So excited about this find! It needs a little work and then I have to decide what color to paint it. Maybe hot pink for Boo’s room? Or maybe distressed? Or rainbow (my house needs some color!) I haven’t decided yet. I was so excited it was only $49.00 and the guys from the thrift store that delivered it said the thrift store didn’t even want it…..it almost got thrown away. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? You’ll have to wait and see how it turns out…..I’m still waiting for the temperature to drop so I can paint outside!
These photos are from a previous post I did about thrift store observations……they are sad to me. Doesn’t the rhinoceros remind you of Corduroy….begging to be taken home?
And some items just have no hope of being rescued…..although I’ve seriously considered making some 10-key art!
I have always wanted a roll top desk. Great find. Makes me want to run to the thrift store and browse. My husband hates it when I go. I have a weakness for glassware and have no place left for anything new (or old). I say do some sanding here and there and use as is. That is the new style these days. The old distressed look and you’ve already got that covered. 🙂
This is crazy! We got rid of this identical desk from my mom’s last year!!! We are in Cali, wonder if its ours haha. I thought about refinishing it but at the time my dad was dying from cancer and I had enough on my plate and we were trying to clear my moms house of a few things. Can’t wait so see what you come up with!
i say definately do something other than those dated brass handles! love roll top desks. Our thrift stores don’t have great finds, i think the handlers go through everything and keep all the good stuff.
Can’t wait to see your end result…My husband would KILL me if I came home with that desk-No vision at all….!!
My grandparents had one just like that when i was little. I love it. I would never had thought to paint it a different color, so neat!
so funny, we have a roll top that I was ready to kick to the curb – I will have to wait now! I was so lucky yesterday and found two old style student/school desks for $12 each – I can’t wait to paint them
Same here Bev. I’ve been thinking of Craigslisting mine. . I like a clear desktop and the rolltop seems to attract clutter. But I love to look at them with all their little nooks and crannies filled.
I love the 10 keys! They print out receipts and how cool is it for a kid to have a big calculator to print out receipts?? I recovered a cash register from the thrift store for $10 and re painted it to make it a kids’ cash register and it is the bomb. Totally in the eye of the beholder! I love thrift posts.
Great find! I can’t wait to see what you do with it – I’m sure it will be fabulous! 🙂
I had a similar desk when I was little. My grandfather bought it for me so that I could do my homework in a dedicated area. Good memories
What a great find! Distressed with new knobs would be lovely.
What a wonderful find!! I’d LOVE to see it rainbow’d!! How great that you found it.
I hope you post a Tutorial on the rolltop project. I have a desk almost exactly like this, in better shape, that I wanted to paint or stain to update the look.
What a great find! I can’t wait to see what you do with it. I agree about the toys, especially the old worn out stuffed animals. My son must have felt the same way. I had to stop taking him to garage sales and thrift stores. He wanted to rescue every one of them and take them home with him.
Wow – what a treasure you’ve found! I would love to do up a desk like that. My husband has actually banned me from coming home with ‘treasures’ like that… as I have a slight addiction to those little projects!!
Can’t wait to see the finished result – once you’ve decided what to do – I think rainbow sounds pretty cool. H xo
Great find!! I’ve found some fantastic chairs at junk shops and at the dump (yes!!). My favourite colour at the moment is French Grey, so I’m going to say go for that. I expect you’ll make it look fabulous whatever you do with it. x
well, you know i’ll say something colorful…but i;m thinking colorful-distressed…..as though it were painted for a circus a jillion years ago and lots of the natural wood and patina have now come through. that way you get color AND neutral at the same time….the most fun would be to have a surprise inside the rolltop….like gloss color or a print or something…or a mini chandelier! ha! i am a big kid – i know it!
Ohhh, I have a similar desk (a little bigger)… but it’s in decent shape so I haven’t painted it…. yet! When I do, it will be a nice, rich red color with distressed edges. Whatever you do, try Annie Sloan chalk paint.. no sanding or priming required.. made specifically for this type of application! A beautiful turquoise would be amazing, too!
I <3 Stephanie's Mini-Chandalier idea 😉
I like the turquoise color, distressed edges, and the inside desktop area with the chalk paint!
I swear that looks like a desk that used to be at my grandmother’s house. You should ask Georgie if he was the one who donated it to the thrift store from Nona’s house!
I think off white with a glaze on the edges and a little distress. Super sparkly, colorful knobs and something cool inside like the girls were talking about ^^. My husband was in the cabinet business in the desrt for 18 years. We know a few finishers if you decide not to take on the task. If you keep the finish simple and dress it up with cool knobs you can end up using it in any room….I know, I know it probably sounds too practical. Lol. Can you tell I am married to a cabinet guy. Respect the wood! ha!
Gorgeous! I think it would be pretty in pale green, like this one that Kate painted at Centsational Girl: http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2009/05/diy-painted-thrift-store-desk/ Super cute in a little girl’s room, especially with the hot pink cushion on the stool! 🙂
Wow!!! That will look fabulous once you’re finished! Fantastic find!!! We found an old school desk not long ago, with the seats attached and the lift up lid. That’s my next big project, sand it back and give it a new lease in life. Well done!!!
Ashley, reminds me of a time when I came home with a 20.00 desk from Salvation Army.. My husband immediatly said he would give me 20.00 to take it back. It was so heavy we thought it had a safe in it. I finally gave it to my son for his first apartment, hubby warned him not to put it upstairs and said “I sure hope you have a big old girlfriend” to help you move it.. we still laugh about that desk.. My daddy was an antique clock repairman and he still has his real old oak rolltop is still in his work shop with all of his tools. I remember him setting at that desk with antique clock in front of him for many hours.. Good luck.. and I agree new hardware.. can’t wait to see it on Pininterest..
What a fabulous find ~ I think a soft lime green color….lavender accents!
Love your blogs ~ good luck. Can’t wait to see the finished product!
How about a soft wasabi green color? Or a baby leaf green (like new leaves in early springtime)? Or a rich vanilla color? Honey color?
How about something like a pastel green or super pastel yellow for the outside…. then RAINBOW polka dots inside?
Or, sanded and stained outside to keep the classic look. I love the brass knobs! Everyone hates on brass these days, but I LOVE brass. It’s classy, elegant, and shiny.
Inside you could still do something colorful and modern… with a classic outside.