-office, but the interior cubby prevented me from storing my laptop inside. So I removed the cubby prior to painting and now my laptop fits. Even if you plan to keep the mail cubby in place, I recommend removing it first as it will make it easier to paint (see instructions below).
I ordered replacement drawer pulls and key holes to give it a fresh new look. The desk didn't come with a key, but I have a skeleton key that fits it.
In order to remove the interior cubby from the secretary desk, I removed the bottom back panel. The cubby was attached to the back panel with nails, so I carefully pried it off. Luckily I didn't damage the back and was able to re-attach the board.
AFTER:
And here's the new look! I think it's so much brighter.
The new drawer pulls add just a touch more elegance to the piece.
I love, love, love the serpentine drawer fronts.
I painted the desk in Duck Egg Blue, The interior shelves and drawer pulls are painted Old White. I sealed the paint with soft clear wax. It gets put to daily use and I am happy to report that the finish has held up extremely well.
The top of the cabinet has decorative molding with a flame finial.
The slant front opens to reveal the work space. With the cubby removed I can now tuck my laptop away when it's not in use. I drilled a hole in the back panel so I could slip my power cords through to the electrical outlet.
The pretty handles on the door fronts open to reveal . . .
. . . three storage shelves. Instead of storing paint supplies, I now store various staging items that I use in photo shoots.
Thanks so much for stopping by The Black Sheep Shoppe today! I hope you enjoyed the project.
Beautiful job.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Polly!
DeleteI have nearly the same secretary, but I want to paint the insert. How would you suggest I do that? Your piece is just so gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThank you Donna! I saved the insert but haven't painted it yet (I plan to repurpose it into something else). The easiest way would be to use a paint sprayer, but that's an expensive option unless you plan to use it frequently. For tricky spaces like this I use a variety of paint brushes and test them out without paint to make sure the brushes will be able to reach all the spaces. So probably some flat artist brushes to reach into the back spaces and a short-handle angled brush. I hope this helps!
DeleteThank you Patricia!
DeleteThis was my grandmother's secretary and if a litter of puppies hadn't used the bottom corner trim as a teething spot, I probably would never have considered painting it. But it is what it is.
How did you get the insert out? Mine is different, but it's still similar enough that it should be close t the same.
You used chalk paint? I'm thinking a mix of Sherwin Williams and calcium carbonate for the recipe. Not sure I want to wax it. I think I'd rather use polycrylic as the top coat.
Puppies do the darnedest things. But they are so cute, you just have to forgive them! The insert was nailed to the back panel, so we took the panel off and used a hammer to remove the nails, then put the panel back in place. My waxed finish is holding up beautifully, but you could definitely use a different sealer. However, I recommend testing it first on a scrap piece especially if you're using a lighter color. Some polycrylics will yellow the color. Not always, but just in case I would test it first. Good luck with your project Donna! I would love to see photos when you're done.
DeleteUse a water based polyacrylic varnish to avoid the yellowing, and choose Matt finish to give a waxed look, unless you like a more glossy look. It's the oil in varnishes and gloss paints that yellow o we time .
DeleteYeah. I learned the hard way about yellowing polyurethane years ago when I painted a bedroom set and it yellowed. :(
DeleteI'm not a huge fan of dead flat finishes, so I will probably go with a satin to give it a bit of sheen.
I just noticed you painted the hardware. How is that holding up for you? How did you prepare it to take/keep paint?
Hi Donna, I painted the new hardware with chalk paint (Annie Sloan brand). I did a light first coat and let it dry and then applied a heavier second coat of paint. I applied soft clear wax to seal the chalk paint. If you're using a different type of paint you might need to apply a primer coat first, but check the manufacturer recommendations.
DeleteI use the desk daily and to clean the painted/waxed surface I wipe it down as needed with a microfiber cloth. The finish has held up beautifully.
If you're wanting to use something other than chalk paint then you might look into Fusion Mineral Paint as it doesn't require a top coat. I haven't used it personally yet but I plan to give it a try soon as I've heard great things about the product.
This piece is absolutely fabulous. I love what you did, as well as the color of paints you chose. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ivory Jean! Duck Egg Blue is one of my favorite colors. :-)
DeleteHi! Your secretary is beautiful. I'm wondering where you got the new hardware. I have old eagle shaped key holes and pulls on mine that I'd like to replace with something a little nicer than what I'd find at the big box stores. Any ideas?
ReplyDeleteThank you Jackie! I ordered the hardware online for this piece from D. Lawless Hardware. I also use Kennedy Hardware for many of my projects, too. Good luck with your project!
DeleteWow-what a beautiful transformation. Thank you very much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI am in the process of redoing a very similar secretary using a soft green color. I very much like the way you used the white color on yours. Can you please tell me how you achieved the distressed look in your white trim . Also where do I get the kind of wax that u used.
Thank you Donna.
Hi Donna, After painting with chalk paint I lightly distressed the white edges with 220-grit sandpaper. I used a light touch and repeated with more pressure as needed until I got the look I wanted. I sealed the paint with clear wax, here is a link for you (you will need to cut and paste the links): https://amzn.to/3kXP6J0. After I sealed the paint with wax, I used a white glaze over the painted blue areas, link here: https://amzn.to/30jfR2P Best of luck with your project!
DeleteI love this! Did you take the glass out to paint the wood design area or just tape and pray? 🤣
ReplyDeleteThank you! I did not take the glass out on this piece. I used a small paint brush and held an index card against the glass while I painted. Then I used a razor blade to scrape off any bits from the glass. On other projects I removed the glass, so I could paint both sides of the decorative molding. Another option that I have seen others use is "liquid" masking tape. I haven't personally used it though.
DeleteI had a secretary just like that I bought new in 1966. I'm sure it was made by the same manufacturer as yours. My daughter has it now. I will forward this site on to her so maybe it will give her some ideas.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment! It's certainly a good quality piece of furniture. I hope your daughter enjoys it for many years!
DeleteGreat job! I have the exact same one! So preety to see what could be done!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your kind comment!
DeleteIt turned out lovely! I have a similar one. I am refinishing and the veneer on the wood working on the glass is chipping off. How did you repair yours?
ReplyDeleteThank you! I used wood filler to patch in the areas of missing veneer and then sanded it prior to painting.
DeleteHi there! I love your Secretary and it inspired me to paint one in similar colours. I polished the brass handles but don’t like how they look against the pastel blue I used. Can you please let me know where you got your replacement drawer pulls?
ReplyDeleteThank you and I am so glad my project inspired you! I purchased the drawer pulls online from D. Lawless Hardware and painted them white. You could try painting your existing hardware first and see if you like them.
DeleteAll I can say is WOW!!! I am a hobbyist who restores furniture and normally I hate to see colonial pieces like this one be covered with paint... But this is an exception. Perfect choices all along the way!! So gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
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